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| Benjamin Walter |
The Industrial Revolution, emerging roughly around the 18th century, impacted society in many different ways, from helping economies through mass production to the overall well-being of many individual families. The printing press, which was first invented by the Chinese in 1040, became a driving figure for reproduction and was ultimately what birthed the concept of the robot. Through this evolution of mechanical manufacturing along with the growing significance of math and science, reproduction of numerous art works and films were able to be established. This topic of reproduction and the use of robotics is what Benjamin Walter discusses in his work, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”. Walter explains how mechanical production destroys the idea of uniqueness, authenticity, and aura; through technological processes such as the printing press, it strips away the artwork’s nature, shifting the focus away from ritual and tradition. Following these revolutionary ideas, Picasso and other artists portraying surrealism begun to emerge.
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| Image of the printing press |
Influenced by the printing press in the early 20th century, the invention of assembly lines came into the spotlight, bringing up issues such as Taylorism(the issue of people being treated like machines) as well. Just like the printing press, the idea of the assembly line was to create efficiency in mass production. One of the first people to put this to use was Henry Ford, whose main goal was to provide a car for everyone, no matter if he or she was rich or poor.
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| Assembly lines of Ford cars |
Ultimately, advancements in technology, such as in the development of computers, helped bring about the ideas of robotics; processes according to tradition became obsolete as newly innovative ideas brought surrealism and other “unnatural” works into the picture. Today, it’s connections with the rest of society contribute to the individual’s well-being.
Sources:
Sources:
Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Penguin Books, 2008.
Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, p. 381., doi:10.2307/1576221.
Norman, Jeremy. HistoryofInformation.com, www.historyofinformation.com/narrative/index.php.
“Pablo Picasso Biography.” Henri Matisse, 2009, www.pablopicasso.org/picasso-biography.jsp.
Thompson, Cliff. “San Francisco Robotics Society of America (SFRSA).” San Francisco Robotics Society of America (SFRSA), 2002, www.robots.org/.
I find it interesting that you bring up how today technology contributes to the individual's well-being because when technology started off a lot of people were angry that their jobs were being taken by machines. It is interesting seeing the way people view technology has changed based on the way it benefits them.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to note how you bring up Taylorism(the treatment of humans as machines) in your blog because I also agree with that point. The industrial Revolution of the 18th century brought massive change to society, and this change caused the individualism of the Renaissance Era to evaporate and to be replaced with mass production, which led to Taylorism.
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