Technological Dreams
Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby created a series that explores how robots relate to their human cohabitants in a future in which robots will inevitably interact with everything humans do. Some of these robots are dependent and needy, while others are independent and focus on their own work. One of Dunne and Raby’s robots is a super computer that’s highly capable, but trapped in with a child’s mentality and isn’t entirely efficient because of that. Dunne and Raby’s work is important to my exploration because their robots are interacting with the world through a specific perspective, like anxiety or dependency.
http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/content/projects/10/0#
Useless Machines
Marvin Minsky’s concept of the useless machine explores machines that function but have no direct purpose. The machine pictured below has a switch. When the robot is switched on, its function is to switch itself off again. There are many different types of Minsky’s machines, such as a robot that unplugs itself by rolling away from the outlet and one that taps its finger like a human would do.
Minsky’s robot and the resulting machines are conceptually interesting to me because the robot is functioning how it was programmed to, but isn’t necessarily fulfilling any sort of purpose. In relation to my own project, my robots will be functioning, but not in the ways suitable for successful interaction with the world and without purpose, other than learned survival.
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Most-Useless-Machine/
Kristoffer Myskja is an artist who makes different types of machines. Smoking Machine is a robot that smokes cigarettes continuously. Myskja’s work is important to my thesis research because it uses a robot to explore addiction.
http://kristoffermyskja.com/work.php#work-display
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a film about a six year old girl named Hushpuppy growing up in the fictitious town of Bathtub, which is geographically placed south of the levee in Louisiana. Hushpuppy lives in a world of alcoholics and is taken care of, or rather takes care of, her father who is dying. Hushpuppy has no other relatives and has to survive in a harsh environment. Throughout the film, Hushpuppy thinks of the aurochs, an extinct but powerful creature known for their fearlessness and bravery. Beasts of the Southern Wild is relevant to my thesis because it explores how one survives trauma.
The Wire
http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/episodes/4/47-misgivings/index.html
The Wire, a popular television show about people living in Baltimore, explores a city falling apart from the perspective of the people on the streets to the people working closely to the Mayor’s office. Through a main narrative of a drug dealer taking control of East Baltimore, The Wire explores themes of addiction, poverty, abuse, and neglect. Through ignorant statements like “I know what those kids are going through- my wife volunteers at a public school,” The Wire effectively communicates their exploration of deeper context and themes. The Wire is important for my thesis research because their use of subtext throughout the show. My project’s success will be heavily dependent on how well I am able to communicate the damaging effects of trauma through subtle use of subtext through the robot’s behavior and communication with the audience members.
Dumb Ways to Die
http://www.dumbwaystodie.com/watch/#video-player
Dumb Ways to Die is a brand and video series that explores all the possible ways someone can die, but in a funny and cute manner. The tone is comical and light, even though the content is deadly serious, no pun intended. Dumb Ways to Die is important for my thesis exploration because I want the aesthetic and tone of the project to be sweet, innocent, and childlike while still addressing the serious topic of childhood trauma.
Sesame Street
Sesame Street is a popular children’s television show that addresses issues that a child may face by telling stories with their famous puppets. Sesame Street also launched the Resilience Project which aims to address events like parental incarceration, divorce, and trauma. Similar to Dumb Ways to Die, Sesame Street focuses on serious issues while maintaining a light feeling.
Don Hertzfeldt (Various Films)
Don Hertzfeldt is an animator who creates very bleak films with a comical aesthetic. Hertzfeldt uses hand drawn stick figures and cartoon-like illustration to explore darker themes like abuse, death, and the end of the world. While most of his work is highly relevant to my thesis project, Billy’s Balloon is probably the most relevant. Billy’s Balloon is a short film in which a baby is playing with a balloon that swiftly turns abusive. The balloon beats up the baby in a manner of ways until it eventually drops the child out of the sky. The video is comical in many ways, from the illustration style to the movements of the characters, but draws on a very dark theme of child abuse.
Pussy Weevil by Marina Zurkow
Marina Zurkow is an artist in New York City who created Pussy Weevil. Pussy Weevil is an interactive installation in which the user can interact with a creature in a screen. The creature in the screen is a parody of George Bush in 2003, right when the US was invading Iraq. The creature’s movements are entirely a reaction to the viewer’s position. Zurkow’s work is interesting and relevant to my thesis because she explores how a creature interacts with a user and thus how it reveals its identity.
ELF by Pascal Glissmann
Pascal Glissmann, New York based artist and designer, created Electronic Life Forms, which is a series of mechanical creatures that interact with sunlight. The series of robots explores the shift of smart objects to autonomous creations, as well as a common childhood activity of capturing creatures and putting them in glass jars. Glissmann’s work is relevant to my own because he’s looking at how robots can behave in a seemingly natural way, regardless of their artificial structures.
Cat Schmitz 