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Robotic Art and Cultural Imagination

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Robotic Art and Cultural Imagination http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/ewic/EVAC18.48 Robotic Art and Cultural Imagination Bojana Romic School of Arts and Communication Nordenskiöldsgatan 1, 211 19 Malmö, Sweden [email protected] In this article, I aim to accentuate the importance of the cultural imagination about robots, observing it 'as a mixed register of fantasy and an actual practice' (Kakoudaki 2007, 165). I emphasise the field of robotic art, which, I argue, is in a fluid state of exchange with other areas of robotic research, equally benefiting from the larger context of the cultural imagination about robots. Furthermore, I discuss artworks that offer a valuable commentary on robots even though they are not defined as robotic art in a narrow sense (Penny 2013), given that they feature only the representation of robots or robot-like characters. Nevertheless, these artworks contribute to the circulation of symbolic registers that revolve around the multifaceted figure of a robot. Robot. Robotic Art. Cultural imagination. Cultural robotics. 1. INTRODUCTION imagination: I do not probe deeper into ideological, religious and societal reasons for imaginaries that In recent years, there has been an ongoing debate are characteristic of particular societies (e.g. about the notion and (possible) function of robotic Japanese, US, Korean, etc.). Instead, I focus on culture. With the development of the new generation phenomenological aspects of cultural imagination in of drones, as well as the advancement in social and robotic art in general. health robotics, questions about the robot culture seem to open a variety of discussions (Kim & Kim 2013, Samani et al. 2013, Šabanović et al. 2014, 2. WHAT IS A ROBOT CULTURE? Koh et al. 2015). Such discourses begin with the inquiry on how we can grasp the notion of culture1 Although the study of culture has a long history in as an umbrella term for the range of habitual and the humanities and the social sciences (Šabanović technological practices, in relation to the equally et al. 2004), only recently has culture become an heterogeneous field of robotics. The term robot area of study in the field of robotics: covers a broad range of meanings that communicate The emerging discipline of cultural robotics […] with the common cultural imagination about robots defines culture as a notion which is not only fed by the literature and popular culture. Typically, a attributed to humans, but also encompasses the robot is considered a mechanical entity that cultural exchanges between robots, robots and possesses a certain level of autonomy, agency and humans, as well as other intellectual and choice (Kakoudaki 2007). emotional entities (Samani et al. 2013, 2). I do not delve into detail regarding different aspects This definition includes animals as well, given that of scientific research (e.g. HRI, computer vision, they are social and emotional beings and may have social robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), locomotive strong attachments to their groups or packs. There qualities, etc.) but observe it as a whole. are interesting examples of research that has closely Whilst I acknowledge the importance of gender- examined the experimental prototypes of a mixed related questions in cultural robotics (Eyssel 2012, community and has tried to determine the impact of Vlachos, Jochum and Schärfe 2016), they are not robots on the ecosystem2. These experiments show the focus of my article. I take into account that the alteration of animal behaviour when robots are depending on the circumstances and/or artistic introduced to the closed circuit. intention, a robot may be female, male or neither. In Western societies, we are witnessing the Furthermore, I observe 'culturally odourless' introduction of animal-like social or personal robots, (Borggreen 2011, 42) aspects of cultural such as Paro (therapeutic robot, Intelligent System © Romic. Published by BCS Learning and Development Ltd. 1 Proceedings of EVA Copenhagen 2018, Denmark Robotic Art and Cultural Imagination Bojana Romic Co.), Probo (intelligent, autonomous robot that imagination about robots fuelled by popular interacts with hospitalised children, Free University initiatives, especially in film, literature and visual and Brussels), iCat (social robot for children and adults, sonic arts. Philips), Huggable (robotic companion for healthcare, education and social communication, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab) 3. ROBOTS: IN BETWEEN REAL AND and many others. Such robotic companions are IMAGINARY expected to be easily accepted by people, firstly due to the robots’ pet-like qualities and the already In recent decades, cinema – as a popular medium established relationships between people and capable of reaching broad audiences worldwide – animals (Coeckelbergh 2011); secondly, people are has produced many fictional robots that have gained not challenged by the 'uncanny valley'3 in terms of a considerable fan base, especially since the advent robots’ appearance (Mori 1970). Besides pet-like of the Internet (Jenkins 2006a). These fictional robots, other technological agents operate robots that appear on film and other popular media alongside humans as health workers, educators, greatly influence people's ideas about them. As playmates or even intimate partners (Turkle 2011). noted by Kakoudaki, 'the robot is a figure of fiction and science fiction which, despite its un-reality On the other hand, relevant robotic studies have channels feelings about culture and technology, been conducted outside the centres and the difference and justice, often in indirect ways' (2007, laboratories that have pursued research for 165). Kakoudaki carefully avoids the binary instrumental purposes, specifically in the area of art opposition between 'real' (produced) and and cultural practices (Penny 2013), as well as in do- phantasmal robots, arguing that the two approaches it-yourself (DIY) robotics. Such research offers a fuel each other – we can observe the presence of a broader space for dialogue and rethinking human- robot as a cultural figure in popular media for almost robot interaction (HRI) approaches, iconic a century now. stereotypes and ethical concerns. It can even be argued that robotic art and culture has an additional Likewise, we can find analogues in both literature quality of a 'testing space' for an outspread cultural and folk phantasmagoria for many more centuries. imagination about robots. An example is Rodney A. as well as some embodied agents – such as the Brook's six-legged insect robot Genghis (1988), Chakanobi Ningyo tea-serving doll from the Edo which he describes as 'an artificial agent with a Period in Japan (Hornyak 2006), Jacques de "wasplike" personality' that 'chased and scrambled Vaucanson's Digesting Duck or Henri Maillardet's according to its will' (Dixon 2004, 31). Currently, we and Pierre Jacquet-Droz's anthropomorphic can find a whole range of both commercial insect- automata from the eighteenth century (Dixon like robots (e.g. Robugtix T8 spider, Amoeba 2004a). As Genevieve Bell puts it: Robotics Ltd.; Hexapod collection for hobbyists, [I] would say (…) at least three or five thousand Lynxmotion) and DIY spider robots. years, we have had a fascination with stories As Penny notes: about things coming to life (Bell 2018, 26). Cultural robotics is a highly charged In this sense, we may consider a certain cultural interdisciplinary test environment in which the heritage orbiting around the imagination the 'man's theory and the pragmatics of technical research alternative' (Telotte 1995), which influences the confronts the phenomenological realities of cultural imagination about robots – what their physical and social being in the world, and the properties may be, how they can integrate in future performative and processual practices of the arts society and how they will influence the workforce of (2013, 147). the future (McClure 2018). Some scientists and theorists, including Ray Kurzweil, Hans Moravec or Similarly, Šabanović, Bennett and Lee (2014, 2) Bill Joy, have worked on popularising robotic suggest: science, sometimes playing the role of tech- Robotics as a culture-aware practice should evangelists who comment on future trends or incorporate an understanding of scientific imagine the future ‘aloud’ – thus communicating with practice as a cultural phenomenon and include audiences unaccustomed to the presence of robots. the critical study of cultural meanings and values as they are defined outside of robotics labs into However, I argue that cultural imagination is also the development of new robotic technologies. related to the actual robotic research, which in itself covers a diverse range of practices. Even though For this reason, the authors propose the phrase produced robots can be radically different from culturally robust robotics, which takes culture into fictional ones, the latter still participate in the general account as a broad context in which robot design phantasmagoria and inspiration or as a paradigm for and use occur. This can be interpreted as an attempt pursuing further exploration. to bridge the persisting gap between the actual robotic technological research and the cultural 2 Robotic Art and Cultural Imagination Bojana Romic Given that the imaginaries are hardly measurable in 3.1 Robots as techno-dinosaurs quantitative terms and that these domains somewhat overlap, we can take a closer look at the To illustrate this symbolic connection between the tendencies in the current types of robotic research. real and the imaginary, I use the dinosaur analogy These areas influence one another and cross fields and briefly introduce W.J.T. Mitchell’s (1998) to a certain degree, either through a form of joint interesting study about dinosaurs as cultural icons. research between an industry and an artist (such is The reason why I use this parable is a certain the case with the robot Kuratas, developed by the similarity in cultural status between dinosaurs and artist Kogoro Kurata and built by Suidobashi Heavy robots, which I will explain shortly. Industry) or because many art or DIY projects are Mitchell stresses the importance of taking into simply informed by the technological state-of-the-art account not only 'the things themselves' (i.e.
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