Online Art Courses: Art and Machines: From Locomotives to AI

This online course focuses on the undeniable historical connection between art and machines. In the Renaissance, machines played a fundamental role in the development of architecture and perspective in painting and sculpture. In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution led to the introduction of new materials like iron, concrete, and glass. Machines became a symbol of progress and modernity, and new inventions like the camera or the cinematograph opened new roads for creation. The 20th century witnessed the consolidation of photography and cinema first and then the emergence of new kinetic and robotic mechanisms that made it possible to make complex video installations. And today we are witnesses to the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Although machines are human inventions that contribute to the development of new forms of artistic production while mirroring the transformations in society and the perception of the world, their use in art has always stirred debate, mostly in connection with their role in creative processes vis-à-vis more conventional or handcrafted methods.

The course will be conducted by Josu Rekalde, a multidisciplinary artist whose production includes experimental videos, sculpture installations, and new technologies. Rekalde was a faculty member at the School of Art in the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).

Target audience: Adults interested in contemporary art
Type of course: online (accessed from the online platform)
Structure: 4 modules, 16 video lessons, additional resources
Workload: 6 hours (at your own pace)
Language: Spanish
Certification: Upon completion of the course, participants will get a certificate.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN IN THIS COURSE?

1. Keys to understand and examples to illustrate the relationship between art and machines from the 19th century to the present.
2. Leading artists and most relevant works.
3. Other forms of artistic production coexisting with more conventional or non-technology-based techniques to broaden your understanding of modern and contemporary art.
4. New role and social impact of artists in the age of AI.

CONTENTS

The course will be divided into four thematic modules, with examples by relevant artists.

Module I: Machines as Objects of Representation and Symbols of Modernity

In the 19th century, art was transformed by the rise of machines as mass production engines, brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Artists like the Impressionists or the Futurists laid their eyes on machines and technology developments as symbols of progress, modernity, and dynamism.

Video 1: From J. M. W. Turner to Impressionism

Video 2: A new machine: the cinematograph

Video 3: Fernand Léger and the painting of the industrial and mechanical world

Video 4: Futurism: a celebration of the power and speed of machines

Module II: Light and Movement, New Art Materials

In the early 20th century, the use of machines as tools for change in society and in art became part of the program of several revolutionary movements, as well as those breaking away from traditional forms of artistic production. Meanwhile, mobile and kinetic elements entered the art scene and found their place among artistic practices.

Video 1: Constructivism: Antoine Pevsner, Naum Gabo, Vladimir Tatlin

Video 2: Dadaism and Surrealism: Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray

Video 3: Mobiles: László Moholy-Nagy, Alexander Calder

Video 4: Kinetic Art: Jean Tinguely, Theo Jansen

Module III: Bodies and Machines

Artists have focused on the role of bodies in connection with technology, particularly from the 1960s to the present. This has led to the discussion of the social and anthropological consequences of man-machine hybrids and new forms of experimentation in art.

Video 1: Art and robotics: Nam June Paik, Marcel.lí Antúnez Roca

Video 2: Cyborgs in contemporary art: Stelarc and Orlan, Neil Harbisson

Video 3: Video cameras, a new way of looking at reality: Peter Weibel, Michael Snow

Video 4: Multimedia installations: Yayoi Kusama, Edwin van der Heide, Mark Leckey

Module IV: Looking into the Future: From Digital Art to New Ways of Making Art

With the emergence of digital art in the 1960s, the first computers made their way into artistic creation. More recently, the use of AI enabled artists to go beyond traditional concepts and roles. Finally and the hybridizations between art and science are beginning to open up new perspectives for understanding reality.

Video 1: Computational Art: Vera Molnár, A. Michael Noll, Centro de Cálculo UCM (José María Yturralde, Elena Asins)

Video 2: Net.art (New Media Art): Vuk Ćósic, Olia Lialina, Daniel Guzmán

Video 3: AI and Generative Art: Refik Anadol

Video 4: Art and science: future questions.

Juan Muñoz
Shadow and Mouth, 1997/2017
Polyester resin, cloth, pigment, wood and motor
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa