Week 3: Robotics & Art

Throughout high school I played the flute, and my flute teacher would often tell me to play a single note and imagine painting the wall in front of me with the “color of the sound.” I would often imagine some sort of paint shooting out of the end of my flute and covering the wall, and depending on the note I was playing or how I was feeling that day, the color would vary. This is why I found this week’s discussion of musical cybernetics systems to be particularly interesting to me, as it seems to truly blend the musical arts with robotics technology to create an incredible sensory and perceptual experience for its audience.

http://alligator-sunglasses.com/post/26220306189/seeing-the-music

As Professor Vesna discussed, Gordon Pask developed the musician cybernetics system, or the MusiColour Machine, to accompany musical performers. As the musicians played traditional instruments, the machine “responded” to the performers with varying colored lights and movements. Using the frequency and rhythm of the music as input, the machine was thought of as another performer, as each output was unique.

http://cyberneticians.com/THSH3/T6.html

While Walter Benjamin expressed his concern over this lacking “unique existence” of art, the MusiColor Machine is entirely unparalleled in its individuality of output based on the varying sounds it inputs. This cybernetic arts system was designed to engage both the machine and the performer, to ultimately create a visual and auditory experience for the audience that was unexpected and somewhat hypnotic, yet still systematic.    

http://hdwallpaper.freehdw.com/0004/3d-abstract_hdwallpaper_colors-of-music_31765.jpg

This idea of cybernetics, or the endless fluidity of information, began as a new way of thinking about the impact of feedback and output on a mechanical system.  I found this fascinating because the idea of humans and a machine feeding off one another to create something beautiful is unusual compared to common notions and fears about the future of robotics. However, this idea of the connection between humans and robot-like entities may provide a great deal of value not only in the field of art, but in future scientific exploration as well.

CURRENT EXAMPLE: Disneyland’s production “World of Color” came to mind when I first learned about the MusiColour machine. In this production, the audience watches colorful fountains and lights dance to the pre-recorded music. While there is no feedback between performers and the machine, “World of Color” still perfectly exemplifies the use of modern technology to create an artistic, multi-sensory experience for viewers where the music, colors and lights work together, as Pask intended with his machine. 

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/entertainment/disney-california-adventure/world-of-color/

Works Cited

"ASC: Foundations: Defining 'Cybernetics'" ASC: Foundations: Defining 'Cybernetics' N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://www.asc-cybernetics.org/foundations/definitions.htm>.

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Fernandez, Maria. "Aesthetically Potent Environments," or How Gordon Pask Detoured Instrumental Cybernetics." (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://nordes.medialab.aalto.fi/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/Pask-in-White-Heat-Cold-Logic.pdf>.

Haque, Usman. The Architectural Relevance of Gordon Pask (n.d.): n. pag. Hack Design & Research. Web. <http://www.haque.co.uk/papers/architectural_relevance_of_gordon_pask.pdf>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics and Art.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 17 April 2015. Lecture.

"World of Color." Disneyland Resort. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <https%3A%2F%2Fdisneyland.disney.go.com%2Fentertainment%2Fdisney-california-adventure%2Fworld-of-color%2F>.