An AI Defines the Meaning of Art
From pop stars to obscure figures in Visual Arts, Dance, Theater, Music, Literature and Multimedia, an Artificial Intelligence system reflects on the meaning of Art and the purpose of Artists
The word "Art" is probably one of the most ambiguous and controversial words ever. What is Art? Is all Art equal? Is all Art good? Can good Art be bad? Can bad Art do good? What makes a work of Art? What makes an Artist? Aren't we all artists? Is an artist an artist if the art is not "Art"?
I have to confess, I am a little bit of an art snob. I have my opinions and preferences, and If I find a performance amazing, of course everybody should find it amazing! But how arrogant and foolish, because that's not the point. All this time I was missing the point. My taste, your taste, may not matter at all.
Art is not there to please or displease us. It is there to augment reality and offer possibilities. It is there to amplify the human condition, reflect the zeitgeist of Time and provoke us from emotion, to question, to action, to change. Artists are change makers. They are social sensors and transmitters of ideas. And in an increasingly data driven world, Artists have been taken for granted because these qualities are hard to quantify, yet bring a fundamental value to society. We know Art is good for the brain, for the soul, for education, good for communities and good for the economy. We know the Arts are the archives of our human history, the wind of invention and the heartbeat of humanity. It is not so much about the 'pleasing' outcome, but about the intent, impact and process, which is critical to innovation.
We, Artists, might have been taken for granted, it's true. But we have also taken our potential for granted: our ability to play and imagine, to question and problem solve, to look at life through different lenses and invent. Artists need to be at the table today and part of the operating system of solutions, where their creativity transcends their current media of expression, and truly enacts change in a deeply interconnected world.
Artists as Innovators: that's what I envision for 2030 and beyond.
Natasha's AI
Talk Transcript at the UN SDSNS 2030 Youth Project, at Columbia University, New York, New York, September 20, 2016.
ARTISTS & ART FEATURED IN THE VIDEO
* Leonardo da Vinci, The Mona Lisa
* The Mona Lisa satire, Artist not found
* Nazi Pin Up Girl, Nazi Propaganda, Artist Unknown
* Tom Friedman, 1,000 Hours of Staring
* Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn Diptych, 1962
* Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans
* Ron Mueck, life size sculpture, title unknown
* Pina, a movie by Wim Wenders, tribute to legendary choreographer Pina Bausch
* Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Les Étés de la Danse
* The Sanctuary of Christ the King, Almada, in Portugal, Francisco Franco de Sousa
* John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter
* Slava Polunin, Slava’s Snow Show
* Album cover for Jh-Anu - Dark Matter (SANY-ON Remix), Artist not found
* Mike Parr, Bronze liars (minus 1 to minus 16) 1996
* Burning Man, Love, Alexander Milov
* Marina Abramovic, The Artist is Present
* Michael D'Antuono, A Tale Of Two Hoodies
* Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917
* Spencer Tunick, volunteers posing on the largest glacier in the Alps, Aletsch, Switzerland
* World's first HOLOGRAM protest, Madrid Spain, Artist not found
* Data visualization, Artist not found
* Gustavo Dudamel, students practicing
* Amy Bishop during the “Brain on Art” EEG at the Blaffer Art Museum
* New World Symphony, New World Center, Wallcast
* Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati, Thiruvalluvar Statue, Tamil Nadu, India
* Leonardo da Vinci, drawings and inventions
* Gustave Eiffel's company, Eiffel Tower
* Acropolis of Athens, commissioned by Pericles
* Opera singer, unknown
* Man unknown
* Hans Namuth, Jackson Pollock © Estate of Hans Namuth
* Unknown Man, Magic Leap Offices
* Keith Arnatt, Trouser - Word Piece 1972–89
* Shirin Neshat, 1994, Rebellious Silence (from the series Women of Allah)
* Awol Erizku, Girl With A Bamboo Earring
* Martin Luther King, The Selma to Montgomery marches
* Scientists from the University of Rochester
* Artists for Haiti, We are The World
* 24 CEOs in the White House's State Dining Room to discuss American manufacturing
* Pharrell Williams, Scott Vener, Aziz Anzari & DJ Khaled, OTHERtone Episode 14
* Ohad Naharin, Choreographer, Gaga technique
* Michal Trpak, Escape into reality
* George Lucas, on the set of Star Wars
Music: Albinoni, Adagio in G Minor
QUOTES
"Art is not there to please or displease us. It is there to augment reality and offer possibilities. It is there to amplify the human condition, reflect the zeitgeist of Time and provoke us from emotion, to question, to action, to change."
"Artists are change makers. They are social sensors and transmitters of ideas."
"The Arts are the archives of our human history, the wind of invention and the heartbeat of humanity."