How do developments in hybrid art affect the perception of the human–technology relationship?

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Author
Piebalga, Alise
Date
2016Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Debates in science and technology studies suggest that our understanding of the
human–technology relationship is in crisis. There are those who argue that
developments in prosthetics and human augmentation will benefit humanity. While
others argue that such developments will lead us into technological oblivion.
These discussions are not confined to the fields of science and technology. Artists
make works that address the human–technology relationship, claiming that their
artworks affect how audiences perceive it. But little research has been conducted into
how such artworks affect the audience’s perceptions of the human–technology
relationship.
This research project focuses on ‘hybrid art’, which is defined by its transdisciplinary
approach to making art that addresses the human–technology relationship. It surveys
several notable hybrid artworks and describes the reported impact they have had on
their audiences’ perceptions of the human–technology relationship. Many of these
reports suggest that the audiences of these works experienced a blurring of the
perceived boundary between the virtual and the real.
This phenomenon has been further investigated in this research by studying audience
responses to hybrid artworks created by the author. These artworks provided a case
study for gathering and evaluating empirical data to test the hypothesis that hybrid
artworks affect audience’s perceptions of the human–technology relationship. The
data was gathered using a technique, which takes snapshots of an audience’s
perceptions of the human–technology relationship before and after viewing a hybrid
art installation. The study showed that in an overwhelming number of cases the
artworks had affected the audience’s perceptions of the human–technology
relationship.
By revealing that hybrid artworks affect viewers’ perceptions of the human–
technology relationship, the research suggests that artworks can play a significant
role in shaping our understanding of the human–technology relationship, and perhaps
what it means to be human.
Description
PhD Thesis - School of Art and Design
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