Robot and Kitsch: From the myth of technological progress towards the medium of subversive strategies of posthumanism
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Description | The chapter traces evolution of the Robot, motif/drama character coined by Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (1920/21), from the central figure of the technological progress myth towards it’s transformation into powerful means of subversive strategies within discourse of post-humanism and information society. The argument starts with explanation of the R.U.R. reception by Czech theatre critiques (Robot as a kitsch), and continues by tracing the way Robot had become part of the myth of the “machine age” and subsequently their reputation as sci-fi genre cliché establishment. Finally, the Robotic art importance as a platform of subversive strategies within new media art practices and information society ideologies is stressed. |
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