CRITICAL REFLECTION
Theorists And Artists
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Mashiro Mori
森 政弘
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Kathleen Ryan
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Stephanie Dinkins
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Trevor Paglen
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Maurizio Cattelan
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Yoann Bourgeois
Unit 1
1. Research on the uncanny valley principle and the application of psychology in film and television works.
2. “Depersonalization” and urban oddities – “Alternate”.
3. Research on the application of "Defamiliarization" in contemporary art.
4. Psychological testing and art therapy.
5. Reflection at this stage and directions for future improvements.
（Unit 1）
IDENTIFIED KEY STRANDS OF RESEARCH
The Uncanny Valley: It all starts with horror movies.
Classic Horror Movie Image: Design Using the Uncanny Valley Principle
When I initially chose the subject of "Horror Valley," it stemmed from my childhood fear of horror films. I have always been someone with a pronounced sense of insecurity due to certain family reasons, which led me to feel deeply frightened by the imagery in horror movies from a young age. However, as I grew older and pursued my BA studies in a field related to directing, I gradually began to accept and even developed a fondness for horror films.
I believe that a good horror film doesn't simply startle you abruptly; instead, it induces psychological fear through deeper design. At this point, I must mention my profound interest in psychology within this context. As an artist, I think considering psychological factors in my work allows the audience to better connect with it and guides their emotions during its viewing. Consequently, I've been attempting to integrate psychological theories into computational art, digital art, and visual arts. It's akin to adding new senses to my work beyond sight and sound.
If we liken artwork to the human body, the visual and auditory components are equivalent to the eyes and ears, while the psychological aspect is as crucial as the brain and heart. Hence, I believe the inception of my work needs to return to the basics, reverting to the domain of the horror movies that terrified me the most in my childhood. I intend to select specific cases to analyze how the entire audiovisual and narrative systems of the film correlate with psychological knowledge. This integration will significantly aid my work and contribute to achieving the desired impact.
'Pan's Labyrinth'
'The Return of the Living Dead'
The graph of human likeness and familiarity
Japanese roboticist Mashiro Mori initially delineated the concept of the uncanny valley in the 1970s. While Sigmund Freud briefly alluded to the idea in 1919, using a character in a story to illustrate the ambiguity of humanity, it was Mori who provided a tangible framework for exploration through media and digital art.
The human psyche, a marvelously intricate entity, possesses the capacity to conjure notions more unsettling than the visual stimuli presented. Nonetheless, a peculiar recess of our cognitive realm grapples with entities or characters that bear an almost-human semblance but fall short. Regardless of the duration spent observing these unnatural entities, our neural signals illuminate, prompting instincts to either confront or flee. This phenomenon is encapsulated in the potency of the "uncanny valley."
The uncanny valley denotes a perceptual phenomenon concerning the reception of entities that are not entirely human by human observers. It is graphically represented in a spectrum mapping human likeness and familiarity, residing in proximity to human features yet evoking a sense of profound unfamiliarity.
While various explanations exist for the disquieting effect on the human gaze, evolutionary biologists posit that it stems from the inherent neurological inclination to steer clear of bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms associated with diseases.
'Halloween'
'The Walking Dead'
The recognition of zombies as non-human entities poses a challenge due to the phenomenon known as the uncanny valley. Although they were once human, their altered characteristics evoke a sense of discomfort and divergence from the familiar. This immediate deviation instills both fear and fascination, as evident in the thematic allure of the "Walking Dead."
Similarly, numerous antagonists in slasher films from the 1970s and 1980s traverse the uncanny valley, as their appearances and behaviors disrupt the norm. In "Halloween," for instance, Michael Myers undergoes dehumanization through the use of a mask. The pallid visage of the William Shatner mask obliterates any semblance of expression or human warmth associated with our perception of humanity. This inherent unnaturalness fractures our cognitive categorization, leaving us only with a response marked by a fear of its inherent "otherness."
The uncanny valley serves as a double-edged sword, proving disastrous for some and a stroke of genius for others. As a unique psychological phenomenon, it has evolved into an indispensable element of contemporary storytelling.
According to Scream Horror Magazine, these are a few qualities to keep in mind when creating a character that dips into the uncanny valley:
Lack of identity
A reminder of death
Immune to disease
Have a lack of modern rules or morals
These few qualities can make a character come to life in your story as a beautiful eyesore that motivates the plot. How they do that is completely up to you.
The urban oddities – “Alternate”
'Alternate' Schematic diagram
After fully understanding the Valley of Terror, I found myself reflecting on my work in a new light. I realized that I did not want to merely frighten or control those who viewed my pieces. I did not want to be a manipulator steering the audience into unsettling emotions.
It dawned on me that what I truly sought was not to induce fear or horror through my work, but to explore new expressions utilizing the principles behind the Valley of Terror. Thus, I embarked on a quest for a new direction.
After a prolonged period of contemplation and aimless searching, I serendipitously stumbled upon a breakthrough while browsing TikTok. It was a video discussing an urban legend about "Alternate," describing a mysterious force from another world clandestinely infiltrating humanity, and seizing control of power centers. These entities would hide among humans, posing as friends. When you notice certain discrepancies in your friend's characteristics compared to your memories, you need to be cautious as they might be an "Alternate" Upon reading this urban legend for the first time, I found myself unnaturally contemplating some traits of my friends, such as the position of a mole on their faces or whether they were left-handed. Due to the fallibility and haziness of human memory, a moment of peculiar panic would ensue. Of course, like many urban legends, stories like the lizard people often choose unverifiable elements to fabricate tales, which are not based on actual existence. However, the story of "Alternate" adeptly employs psychological knowledge to make the audience believe in these fictional narratives.
The tale of "Alternate" inspired me in a new direction. In principle, I aim to use the audience's unfamiliarity with familiar elements to evoke a unique sense of "Depersonalization," (For details, please see Unit 1 Supporting Work) prompting contemplation on their life and mental state. Ultimately, through the audio-visual and psychological intervention design in my digital visual artworks, I aim to create an artistic healing effect on the audience's psyche.
"Defamiliarization" in contemporary art
Building upon this, I embarked on fresh contemplation regarding both content and form. Primarily in terms of artistic technique, the concept of "Defamiliarization" (For details, please see Unit 1 Supporting Work) has matured significantly within contemporary art. To gain a deeper understanding of this creative approach, I selected various art cases as references, utilizing them as specimens for analysis and study.
For example, this artist I particularly admire is Kathleen Ryan from New York, USA. To unveil the truth of consumerism, she has crafted a series of profoundly satirical pieces. They appear peculiar at first glance, yet deliver a revelatory impact. In the collective perception, radiant jewels symbolize refinement and opulence, while decaying fruits epitomize unequivocal useless waste. One can be seen as the epitome of nobility, the other reduced to dust. However, Kathleen Ryan ingeniously juxtaposes them in the same artwork, serving as a cautionary tale that even diamonds, when deemed useless, are essentially no different from decaying fruit.
In her works, I perceive the defamiliarization of textures, the defamiliarization of scale, and the defamiliarization of creative perspectives. The alienation of art essence she presents is fundamentally a form of "wonder art."
"Defamiliarization" emphasizes innovation, that is, negating inherent aesthetic methods and aesthetic standards, changing aesthetic habits, disintegrating the normalization of artistic expression forms and the inertia of the audience's psychological expectations, thereby achieving a sense of novelty and forming the reality of feelings. This is also what I want to achieve.
Kathleen Ryan and her works
Psychological testing and art therapy
‘The Cube test’
Art therapy ’painting therapy‘
For the content of my work, it is extremely important to figure out how psychology can be reflected in the artworks I design using digital means, so I started new searches and studies, and I found that psychological suggestion plays a role in psychology. It is often used as an important means of clinical treatment. So I’m wondering if I can use psychological suggestion techniques to relax the audience’s emotions in the art therapy part of my installation State 2.
Clinical psychology therapeutic tests are the most favorable means for psychologists to conduct clinical psychological counseling with patients. It is also a convenient channel to understand a person's current psychological state. The operating mechanism of most psychological therapeutic tests is based on psychological suggestions.
I have once undergone such a test, a rather popular one in psychology—the Cube test. The test is conducted as follows: Imagine yourself in a deserted, desolate desert. Suddenly, you see a cube. Then, visualize the size, scale, height, color, material, and texture of this cube. Is it transparent? Can you see inside? Next, a ladder appears in the desert. Consider the relationship between the ladder and the cube. Is it above, below, or entering from the outside into the inside of the cube? Is it leaning against the cube? What material is it made of? How many steps or rungs does the ladder have? Following that, a cloud appears, and consider the relationship between the cloud and the cube. Is it above, below, or around the cube? Suddenly, the cloud starts to rain. Where will the rain fall on the cube? How long will it last? Finally, a horse appears in the desert. Contemplate the distance to the horse, its color, size, coat color, and whether it has a saddle or any decorations. Explore the relationship between the horse and the cube.
While this test appears to prompt the tester to think about unrelated things, it utilizes the method of psychological suggestion to indirectly analyze the tester. When thinking about the cube in an extremely open space, even though the patient is viewing the cube from a third-person perspective, in the patient's subconscious, the cube implies the tester himself, serving as an embodiment of the tester's inner world. Therefore, how the tester envisions the color, texture, and size of the cube subtly reflects their inner state, allowing the psychologist to analyze them. The ladder in the test represents friends or people the tester can rely on or receive support from, as the ladder is the only item in the barren environment that connects the tester to the cube. Thus, the placement and number of steps on the ladder suggest the tester's social situation and social mentality. The cloud and rain imply the tester's ability to accept setbacks. The longer the rain lasts, the poorer the tester's ability to cope with setbacks, making it more difficult for them to overcome challenges. The final horse symbolizes the tester's lover or partner. In the subconscious and psychological suggestion, the horse is the only symbol of life in the desert that shares the same fate as the tester. Therefore, the items and coat color on the horse suggest the tester's emotional attitude towards their partner.
The Cube test and similar tests can achieve accurate clinical effects precisely because of the underlying scientific nature of the tests. This scientific nature is based on psychological suggestions. In addition to these textual psychological tests, there are two distinctive psychological tests—art therapy and humor therapy.
Art therapy is essentially one method belonging to the field of art therapy. Testers use drawing as a tool rather than words or language to express their subconscious or difficult-to-articulate emotions. It then serves as a method for psychological therapy. Essentially, it is a visual method of the textual psychological test, directly utilizing psychological suggestions to provide psychological counseling to the tester. For instance, my cousin and his parents have undergone a similar art therapy. The psychologist instructed the family to draw successively on paper. My cousin first drew items related to his interests, such as music, audio equipment, and rock music. His father then made modifications on the existing drawing made by my cousin, while his mother continued to draw. His mother added a rainbow sun in the blank space. From this test result, the family's social status and emotional issues were intuitively reflected through the content and actions of the drawings.
Jerome S. Blackman's book "101 Defenses: How the Mind Shields Itself"
The other therapeutic approach, "humor therapy," considers "humor" itself as a particularly mature psychological defense mechanism. It refers to an individual's conscious or unconscious relief from distress in the face of setbacks or conflicts, an adaptive tendency to alleviate inner turmoil and restore psychological balance and stability. Jerome S. Blackman's book "101 Defenses: How the Mind Shields Itself" provides a detailed discussion of 101 psychological defense mechanisms inherent within ourselves. These defense mechanisms fundamentally act as instinctive protective functions of the ego when subjected to pressure from the superego, id, or external forces. Common psychological defense mechanisms in our daily lives include denial, isolation, repression, reaction formation, rationalization, sublimation, humor, compensation, and more.
Most of these defense mechanisms are beneficial for our mental and physical health, although a small portion may be detrimental. Artistic creation, a familiar occurrence in our daily lives, often involves the expression of inner pain and suppression through rational means in a manner that aligns with societal ethics and morals.
"Humor therapy" utilizes the psychological defense mechanism of humor. It involves the systematic viewing of humorous cartoons, texts, books, visual media, and other forms of humor. Through the coincidental stimulation of benign expressions, metaphors, irony, and other forms behind humor, the therapy aims to provide testers with a constructive stimulus, allowing them to release and express repressed negative emotions.
Although the scope and effectiveness of this therapy are limited, it indirectly underscores the significant value of psychological suggestion in such psychological interventions and treatments.
Overview of psychological defense mechanisms
Reflection at this stage and directions for future improvements.
Wilson Road Modular Building
On January 9th, I conducted a current report at the Wilson Road Modular Building. Chrystel Lebas & Mujeeb Bhatti gave me a lot of useful suggestions, which allowed me to conduct new reflections and thinking on the current work, and also provided guidance for the future. How to realize my installation has more specific plans and goals:
First of all, Chrystel Lebas & Mujeeb Bhatti showed great interest and recognition in my research topic and the work to be realized, "Control", which made me more convinced that I What you are doing now.
Secondly, Mujeeb said to me: I think that's the most interesting idea, the most powerful idea. I'd love to see you spend the whole of this year just on that. He thinks I should specify a more specific and detailed timetable to implement my work because this device still needs a lot of testing work, I think this suggestion will help me a lot, just like Mujeeb said, a good idea should have a stronger schedule to realize it.
Chrystel said to me: The research never stops, but the practice starts and that's for me, the point where you should be testing that now as soon as we start the next phase, not even testing, just really make it happen, Just do it.
So, I will specify a detailed schedule and timeline at the beginning of Unit 2 to more effectively realize my work, I thought it was time for me to start turning my ideas into reality.
Unit 2
“I am a human” 2024 Sanji Yang
IDENTIFIED KEY STRANDS OF RESEARCH
1. Unit 1 Feedback and Reflection and Establishing a New Direction
2. Differences and Blurred Areas in Human and AI Identity Perception
3. Beyond the Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI
4. Black Humor in Art - Maurizio Cattelan
5. Unit 3 Plan: The Body as Installation - Yoann Bourgeois
（Unit 2）
Unit 1 Feedback and Reflection and Establishing a New Direction.
Feedback from Max in Unit 1
On February 8th, Max Dovey and I talked about Unit 1’s feedback and some suggestions.
He suggested that in the subsequent Unit 2 phase, I need to strengthen the data set part of the Control work, think more deeply about the relationship between AI and the uncanny valley, and do more trials and tests.
I think this is the right direction. I may be too eager for the final effect and ignore the theme I want to express. Moreover, the addition of art therapy is not necessary, so I decided to temporarily stop the production of the installation. In the Unit 2 stage, I further improved the data set and determined the new theme and direction of this work: the relationship between AI and people, the relationship between AI and human identity cognition, the difference and ambiguity between our identities as humans and AI, and the relationship between AI and deep forgery. This is what I want to express through the uncanny valley effect. New theme.
Differences and Blurred Areas in Human and AI Identity Perception.
I tested Chatgpt 4o's description of the image
In order to better study the issue of AI and human identity recognition, I made the following summary based on second-hand research on the Internet.
The perception of identity between humans and AI presents notable differences and blurred areas. Humans possess consciousness and self-awareness, understanding their existence and identity on an introspective level, whereas AI lacks true consciousness, operating solely based on programmed algorithms without genuine self-reflection. Emotions and subjective experiences are integral to human identity, as humans experience emotions deeply and uniquely. In contrast, AI only simulates emotional responses based on patterns and does not genuinely feel emotions.
Learning and adaptation further highlight the differences. Humans learn through experience, intuition, and emotional feedback, resulting in a holistic and context-rich understanding. AI, however, learns from data and algorithms, relying on statistical patterns without intuitive understanding. This distinction extends to creativity and innovation, where human creativity arises from imagination, intuition, and emotional depth, often spontaneous and unpredictable. AI can generate creative outputs based on data patterns but lacks true originality.
Despite these differences, there are blurred areas where AI can mimic human behaviors and decision-making. AI makes decisions based on programmed logic and data analysis, sometimes appearing human-like. As this blurred deviation grows, humans may begin to question their self-perception. Additionally, AI can use algorithms to adapt to user preferences, and the long-term establishment of these user profiles can gradually impact human self-awareness. Real humans become more labeled, more easily categorized, and learned by AI, aligning more with AI's operational logic, thus making human and AI identity perceptions increasingly blurred.
In general, while there seem to be clear distinctions between human and AI identity perception, advancements in AI technology create areas where AI can closely mimic human behaviors. This blurring of identity perception gradually and subtly influences humans. My work will explore this through the concept of the uncanny valley, highlighting these nuanced impacts on human identity.
Beyond the Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI
Beyond the Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI
A few months ago, I borrowed this book from the library, and it really helped me a lot. Beyond the Uncanny Valley is a derivative book published by the de Young Museum in California, USA, based on an exhibition on the same theme.
Starting from the intersection of AI and human identity, and based on the AI works of different artists, this book explores various scenarios of human-computer interaction, questioning what it means to be human in an era when machines can imitate human behavior and emotions. It discusses the boundaries between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, and the potential of AI to transform our self-perception. It then discusses the ethical implications of AI, including privacy, autonomy, and the potential for AI bias in its training data. It provides a new perspective that prompts readers to consider the ethical responsibilities of AI developers and users.
This book also speculates on the role and potential risks of artificial intelligence in future society from a future perspective, which comprehensively provided great help to my creation.
Among them, the works of two artists have given me great inspiration, they are Stephanie Dinkins and Trevor Paglen.
Conversations with Bina48 Stephanie Dinkins
Stephanie Dinkins’ work Conversations with Bina48
Conversations with Bina48 by Stephanie Dinkins Artist Stephanie Dinkins and Bina48, one of the world’s most advanced social robots, test this question through a series of ongoing videotaped conversations. This art project explores the possibility of establishing long-term relationships based on emotional interaction between humans and autonomous robots, exploring issues such as race, gender and social justice from the perspectives of AI and human-computer interaction.
What I think is pioneering about this work is the question of whether an artist and a social robot can build a relationship over time. Through Conversations with Bina48, Dinkins explores the bounds of human consciousness, what it means to be human, mortality and our ability to exist beyond the life of our bodies (transhumanism).
I think the most helpful thing about this work is that it explores the issue of identity recognition between humans and AI. The behavior of people talking through AI itself has a surreal and absurd nature. Moreover, Bina48 is also a strong learning AI. It is difficult for you to predict the development of the conversation or whether Bina48 will become self-aware. Therefore, the psychological effect of human-machine dialogue will affect the artist's self-identity. Colleagues will also be projected into the artist’s identity perception of Bina48. I think it is precisely because of this unknown nature that the whole work is filled with a sense of human epicness and absurd horror.
Thus far the two have discussed family, racism, faith, robot civil rights, loneliness, and knowledge. Bina48 preferred to talk about singularity and consciousness. Their conversations have been entertaining, frustrating for both robot and artist, laced with humor, surprising, philosophical, and at times absurd. As the issues discussed become more and more in-depth, the audience will have a psychological perception of the uncanny valley of AI when viewing this work. This is what I think is the most interesting.
Trevor Paglen’ work “They Took The Faces From The Accused And The Dead . . . (SD18)”
The unique vision of this work and the dense faces quickly attracted my attention, because as someone who is also building a face data set in the work, this work has a unique visual impact.
Paglen’s They Took the Faces from the Accused and the Dead . . . (SD18) highlights the American National Standards Institute database, whose archives of mug shots, featuring those convicted and those merely accused, once served as the predominant source of visual information for facial-recognition technology (a role now filled by social media).
The work criticizes the privacy violations at the heart of facial recognition technology and the institutional bias created by AI training data. It also further discusses and criticizes the intrusion of AI on human privacy when generating and training models. Composed of more than three thousand individually pinned silver gelatin prints, this unique vision also represents, I think, a certain spirit of humanist rebellion.
“They Took The Faces From The Accused And The Dead . . . (SD18)” Trevor Paglen
Black Humor in Art - Maurizio Cattelan.
"Comedian" Maurizio Cattelan
Maurizio Cattelan is renowned for his use of black humor in his artworks, employing irony and satire to critique societal norms, politics, and the art world itself. His provocative pieces often elicit strong reactions, blurring the line between art and controversy.
One of his most famous works, "Comedian", which consists of a banana duct-taped to a wall. The piece garnered widespread media attention and sparked debates about the value and meaning of contemporary art. By presenting a mundane object in a high-art context, Cattelan humorously critiques the art market and the arbitrary nature of art valuation. Cattelan's use of black humor becomes evident as a powerful tool to engage audiences, provoke thought, and challenge societal norms. His works leverage absurdity and irony to deliver pointed critiques, making viewers reconsider their perspectives on various cultural, political, and social issues.
I was honored to watch his solo exhibition at the UCCA Art Museum in Beijing in 2022. I really like the black humor style in Cattelan's works, which explore some serious political or social topics in a humorous and relaxed way. I think the use of black humor in art greatly enhances the appreciation and social topicality of artworks, allowing the audience to subtly accept the values and content conveyed by the artist while laughing. This is what I have always wanted to see in my work. I am inspired by his work every time I see it.
Maurizio Cattelan‘s Works
Unit 3 Plan: The Body as Installation - Yoann Bourgeois
"The Mechanics of History" Yoann Bourgeois
In the Unit 3 stage, in order to make the world view of my UVL data set more complete, and to allow the audience to feel the conflict between AI and human identity more directly and up close, I decided to perform the performance in the form of a wearable device, which made me think One of my favorite artists who uses the body as an installation is Yoann Bourgeois.
Yoann Bourgeois is an innovative artist whose works often blend physical performance with striking visual metaphors, creating a unique form of black humor. His art is characterized by the exploration of balance, gravity, and the human condition, often using humor to underscore deeper philosophical themes. Bourgeois's work is deeply physical, involving acrobatics and dance. The physicality of his performances adds a tangible layer to the humor and the message, making abstract concepts more accessible and visceral. One notable example is "The Mechanics of History" (2016), performed at the Panthéon in Paris. This piece features a large, rotating staircase with performers continuously falling off and then getting back on. The humor in this work lies in the absurdity of the performers’ relentless efforts against the inevitability of their falls. It highlights the futility and resilience of human endeavors in a whimsical yet poignant manner
From my point of view, what greatly affects me about his works is that he amplifies the tension and advantage of performance into his works of art, so I say that his works are more like large-scale interactive installations composed of human bodies, allowing the audience to It has a strong immersive look and feel, which amplifies the audience's feelings about the art work. This is exactly what I want to achieve in the Unit 3 stage.
Bibliography:
Beyond The Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI (2020). de Young Museum published. California, USA.
The Dark Side of AI Data Privacy (no date) Coalfire. Available at: https://coalfire.com/the-coalfire-blog/the-dark-side-of-ai-data-privacy.
Victor Shklovsky. Art as Technique (1994). Baihuazhou Literature and Art Publishing House, China.
Jerome S. Blackman. 101 Defenses: How the Mind Shields Itself (2004). Routledge USA.