Who or what is creative? Collaborating with machines to make visual art
Abstract
This paper considers how creative agency can be positioned as part of visual art practice that involves humans and machines working together. Examples analysed include projects where complex “intelligent” software systems support text creation, or the combination and transformation of digital images, alongside one where a human artist works with a physically instantiated robotic arm to co-create drawings. The paper’s argument uses ideas from actor-network theory (ANT) and more object-oriented perspectives to theorise agency not only as emerging from the association of humans and machines in networks, but also with the specific humans and machines involved in each creative project.
Keywords
human-machine interaction, actor-network theory, object-oriented ontology, behavioural objects, creative agency
Author Biography
Eleanor Sandry
Eleanor Sandry is a Senior Lecturer at Curtin University and previously a Fellow in the Curtin Centre for Culture and Technology. She researches human-machine communication (HMC) involving robots and artificial intelligence, drawing on examples from science and technology, science fiction and creative arts to develop theoretical and practical perspectives on respecting otherness in communication. Her book, Robots and Communication, was published in 2015 by Palgrave Macmillan. More recent publications include “Creative Collaborations with Machines” (Philosophy & Technology) in 2017, and “Joyful Encounters: Learning to Play Well with Machines” (Cultural Science Journal) written with Gwyneth Peaty in 2021.