Art, Empathy and Ethics

Art is a sophisticated activity binding the conscious and unconscious, the rational and emotional counterparts of our species. It makes a unique contribution to society by offering various means of expression and exchange and it is a powerful investigation tool for complex human issues. It plays an important societal role in expanding the public imagination by engaging them in a challenging sensorial - intellectual dialogue, increasing the perception of themselves as individually and collectively.

This course invites you to experience and produce art rather than simply broaden your knowledge in contemporary art or history of art.

Using various tools and media, you will develop an art project around an ethical or a societal problem related to the design and use of technology. You will be led to perceive and portrait some relevant aspects of a chosen societal problem, questioning in a completely open and creative way, the consequences, limitations, advantages or any other aspect associated with a chosen technology, as perceived by those who experience the problem or the (mis)use of a that (imagined) technology. You will examine the situation through the eyes of your inner artist, connecting with society through an empathic pathway.

As examples of tools and media we can cite, not exclusively, the case of visual arts: painting, printing, photography, installations, graffiti, films, etc. As examples of global societal problems, we can cite boat people, misuse of big data, consequences of genetically modified organisms, facial recognition, etc.

This empathic and aesthetic exercise is to be complemented by a systematic conceptual reflection on the chosen ethical or societal problem, both carried out in parallel. That is achieved via lectures, debates and self-study of proposed material where you will explore the ethical, cultural and other societal aspects of problems related to new technologies. You will then write an Ethics essay on a topic of your choice that is coupled to your art trajectory and Final Art Assignment.

No previous art experience is necessary.

Course attendance is compulsory.