Art, Empathy en Ethics

Art is a sophisticated activity binding 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 deep investigation tool for complex human issues. Art 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 individuals and society.

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

Under supervision, you will make contemporary art through open assignments using various tools and media which will prepare you to develop your chosen final 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 benefits or the misuse of 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, non 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 where you may pick the direction of your choice and interest.

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 self-study and discussions of proposed material on Ethics where you will explore the ethical and societal aspects and problems related to technologies. You will then write an Ethics Assignment on a topic of your choice that is coupled to your art trajectory and Final Art Assignment.

Important: this course is not about learning a given art technique such as drawing or other. No background in art or any art skill is needed. Any motivated student can join.