Technologies and Artworks: An Interdisciplinary Exploration through Ihde and Latour

Technologies and Artworks: An Interdisciplinary Exploration through Ihde and Latour discusses and applies the phenomenological framework described by the philosopher of science and technology Don Ihde, in his text Technology and the Lifeworld, in relation to recent artworks of sculpture and performance that incorporate technologies. The study considers closely Ihde’s embodiment, hermeneutic, and alterity variants for the purpose of developing conceptual tools to investigate the complicated human-technology relationships present in the works considered. A subsequent discussion of psychasthenia and its relationship to Ihde’s embodiment variant demonstrates the limitations of Ihde’s approach and the need for additional sources in order to create a more comprehensive study. Additionally, this study draws on Bruno Latour’s text Science in Action, and in particular on his concepts of modalities and black boxes in order to contrast to and complement Ihde’s approach. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the relationship between art and research, the increase in doctoral programs that accept or are designed for artists, a reflection on the effect of this study on the author’s own art practice, and the productive tension between the different processes involved in research and art.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Media, Art, and Text

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Thibault, Kathryn Lynch

Contributors dc:contributor

• Eric Garberson

• art and technology
• Ihde
• Latour
• Art and Design
• Arts and Humanities
• Interdisciplinary Arts and Media

Statement dc:rights

• © The Author

Identifier

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/594

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-1593