Exhibit Location: Hayden Library, Tempe campus, Upper Concourse
Description: No work of literature has done more to shape the way people imagine science and its moral consequences than "Frankenstein;" or "The Modern Prometheus," Mary Shelley’s enduring tale of creation and responsibility. The novel’s themes and tropes continue to resonate with contemporary audiences, influencing the way we confront emerging technologies, conceptualize the process of scientific research, and consider the ethical relationships between creators and their creations
Two hundred years after Mary Shelley imagined the story that would become "Frankenstein," ASU Library is exhibiting an interdisciplinary installation that contextualizes the conditions of the original tale while exploring it’s continued importance in our technological age. Featuring work by ASU faculty and students, this exhibition includes a variety of physical and digital artifacts, original art projects and interactive elements that examine "Frankenstein’s" colossal scientific, technological, cultural and social impacts.
About the Frankenstein Bicentennial Project: Launched by Drs. David Guston and Ed Finn in 2013, the Frankenstein Bicentennial Project, is a global celebration of the bicentennial of the writing and publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, from 2016-2018. The project uses Frankenstein as a lens to examine the complex relationships between science, technology, ethics, and society. To learn more visit frankenstein.asu.edu and follow @FrankensteinASU on Twitter
Visitors are welcome! This exhibit is free and open to the public.
The Frankenstein at 200 exhibit is a collaboration among many individuals and groups, both within and outside of ASU. We would like to thank and acknowledge:
| Name | ASU Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Ricardo Araiza | Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts |
| Bob Beard | Center for Science and the Imagination |
| Joseph Bianchi | Barrett: The Honors College |
| Joe Buenker | ASU Library |
| Amanda Clarke | School of Earth and Space Exploration |
| Karla Elling | Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts |
| Joey Eschrich | Center for Science and the Imagination |
| David Guston | School for the Future of Innovation in Society |
| Kathy Krzys | ASU Library |
| Nina Miller | Center for Science and the Imagination |
| Christy Till | School of Earth and Space Exploration |
| Amy Watson | ASU Library |
| Emily Zarka | Department of English |
| Bobby Zokaites | Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts |
| Name | Community Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Daniel Davis | Steam Crow |
| Marty St. James | University of Hertfordshire |
Bobby Zokaites converted a Roomba, a robotic vacuum, from a room cleaning device to an art-maker by removing the dust collector and vacuuming system and replacing it with a paint reservoir. Artists have been playing with robots to make art since the 1950s. This work is an extension of this genre, repurposing a readily available commercial robot.
With this project, Bobby set out to create a self-portrait of a generation, one that grew up with access to a vast amount of information and constantly bombarded by advertisements. The Roomba paintings prove that a robot can paint a reasonably complex painting, and do it differently every time; thus this version of the Turing test was successful.
As in the story of Frankenstein, this work also interrogates questions of creativity and responsibility. Is this a truly creative work of art, and if so, who is the artist; man or machine?
