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Non-Human Almost-Art


To this day, the word "art" has been reserved for the works of one species: homo sapiens. But there are three possible other artists: other earth species, artificial intelligences, and space aliens. There is no reason to use different reasons other than the ones presented on the Reasons page for distinguishing the non-art, almost-art, and art of non-humans.

Non-humans go through developmental stages, just like humans do, and just like many things do, and so their progression might be compared to that of human children with respect to the arts. Human children start out completely unable to create anything (even non-art), progress through the stages of being able to create non-art, then almost-art, and then art; and while learning and practice makes one better, we all have limits to our abilities.

In psychological and artificial intelligence discussions, there is a firm distinction drawn between what is happening inside the brain, and the activities happening in the world outside of it. Theoretically the very same work could be made by the swinging-in-the-wind branch of a tree with paintbrush attached, and by a conscious but physically-limited human genius who is desperately trying to communicate something profound.

This chart was derived from the chart: Reason Why Something Might Be Almost-Art on the Reasons page.

How to Determine if your Child, Monkey, Robot, or Space Alien is making Almost-art or Art
Code Reason why Almost-Art Advice
AAR-1 The object being considered is only part of an art-object, and not enough to be considered art by itself. Consider the extent to which it is a whole work, and something that communicates a complete message.
AAR-2 The object being considered as an art-object is unfinished (or perhaps, partially destroyed). Consider the extent to which the work is finished; and if some of it has been destroyed, consider how much you can infer from the parts you have (or need to guess about the missing parts).
AAR-3 The object being considered is too juvenile/primitive/crude, even though there was obviously some attempt at symbolism, estheticism, symmetry, proportion, composition, harmony, etc. Consider how juvenile/primitive/crude the work is, even though there may be some attempt at symbolism, estheticism, symmetry, proportion, composition, harmony, etc.
AAR-4 The object being considered is more a phenomenon of Nature than an artifice of man. Consider to what extent the work was deliberately made, and as a deliberate attempt to communicate to others and an audience. To what extent was the artist adding value to the raw materials, and what extent was this socially significant for the artist.
AAR-5 The zeitgeist (or an ideology, or a society) considers the object to be almost-art rather than art or non-art (even though earlier the object may have been considered art or non-art). For the work of children, the zeitgeist would be the same as for the adults around them. For non-humans, this determination could be complicated or difficult (especially for humans to make about space aliens).
AAR-6 The functional or useful aspects of the object so overwhelm the perception and consideration of the object as an art-object that it is not commonly deemed to be at the level of art. For the work of children, the functional aspects would be the same as for the adults around them. For non-humans, this determination could be complicated or difficult (especially for humans to make about space aliens).
AAR-7 There was no attempt on the part of the artificer to make the object something to be admired as art, and it shows; but still the observer might admires some aspect of what he sees (maybe even inadvertently, temporarily, or unwittingly). For the work of children, the deliberateness of actions and intentionality are similar to the way they are for the adults around them. For non-humans, this determination could be complicated or difficult (especially for humans to make about space aliens).
AAR-8 The import/significance of the art is negligible. The art-object is low in artistic value (simple, or with little formal value). For the work of children, the significance of the art is low, and typically grows with age. We rate their efforts the same way we rate those of adults. For non-humans, this determination could be complicated or difficult (especially for humans to make about space aliens).

The reasons that usually have a 10 value are AAR-1 and AAR-2 (see the Reasons page). Most of what we are deciding upon is together, full, and final.

The Reasons that help us make a determination for the tree and the genius (above) are AAR-4 and AAR-7 (the ones that concern themselves with the artist).

Non-Human Species

Other primates have demonstated some artistic abilities (chimps, gorillas, macaques, orangutans, elephants, etc.). We might never expect them to get a higher artistic rating than we give those who made the fist human cave paintings which we consider to be almost-art now (see AAR-5, AAR-8). Still for their own species the individuals involved might be "relatively creative" or expressing "relative genius."

Just as there is genetically modified food, there can be genetically modified species of live animals. If non-human, they would most-likely fall into this category of "species," rather than the category of "artificial intelligence"—a term usually reserved for those evolving in a binary way (1, 0) rather than through another digital yet quaternary (C, G, A, T) scheme.

In his book River Out of Eden, Richard Dawkins defines seven thresholds for replicators. Threshold 1 is that there must be some kind of self-copying system (the basis for natural selection). Threshold 2 is reached when replicators are able to survive based on their causal effects on something else. Threshold 3 is reached when replicators work in teams. Threshold 4 is reached when a replicator is comprised of many cells. Threshold 5 is reached when there is high-speed information-processing (as with neurons). Threshold 6 is reached with consciousness. Threshold 7 is reached when language is being used. Threshold 8 is reached when cooperative technologies are evident. And Threshold 9 is passed when radio technology is used and one is then able to communicate at a distance (beyond one's own planet). Our non-human primate "artist" would on this scale still be struggling with thresholds 6, 7, and 8. There are other generic schemes for classifying beings, but I mention this one because it ties to the concepts of replication, and memes, and should help when considering non-human art.

In summary then, today, non-humans species are just not as advanced as humans. No surprise. We might rate possible "art" differently if we consider at one time only what one species can produce (and then we would think of any member that can hold a paint brush "gifted"), or whether we rate and compare "art" independant of source. Again, no surprise. With the latter consideration though, we have to be careful when attributing advanced qualities to undeserving sources (a tree "genius" that might, with one of its branches waving in the wind, produced art that speaks to "the angst of human existence," or some such thing).

Here are a few links to sites that in some way relate to the subject of this site:

Almost-Art related links
Site Description/Coments
www.houstonzoo.org Orangutan "art." Houston Zoo - Pongos Helping Pongos. The Zoo site - Pongo/Orangutan work. Paintings by Orangutans, for Orangutans.
www.myspace.com/pongoshelpingpongos Orangutan "art." The Houston Zoo's MySpace site - a slide show of the work.
www.koko.org Gorilla "art." Koko the Gorilla and her work.
www.elephantart.com Elephant "art." Elephants painting.
news.bbc.co.uk Elephant "art." The BBC News on the subject.
www.animalnews.info Animal News. News for and about animals.
www.janegoodall.org Jane Goodall's site. And some Goodall thoughts!!!

 

Artificial Intelligences

Here are a few links to sites that in some way relate to the subject of this site:

Almost-Art related links
Site Description/Coments
www.jair.org The Journal of Artificial Intelligence.
www.kurzweilai.net Ray Kurzweil's site. Always a blast.
cyberlewis.com CyberLewis. Posthuman considerations.
userwww.sfsu.edu AI "art". Experiments in AI "art."

 

Space Aliens

First we need to find some. Then we need to see what their art is like.

Almost-Art related links
Site Description/Coments
Radio Signal Spawns 'Alien' Art Jonathan Keats at Berkeley
Extraterrestrial Art Jonathan Keats

 

 

Almost-final Thought: With respect to both AI art and Space alien art, we can expect that neither will first appear to us framed, or even in a framable form. If we gave some thought as to how we would even recognize it as art, we would probably then be thinking of new forms of human art. The search for universals is one tool that is already used. There are many others.