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This lecture meets the following New York State Learning Standards:
Language Arts 1.1

Alluring Androids and Robots in Film, Photography and Art

A lecture by Julie Wosk

Filmmakers, photographers, and artists have long been fascinated by the idea of artificial women that seem alive. The Stepford Wives and Lara Croft, products of the imagination, are now becoming realized in the latest in female Japanese robots, which look so real they can easily fool the eye. This illustrated lecture showcases colorful images of female robots, androids, talking dolls, mannequins, and other artificial women. Ranging from early automatons to lifelike female heroines in today's video games, these images tell a startling tale of changing attitudes toward science and toward women themselves. Virtual women also raise provocative new questions: Do men and women view female robots differently? How do these images reveal men's fantasies and fears about women? What happens when we can no longer tell the difference between an artificial woman (or man) and a real one? Will these ultra-realistic robots enhance our lives or challenge our humanity?

This lecture is available from December 1, 2006 to October 31, 2015

Can be tailored to a high school audience

Setup Needed

  • Slide projector and screen optional
  • Microphone optional
  • Computer and projection screen for PowerPoint optional

Professor Julie Wosk

Professor, State University of New York, Maritime College

Dr. Julie Wosk is a professor of art history, English, and studio painting at the State University of New York, Maritime College, and also a painter and photographer. She is the author of the books "Women and the Machine: Representations From the Spinning Wheel to the Electric Age" (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001) and "Breaking Frame: Technology and the Visual Arts in the Nineteenth Century" (Rutgers University Press, 1992), as well as numerous articles and reviews.

Telephone: 718-409-7251
Website: www.juliewosk.com
Address: SUNY Maritime College, Dept. of Humanities
6 Pennyfield Avenue
Throggs Neck, NY  10465
Bronx County
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