Phenomenology of Artists and their perception of the world
Have you ever looked at an Artist’s work and thought “Wow, this exactly encaptures how I feel..”, if you haven’t you need to do your research because it’s truly a life-changing experience that you DON’T want to miss out on. Whether it’s poetry, sculptures, paintings, theater, or music; art always makes me re-evaluate my perception of the world. I often wonder what kind of experiences has this artist had that have shaped their mind and thinking to express themselves this way. How are they able to translate their thoughts into works of art that communicate the same message/experience that they felt or went through?
Self-expression in today’s world is such a complex and difficult thing. I feel like no matter how you express yourself in whatever shape or form, people will have a million different opinions of you ranging from good to bad. Even in simple everyday communication, people have so many different perceptions of the world based on their life experiences that what you say can be perceived in a million different ways. But, how is an artist able to so VIVIDLY and CLEARLY communicate something to people all around the world, who have a million different perceptions, and still give entirely the same message?
If you’re having a hard time understanding what I mean, let me show you some works of art and think to yourself about what this means to you.
“Can’t Help Myself” By Sun Yuan and Peng Yu
“This is just a robot carrying on its programmed motions..” you might think at first glance. But after watching the video for longer than a minute, you might feel an emotional response stirring in you for a multitude of different triggers depending on your life experiences and your own phenomenology.
Does this robot symbolize your feministic way of life? Trying to un-do all of the patriarchy, while society persists to treat you less than a man, not equal.
Or, does this robot symbolize your relationship with your body? Trying every diet known to man but never being considered just right, rather “too small” or “too big”.
Or, does this robot symbolize your struggle to make ends meet? From getting a degree to getting your desired job, your ever-so-increasing standard of living can never make any paycheck enough.
Or, does this robot symbolize your relationship with your parents, a significant other, or an old friend? You love having them in your life, but it’s an ever-lasting circle of ups and downs.
Perhaps, this robot symbolizes your relationship with food. You promised you would do better for yourself but you go back to your stress-eating habits and can never say no when you should.
There are so many interpretations of art, and all of them point back to the viewer’s experiences, upbringing, and gender, which have all shaped them to have those interpretations. But what are those experiences and phenomena that have shaped you, the viewer? What are they for the artist?
To conclude, I personally think it is very interesting to ponder these questions. To me, this is what phenomenology is all about, what makes us do the things we do, or think the way we do.
Unruly Bodies 
I remember seeing the video of this robot on social media and I thought, “Why do I feel sad watching this robot?”. Maybe it’s because it is doing the same thing, over and over. Maybe it’s all the people surrounding and recording it for their own amusement, while it works endlessly. The frustrated, tired, and jagged movements of the robot can be interpreted in so many ways and the examples you listed make so much sense. The way you connected all of the different interpretations of this specific piece of art to phenomenology is spot on; the appearance of the robot and the different perceptions of it creates a million meanings, but has a core message it is trying to convey. When I see the robot, it reminds me overworking your body and slowly falling into a depressive state because you are trying to do what is expected of you, rather doing something that brings you happiness and joy.
OMG yes I first saw it on tik tok, this is what sparked my art browsing addiction. I just love finding art that shakes me to my core the same way this robot did. I literally was laughing at one video and then scrolled to this robot and all I could do was just CRY. I didn’t even know why I was crying at first but it’s movements just spoke to me. I cannot believe the artists portrayed this moving piece of metal in a way which makes us HUMANS cry. How is that even possible.
What I think is interesting about this piece is that it was shown in the Guggenheim in a show about migration within and out of China, along with the Chinese surveillance state. Within the context of the show, the robot represents the state’s violent attempts to control its borders and its citizens. And like you wrote, like all art that achieves virality, the piece has grown a life of its own. We have anthropomorphized this robot and projected our own first-person experience onto it.
Yes! I love the way you put it, I was basically trying to say that this whole post but couldn’t put it into words. That show sounds so interesting I would love to give it a watch!
This is interesting because the robot is doing the same thing over and over which gets repetitive and just ends up feeling this is all you will do your whole life. This could also be interpreted as you overworking yourself which leads to physical labor.
Yes exactly! I LOVE YOUR USERNAME LOLLLLLL!!! It’s so funny I had to show my siblings HAHA
As a computer science major, that video really intrigued me. It’s interesting how much emotion can be expressed through an inanimate object. It definitely does cause you to think about your own life and what keeps you going.