The Artistic Nuances of Humanity

What is art? What does it mean to be artistic? How does art affect the way we perceive humanity? 

For many people, the act of creating art is a form of self-expression, an extension of the artist's soul, and a physical representation of the human experience. Art is a medium through which we see creativity, a characteristic that quintessentially makes us human. However, I believe that the act of creating is not a defining characteristic of humanity; instead, it is the ability to respond to art and form emotional attachments that make one human.

In a society with exponential technological growth, the questioning of humanity, and what makes someone human can not be more prevalent. With the introduction to AI and cloning, I believe it is crucial for us, as a society, to consider what classifies something as human. The work of Kazuo Ishiguro in the novel Never Let Me Go, and Alex Garland in the film Ex Machina; causes the reader to ponder over these ideas.

The book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, revolves around the lives of three characters: Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy, and their experiences at a prestigious school called Hailsham. However, unlike most schools, Hailsham is a school for clones, where its students have a fixed future as organ donors. The school is also unique because of its emphasis on creativity and art.

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In the novel, creativity is embedded in the very essence of the clones' lives and is used to perceive their humanity. In Hailsham, the students judged each other by "how good you [they] were at 'creating'"(Ishiguro 16). Art and creativity are seen as a window into the clone's souls; thus, the art produced by the clones should show their humanity. However, not all of the clones were artistically inclined at a young age. 

At the beginning of the novel, Tommy struggles with creativity. The students describe his art as “like that of students much younger than him”(20). Due to his inability to create an acceptable form of art, he is bullied by the other kids in Hailsham. However, later in life he can create "tiny canals, weaving tendons, miniature screws, and wheels were all drawn with obsessive precision, and only when you held the page away could you see it was some kind of armadillo, say, or a bird” (184–185). Tommy can create such intricate drawings that not only are very detailed but hold the intricacies of his personality and identity. The drawings portray how Tommy views his existence-as a blend of organic and inorganic materials, human and machine. The art also illustrates a vulnerability for the future and a questioning of his and his friend's self-identity. 

Tommy's Drawings

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Not all students are capable of producing adequate art; many do not have the talent. Tommy’s lack of artistry in his childhood is juxtaposed by his drawings in his adulthood and adolescence. Signifying that even though creativity is an important trait, it can not be used as a proof of humanity. Rather, the emotional attachment Tommy has to his drawings is what illustrates his humanity. When talking about his drawings to Kathy, he mentions “that he worried, even as he created them, how they’d protect themselves or be able to reach and fetch things” (186). The words “how they’d protect themselves,” portrays how much he worries about his drawings as if they are living things- showing his value and care for the animals. It is the bond between Tommy and his animals that show true humanity. 

Furthermore, emotional attachment is shown when Kathy describes how the music in the Judy Bridgewater tape made her feel "it really got to me" (70). The indescribable feeling that Kathy felt portrays her reaction to the tape and her response to a piece of art. When listening to the tape once again, she says, 

"I realized that this... interpretation [her interpretation] didn't fit with the rest of the lyrics. But that wasn't an issue with me" (70). 

Kathy’s perception of the lyrics demonstrates how she can form her own opinion in response to an art form. It is her opinion that binds Kathy and the song together, forming a bond based on emotion. The tape triggers her to feel a longing for the future and desire for intimate relationships. This reaction that Kathy has to the tape places a personal value and a part of her identity with the tape- an inanimate object.

 A few days later, Kathy’s tape goes missing, and she begins to panic. She asks everyone in the dorm if they had seen the tape; however, it was nowhere to be found. It is the act of looking and searching that shows how valuable the tape was to Kathy. When she is given another tape (not the same one), Kathy is disappointed because it was not about having a tape- it is about what the music and tape represented to her. In her ability to create a unique interpretation of the song and the value she holds for the tape reflects her humanity. 

In contrast to Kathy and Tommy in Never Let Me Go, AVA, the robot with artificial intelligence, in the film Ex Machina is unable to build a response or emotional attachment to art. 

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In Caleb’s 2nd session with AVA, she shows him a drawing she made and asks him what he thinks she drew. However, when Caleb reciprocates the same question back to her, she says she has no idea. 

I believe that AVA is not human due to her inability to understand the art she made; she does not understand the emotion or thoughts and feelings presented on the paper, nor is she able to form an emotional attachment. Art is in the eye of the beholder, meaning that, in theory, anyone can create art. However, forming an understanding and attachment to art is unique only to human beings.

The novel Never Let Me Go uses art as a medium to illustrate its overarching message: humanity is holding onto and being held by another. Tommy and Kathy exemplify this saying through their emotional attachments and responses to pieces of art. Whereas, AVA in Ex Machina is unable to understand and form an emotional attachment to art. It is illogical to say that creativity is what makes someone human because true humanity is so much more profound.