AHT 320 Anthropologies of Art
Anthropologies of Art is taught on campus and in the galleries of Lugano’s museums and exhibition halls, including the Museo delle Culture, Lugano Arte e Cultura, Olgiati Collection, Fondazione Braglia and other venues. It investigates objects and images within human and cultural contexts, approaching both the physical and digital world through the deep structure of the human mind and its manifestations. In museums and exhibitions, we will analyze artifacts from all continents and discuss how they relate to social practices and exchanges in individual cultures. On campus, the course will engage with media anthropology: humans’ interactions with technology, how machines have been used to produce complex works, and what they can tell us about the status of both producer and receiver. Particular emphasis this semester will be placed on how artificial intelligence is shaping creativity and what this means for the development of the deep structure of the human mind.