Human & Machine Collaboration in Fine Art

A comprehensive timeline exploring how artists have collaborated with unconscious, mechanical, electronic, and digital systems — from early animation devices and Surrealist automatism to cybernetic experiments and contemporary AI installations.

1770s · Automata & Mechanical Authors

c. 1770–1774
Jaquet‑Droz Automata (The Draughtsman / The Writer)
La Chaux‑de‑Fonds, Switzerland
Programmable automata write text and draw images via cam mechanisms; human sets parameters, machine executes marks autonomously.
Early proof that inscription can be delegated to a mechanism—proto‑automation of authorship.

1830s–1860s · Mechanical Animation Devices

1832–1834
Phenakistoscope & Zoetrope
Belgium, Austria, England
Early mechanical devices generate motion via persistence of vision. Artists design sequences but cede rhythm and timing to the apparatus.
Groundwork for animation and machine‑aided art.

1930s · Kinetics

1930
László Moholy‑Nagy — Light‑Space Modulator
Germany
Motorized kinetic sculpture projects automated light animations; visual output emerges from machine motion.
Treats the machine as performer and image‑maker.