For the course Art, Empathy & Ethics, which is part of the track Awareness & Culture, the students have experienced and produce art. Under the guidance of professional artists and using the tools and media suggested by the artist, the students have made an art project around an ethical or a societal problem related to technology. The students have gone through a journal of creativity and have been connecting with society through an empathic pathway. The final assignment for the students consists of an art assignment and an ethics essay assignment.

This year the students of AEE in Q3 have gotten the final art assignment of making a series of three pictures around the theme of “connectivity”.

Rampant Robotic Reality by Sarah Duister

‘When I first heard of robots in health care, I was shocked. I used to work in a nursing home and I know how important the human connection is for patients, how could robots ever fulfill this job? These social robots are just one example in which people are exchanged for technology. In a world where technology rises, the boundary between human and technology is fading in advantage of the robots. I think it is important to define a clear boundary between man and machine to prevent disconnection from our humanity.’


Box by Joëlle Blokhuis

‘When meeting people I often form an opinion of them based on what I see or hear. My first impression of them. I generalise and see them as a “certain kind” of person. Even though I know I should not let my impression cover them, I still do. When I get to know them better I am surprised by the differences they have with my image of them. However, the label I placed on them sticks and still influences the way I see or treat them.’


Series of three videos by Shawn Jiang

How much ___ do you breath in?

How much ___ do you let go?

How much ___ do you hold?

‘It is not easy. I have experienced many of the negative emotions in my life, and the lockdown aggravated some of them in its duration. I want to make them seen because they are unwanted, yet perfectly normal parts of our life, but unlike with positive emotions, we do need to find ways to process the negative ones. The negative emotions accumulate or barrage down with overwhelming force or relapse so often that we recognize them from the first telltale. Finding ways to coexist with them is not easy; coping requires a great deal of courage, devotion, and hope. I hope the viewers would recognize how they come to terms with theirs, and find consolation knowing that feeling vulnerable is universal.’


Misty Visions by Naval Tapan Bhagat

‘ “Dancers are the athletes of god.” ~ Albert Einstein

A journey through the passage of time, as we, the athletes of god, reverse our destiny - from quarantine to freedom…’


Evanesce^3 by Bhavya Mahajan

‘Being isolated can severely affect ones mental health and cause a rift between loved ones. Bridging these gaps often becomes impossible. This series of 3 timelapses shot in Minecraft shows how isolated individuals get shut off from the world in spite of being in the midst of everyone, and slowly fade away. This represents the gravity of the effect that the COVID-19 lockdowns and prolonged isolation have on a person’s mental health.’


UnLegoed by Paula Méndez Chacón

‘A feeling that I often experience about is that I do not really know how other people perceive the world. That creates a feeling of disconnection with my surroundings , the feeling that I would never be able to be understood by anyone. I feel disconnected from people despite sharing the same space. Legos represent for me that dualism between connection and disconnection by using such a geometric object in order to represent such an abstract feeling. Making a stop motion was an interesting and arduous process. This work aims to reflect how the pandemic has increased this feeling of being alone. The primary means of socializing have moved from the real life to an online environment, where connecting with others feels even more difficult.’


Blissfully bobbing in bodily fluids by Whitley Roefs

‘The subconscious exchange of fluids has never been more powerful. Spewing moisture from our pores is now a threat to public health, and an aspect of life I never expected to miss. Reminiscing the once so innocent and subconscious exiting, piling and re-entering of moistures in a sauna created by human motion.’