Step 1 – Read
- Donna Haraway, A Cyborg Manifesto, pages 65–70
Focus Questions:
- How are humans, animals, and machines “chimeras” in Haraway’s view?
- What does Haraway mean when she says we are already cyborgs?
- What new possibilities—and challenges—does this raise for identity and art?
Step 2 – Explore and View
Choose two of the following artists to discuss in your post:
- Patricia Piccinini – sculptures of human/animal hybridsLinks to an external site.
- Eduardo Kac – Ted talk on biogenic art and GFP BunnyLinks to an external site.
- Pierre Huyghe – Untilled, 2012Links to an external site.
- Neri Oxman – Silk PavillionLinks to an external site.
- View selected works linked in the module. Reflect on how they express or complicate Haraway’s idea of hybridity and nonhuman agency.
Step 3 – Create an AI Image
Use an AI image generator (like DALL·E, NightCafe, Firefly, etc.) to create a visual response to the unit. Your image should reflect some aspect of the cyborg condition, hybridity, or a nonhuman future.
Save your prompt and your image: you’ll include both in your post.
What to Post (400–500 words total)
In your discussion post, respond to the following prompts in paragraph form:
- Reading Reflection:
What stood out to you in Haraway’s text (pp. 65–70)? How does she challenge traditional ideas of what it means to be human? Quote the text directly. - Art Analysis:
Choose two artworks you explored and explain how they reflect Haraway’s cyborg thinking. How do these works blur the boundaries between human, animal, machine, or nature? - Real-World Example:
Outside of sci-fi, what’s a real-world example that supports Haraway’s claim that we are already cyborgs? How does it affect our sense of self, labor, or embodiment? - AI Image + Reflection:
- Include your AI image and prompt
- Reflect briefly (100–150 words): What did you hope to express? What surprised you in the result? What does it mean to share intention with an AI?