Event 3: "Movement" at CNSI Art Gallery

On May 12 I visited the "Movement" gallery put on by the UCLA Art Science Undergraduate Society (this actually occurred before what is listed as my second event). The showcase focuses on movement and how it can be interpreted on various levels such as in the arts, humanities, and sciences. 

The author at the event

The piece that caught my attention the most is Crossroads: A Web of Paths by Mickey Shi. Crossroads traces the daily paths of North and South Campus students and faculty across campus. Colors represent different parts of campus; red represents North Campus while Green represents South Campus.

Crossroads: A Web of Paths by Mickey Shi

From the paths we can see a lot of movement going between both parts of the campus. Contrary to what some might think, people from both sides of campus rarely keep to themselves. In fact, there appears a hot spot for movement appears to be the region located between the two parts of campus.

The intent of Crossroads is to bridge the gap between the division seen between North and South Campus. This brings us full circle to the first concept we learned: the idea of two cultures. As shown by Crossroads, there isn't a distinctive division between the two cultures. In this case portrayed by North and South Campus. In fact, it more resembles a medium between the two - representing the existence of the sought-after third culture.

Event 2: "Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmotem at Fowler"

On May 15 I visited the Fowler Museum to see Gagawaka + Postmortem by Vivan Sundaram. The exhibit is actually a showcase of two different sets of Sundaram's works. Gagawaka consists of pieces made from garments created using recycled materials and medical supplies as a viewpoint on fashion. Postmortem, on the other hand, consists of mannequins to portray the human body in unique ways.

The author at the exhibit

One of the Gagawaka pieces I found particularly interesting is called Floater. The garment is made of inflatable plastics and Lycra orthopedic supports. It resembles a flotation device one might find in an airplane or on a boat. To most people, these everyday objects would not be perceived as pieces that can be assembled into clothing; but Sundaram does just that. By incorporating surgical pieces, he addresses the division often associated with beauty and illness. In Floater, pieces from both worlds can come together to make a single work that satisfies characteristics of both.

Floater

In Postmortem, one piece that stood out to me is Triangular Shelf . It is made of mannequins, fiberglass body organs/anatomy samples, paint, and wood. This somewhat disturbing work addresses the fragility of the human body and how easily it can be cast away. In a world increasingly dominated by material goods, Sundaram invites us to look closer and consider the human effort and sacrifice that goes behind our desires.

Triangular Shelf

In Making Strange, Sundaram's works serve as examples of a trend that many other modern artists that involves addressing issues such as life and death, pain and pleasure, as well as beauty and illness. By incorporating everyday materials in new ways he and other artists are helping us take not and understand the issues at hand.

Event 1: Hammer Museum

I attended the exhibit titled Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio showcased inside the Hammer Museum on April 24. Inside contained works of Thomas Heatherwick for projects around the world. For each project, a question was presented that posed as the main challenge going into the work. Through these questions, Heatherwick is able to showcase his inventive approach to each challenge.

One such example is called Extrusions. The questions posed is the following: "Can you squeeze a chair out of a machine, the way you squeeze toothpaste out of a tube?" To accomplish this, the studio worked with a factory to create a straight bench with a disfigured end that resembles the behavior of squeezing a tube of toothpaste.

Extrusions

Another piece, the Large Span Rolling Bridge, explores the question of "Is it possible to make a rolling bridge long enough to span the Thames River?" The project explores being able to roll up a bridge on one side through the use of a winch and a system of cables and pulleys.

1:15 Scale Model of the Large Span Rolling Bridge

Heatherwick's works appear to initially address engineering challenges, but a second look reveals each piece's questions serves as a foundations for what ultimately is an artistic expression that challenges modern architecture as well as everyday objects. This course constantly explores the combination of art with numerous technological aspects and I would personally say Provocations represents a blend of art and civil engineering/architecture.

The author at the event

Unit 9: Space & Art

Space has long been a subject of fascination for humanity since we could look at the stars. It drove astronomers such as Copernicus to study the solar system and provide evidence that the Earth is not the center of the universe. Similarly, Galileo's interest in space spurred him to dramatically improve the design of telescopes and further advancing the field of optics.

Nicholaus Copernicus

Eventually the idea of space exploration became a topic of interest in literature long before the technology to do so existed. Jules Verne's works, such as "From the Earth to the Moon", served as inspiration for writers and inventors for many years to come.

This drive took a different form during the 20th century as it pushed both the United States and the Soviet Union into the Space Race. Space no longer became a fascination solely because it was an unknown but because it played an important role in world politics. As a result, it became a large part of popular culture that carried on beyond the Cold War.

Todd Schorr's "Verne to Vader"

Today, space has driven artists such as the International Association of Astronomical Artists to research and pursue imagery involving space. By looking at space through the years, we can see its role as inspiration for both scientists and artists alike to explore new ideas regarding the final frontier.

"Measure of a Galaxy" By Jess Artem

Bibliography
"International Association of Astronomical Artists - Space Art."International Association of Astronomical Artists - Space Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://iaaa.org/>.

"Jules Verne Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 31 May2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/jules-verne-9517579>.

Redd, Nola Taylor. "Galileo Galilei: Biography, Inventions & Other Facts | Space.com." Space.com. N.p., 8 May 2012. Web. 01 June 2015. <http://www.space.com/15589-galileo-galilei.html>.

Space Exploration and Art. Victoria Vesna YouTube. N.p., 29 Jul. 2013. Web. 31 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIqTR332l8>.

"The Space Race." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/space-race>.

Unit 8: NanoTech & Art

Although the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is typically though of associated with scientists studying various molecules, researchers have been able to use it to apply concepts from macroscopic environments onto the nano scale. For example, Wim L. Noorduin, a physical chemist at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was able to create structures that look like familiar things in everyday life: vases, flowers, and leaves.

Spiral-Stemmed Carnation

At first, one would expect the creation process to involve sculpting in the same sense an artist would use. However, these objects are grown in multiple stages. Noorduin's nano-scale sculptures act as an example of how both the scientific and art worlds are adapting through developments in nanotechnology.

Another example of this is NANOBAMA created by MIT's John Hart. Using a process similar to the lithography used to create semiconductors he was able to find a creative way to merge science and popular culture.

NANOBAMA

As we can see through the emergence of nano machinery and even nano bots, nanotechnology has taken concepts from the past few centuries and brought them to a new light. Regardless of if these ideas will be treated in similar fashions as their predecessors, such as robotics, we can be certain that it will contribute to the emergence of a third culture.

Nanobots

Bibliography
"Faculty Highlight: A. John Hart." Faculty Highlight: A. John Hart. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. <https://mpc-www.mit.edu/news/newsletters/may-2013/item/373-faculty-highlight-a-john-hart>.

Gravotta, Luciana. "Very Fine Art: 6 Stunningly Beautiful Nanoscale Sculptures." Scientific American Global RSS. Scientific American, 19 May 2013. Web. 24 May 2015. <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/very-fine-art-6-stunningly-beautiful-nanoscale-sculptures-slide-show/>.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May. 2015. <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.

Malcolm, Chris. Art in the Age of Nanotechnology. Bentley, WA: John Curtin Gallery, 2010. Print.

Nanotech for Artists Part 3. Dr. Gimzewski. YouTube. N.p., 21 May 2012. Web. 23 May 2015. <https://youtu.be/X0HCNiU_108>.

Unit 7: Neuroscience & Art

In Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker's "Neuroculture", we yet again see how science and art must work together to benefit society as a whole. The field of neuroscience is yet another example of how collaboration is needed between the two cultures in order for us to develop better. As outlined in "Neuroculture", the scientific community is responsible for presenting their findings while the artists take these concepts and help us understand them better.

Building on that thought, art and science cannot exist without the other. On its own, science has a hard time helping the general public become aware of discoveries. Ramon Cajal's research and illustrations regarding brain cells have served as an inspiration for artists and scientists alike.

Drawing By Ramon Cajal

Without artistic influences it is unlikely that concepts such as Brainbow, where different colors are used to track nerve cells, would have come to existence. What we know about the brain is still nowhere near complete.

Brainbow Zebrafish Embryo

Due to our limited understanding findings have the ability to strongly influence the public opinion of identity and mental well-being. This is evident in the popularity of phrenology during the 19th century. As mentioned by Frazzetto and Anker, brain "images have the power to alter conceptions of personality and identity". This places a tremendous responsibility on the shoulders of artists who can create these images through their own interpretations.
 

Artistic Illustration of Brain in Neuronal Forest

Bibliography

Artistic Illustration of Brain in Neuronal Forest. Digital image. Visual News. Visual News, 19 May 2011. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.visualnews.com/2011/05/19/building-the-supercomputer-brain/>.
"Brainbow." Brainbow. Center for Brain Science, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/science/connectome-project/brainbow>.

DeFelipe, Javier, and Santiago Ramón Y Cajal. Cajal's Butterflies of the Soul: Science and Art. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
Drawing By Ramon Cajal. Digital image. Nobel Prize Watch. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2015. <https://nobelprizewatch.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/how-not-to-give-a-nobel-lecture/>.
Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Review Neuroscience 10 (2009): 815-21. Web.

Pan, Albert. Brainbow Zebrafish Embryo. Digital image. A Colorful Zebrafish. The Smithsonian Institution, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-colorful-zebrafish-42081312/>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience-pt1” Lecture. Youtube, 16 May 2015. Web. 17 May 2012. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.

Unit 6: BioTech & Art

An interesting point that arises is how technology finds its way into other areas. Of course there's the example of genetic engineering finding its way into the realm, but it goes further. Even trends and approaches used in technology influence this mixture of biology and art. As described in Chris Kelty's "Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?", there exists this perspective of a hacker culture when it comes to biotech and art. Normally the term hacker is associated with engineers, yet the ideas are able to be applied elsewhere. Another example of this is Roger Brent and the idea of "open science" which serves as an analogy to open-source software that we see in the realm of computer science.

Genetic Engineering

The same applies in the other direction. As described by Ellen K. Levy in "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classification" programmers have created machine code that evolves. Perhaps the applicability between concentrations shows how intertwined everything is. This can be seen in the form of what are called digital organisms, which are programs that go through process of self-replication, mutation, and adaptation through natural selection like organisms in the real world.

Black and White Digital Organism

We should keep this in mind when it comes to the relationship between biotech and art. Like other mixtures, it still revolves around similarities between biology and art to be able to explore novel ideas similar to other combinations we've studied such as robotics and art. The main reason for controversies in this specific subject revolve around the involvement of living creatures. Although this boils down to a debate regarding ethics, I believe that the intention is the same as is in other blends between the sciences and the arts.

Lab Rat

Bibliography

"BRENT LAB." BRENT LAB. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://research.fhcrc.org/brent/en.html>.

Condliffe, Jamie. Genetic Engineering. Digital image. The Super Protein That Can Cut DNA and Revolutionize Genetic Engineering. Gizmodo, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://gizmodo.com/5991488/the-super-protein-that-can-cut-dna-and-revolutionize-genetic-engineering>.

Kelty, Chris. "Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?"

Kim, Yunchul. Black and White Digital Organism. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.khm.de/~tre/void.htm>.

Lab Rat. Digital image. My Life as a Lab Rat. Salon Media Group Inc., 24 Nov. 2011. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.salon.com/2011/11/24/my_life_as_a_lab_rat/>.

Lenski, Richard, Charles Ofria, Travis Collier, and Christoph Adami. "Genome Complexity, Robustness and Genetic Interactions in Digital Organisms."Nature 400 (1999): 661-64. Nature.com. Web. 10 May 2015.

Levy Ellen K. "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications."

Vesna, Victoria. “Biotech Part 1.” Lecture. Youtube, 10 May. 2015. Web. 18 Sep. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaThVnA1kyg>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Biotech Part 2.” Lecture. Youtube, 10 May. 2015. Web. 17 May 2012. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&t=231&v=MdSt-Hjyi2I>.