Final Post - Revolutionizing Living in Space

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Event 3 - MFA Exhibit

A description of the pieces exhibited

I visited the MFA exhibit on April 24th, 2015, and experienced many diverse exhibits. I was fascinated, confused, and intrigued by different ones, and I found that many challenged me to figure out what they were saying, and then make judgments based upon what the piece conveyed to me. There was not much explanation for any of the pieces, and with a wide variety of media, from paintings, to televisions, to balloons, to bathroom paper products, it was a perplexing experience. However, this exhibit interested me and made me think a lot of the themes and ideas that we have covered in our class, like the intersection between the human body, physics, and art.

The MFA Exhibit showcases the work of MFA students, and allows them to express themselves in a place without many limitations. There were televisions, easels, floating balloons, and a variety of other mediums, which created an atmosphere where almost anything felt possible. This was one of my first modern art exhibits, and without a lot explanation by signage or the artists themselves, I was left to my own interpretation, which is admittedly childish and relatively ignorant. One of the most interesting pieces of art shown was the large balloon flying around the exhibit freely.

Cataldi's Republic, 2015 

Michael Cataldi's Republic consists of three parts: a large white balloon filled with helium, a California Republic flag, and a lead weight attached to the bottom of the balloon. The result is a free-flying exhibit that literally floats all over the room. It actually took me a long time to find any of the information about Republic, because I encountered the balloon far from where it was described. The flag itself was manufactured by the California Prison Industry Authority, which adds an interesting element to the piece. The piece adds an interactive and dynamic element to the room, and even adds an element of insecurity, as some patrons were unexpectedly hit by the balloon as they admired other pieces.

To me it seems like a commentary on the tension between idealized freedom and actual freedom. The cultural rhetoric of the "California Republic" paints a surf-tinged American dream but has in many ways failed for all but a small population. Somehow, though, the rhetoric persists even in the circles it has failed. The California flag here is buoyed by a white balloon and moves freely in two dimensions, but at the same time the flag and the weight both restrain the balloon itself: the balloon floats, but it can't fly. 

I would recommend to my classmates who really want to think and are artistically inclined to come to this exhibit (although now the pieces have changed to new artists). It introduced me to new mediums of art and novel ideas, which I appreciated, and made me think about the State that I grew up in and the reality of its incarceration patterns. I wished that there had been more explanation and signage to explain the artist's intentions and history behind each piece, but the exhibit was still significant without.

Myself and my friend Justin at the exhibit

Event Link: http://www.art.ucla.edu/gallery/2014-15/MFA3.html

Video Link: https://vimeo.com/128603206

Event 2 - The Fowler Museum

This ship was created in Germany in the 1800s

On April 24th, I visited the Fowler Museum on the UCLA Campus. While the whole museum incorporates themes of science, technology, and art, I found the exhibit highlighting various works of silver from the 16th and 17th centuries most fascinating. Although it doesn't include the rapidly advancing technology that we are seeing currently, these works model the most advanced silver-working techniques of these ages, and reveal where investment and importance were placed during these times.

I have always been interested in themes of royalty, ornateness, "Old Money," etc. and this exhibit showcased works of silver, in various forms and fashions, that reveal those themes. In European society at that time, it was important to display your wealth, and silver was a common method of storing accumulated capital. These beautiful sculptures and silverware were created to be used and were all functional for use at dinner parties and more. The junction of wealth, artistry, and the finest technologies available created these truly incredible works.

Some friends and I at the Fowler Museum

The giant silver boat pictured at the top is on wheels, and was originally manufactured in Germany in the 19th century. The galleon appears to be sailing under French coats of arms, and the men aboard are dressed in reach court costumes of the 18th century. The intricacy and detail in this piece are incredible, and it was likely prominently displayed in a buffet setting on a German Lord's table. In fact, this ship also serves as a bottle caddy, and can hold several bottles at once. The wheels on the boat were used to travel from one end of the table to the other to deliver wine to different guests. The luxurious nature of the wealthy Europeans of this time is exemplified in this boat, and shows how artists and scientists can work together to produce items of beauty and use.

These spoons represent each of the 12 Apostles

The spoons pictured to the right depict human figures on their stems, and each of these spoons represents a specific Christian Apostle. There are 13 spoons in total: 1 being Jesus and the other 12 being the Apostles (with Matthias replacing Judas). If you look closely, you can see that each figure holds items that would typically be associated with them. For example, Jesus holds a cross, while Peter holds a rock (for he was said to be the Rock that the Church would be built on). The artistry is clear in these spoons, and the silversmiths of that time had to work with the artist who created them in order to achieve that level of detail and intricacy. I really enjoyed looking at all the figures and reading about why the objects they were holding or wearing mattered so much to the people using them. Often, these kind of spoons will be given as christening gifts, as it was believed that babies who were fed with silver spoons would not ever be poor.

I would recommend this exhibit to any history buff, silver-enthusiast, or anyone who likes do dine in fancy places. It was intriguing to see how royalty and nobles had their parties, and what properties and abilities people thought that silver had. All of this was achieved through the cooperation of many artists and many more scientists, who understood the delicate working techniques which silver requires. I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibit and believe it to be a fine collection of historically significant artifacts.

Exhibition Link: http://fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/reflecting-culture

Unit 9 - Space and Art

This week, we learned about the junction between outer space exploration and art. I was interested to watch these lectures and see how something that is so inherently "other" from us and how artists have interpreted space. As we have come to understand more and more about space, and new galaxies and possible universes are understood, artists' minds have also developed in how they understand space, and that has been an incredible transition to research. The lectures and videos covered a lot of topics in the intersection between space and artists, but a few particularly interested me.

I found the "Sputnik Moment" video to be really interesting, because it captured a moment in time where before, most of what the world could imagine or regularly thought about was confined to this earth, and after the "moment" the horizon of thought was expanded to include outer space and all the mysteries contained therein. As the space race between the US and USSR intensified, it pushed artists to create in that tension and artists on both sides used their artistic talents as propaganda for each country. The governments wanted artists to be creating interesting and beautiful pieces to show the public how exciting and dynamic space was in order to get public support behind new governmental programs like NASA.

Part of the Cosmic Dancer space/art project

Cosmic Dancer is a piece of space art that was created in 1993 by Arthur Woods, and "was the first three-dimensional artwork to be specifically conceived for and officially realized in a space habitat." (Forde 2010) Cosmic Dancer is pictured to the left and is a sculpture made of yellow aluminum tubing. The project was conceived to understand how sculpture would endure and exist in a weightless environment (like outer space), and to see how art could better be integrated into the human space program. I think that this pioneering project is really important for humans living in space, because it can be a relatively dull and monotonous experience, without many comforts that we take for granted on earth. I believe that art is a necessary outlet of life, and whether that is in creating or enjoying art, I think it must exist. Cosmic Dancer was used in concurrence with music to create a whimsical atmosphere and to enable the astronauts to live a healthier life in space.

An example of French zero-gravity art by Denis Darzacq

Another project that piqued my interest was Dancing on the Ceiling, which is an art collection focusing on the effects of a lack of gravity, and is curated by Kathleen Forde. It plays with the duality of heaviness and lightness, being tied to the ground and being free, and the theme of transcendence. The artworks were imaginative and enthralling, and I enjoyed how the artists ran with the theme of freedom and created a true sense of intangibility. The artists are attempting to escape gravity, and I was interested in this concept because it is something that is so ingrained in our lives and something that we can almost 100% count on being present on earth for the rest of our lives. Gravity, or the lack thereof, is a fascinating subject for an artist, and this collection is a shining example of how art can be created by examining the aspects of life we don't think about too much.

The last part that I wanted to touch on was Angelo Vermeulen's TED Talk, which was titled "How to go to space, without having to go to space." In the talk, he shares about his newest project, called Seeker, which challenges people all over the world to reimagine human cohabitation in small spaces, like space ships. I was interested to see how, when the project itself seeks to take away the restraints of earth, what people will come up with. I thought the three main concerns of the project, ecology, people, and technology, showed intelligence and forethought, and I can see how when these three elements are taken seriously many quality projects will be created. Overall, these beautiful creations may someday be used to actually go to space, and the work and research extended now to discover how to co-habitate well, re-use resources, and survive and thrive in space will prove useful.

Citations

Dunbar, Brian. "Frank Pietronigro: Zero-Gravity Space Artist." NASA. NASA, 02 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 May 2015.

Fenlon, Wesley. "How Sci-Fi Propaganda Art Influenced The US and Soviet Space Race." Tested. Tested, 3 Apr. 2013. Web. 30 May 2015.

Forde, Kathleen. "Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity." Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity Curated by Kathleen Forde : EMPAC Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center : Troy, NY USA. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2010. Web. 28 May 2015.

Forde, Kathleen. "Denis Darzacq : Dancing on the Ceiling." Denis Darzacq : Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity Curated by Kathleen Forde : EMPAC Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center : Troy, NY USA. EMPAC, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.

Vermeulen, Angelo. "Angelo Vermeulen: How to Go to Space, without Having to Go to Space." YouTube. Ted Talks, 9 Feb. 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "8 Space Pt1 1280x720." YouTube. UC Online, 29 July 2013. Web. 28 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "8 Space Pt2 1280x720." YouTube. UC Online, 29 July 2013. Web. 28 May 2015.

Woods, Arthur. "Cosmic Dancer." The Cosmic Dancer Project. The Cosmic Dancer Project, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.

Woods, Arthur. "ARS Astronautica." ARS Astronautica: Space Artist Arthur Woods: - Cosmic Dancer Sculpture On The Mir: Space Art, Astronautical Art, Spaceart. ARS Astronautica, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.

Unit 8 - Neuroscience + Art

A nanotechnology art piece developed by the Peters Project

This week, we learned about the convergence of one of the most innovative technologies, nano-science. I had not studied or really even heard much about nanotechnology until this unit, and it fascinated me. I was amazed that science could develop dynamic and interactive units like quantum dots and nanotubes, and I believe that, as Professor Gimzewski said in the lecture, that the rate of advancement in this science will be unlike anything we've seen before. In my research, I also found it interesting that artists were so vital and important to the development of this science, and how nanotechnologies are so often used to create beautiful works of art.

One of the pieces of art that intrigued me was the Lycurgus Cup, which Professor Gimzewski mentioned briefly in his lecture. I found it incredible that the Romans, in 400 AD, were able to create a piece of art that incorporated "glass with particles of silver and gold, ground down until they were as small as 50 nanometers in diameter, less than one-thousandth the size of a grain of table salt." (Merali 2013) The fact that this technology was discovered, subsequently lost, and was rediscovered in the 1990s was amazing to me, and the piece itself is absolutely beautiful. Even more incredible is that this technology, used by the Romans, is making its way into medical and food safety technology, because it is able to change colors based upon its interactions with different liquids. The cup, for example, turns a bring green when water is in it, and turns a deep red when oil fills it. This technology, Merali believes, will be used in the medical field to detect pathogens in liquids and will be able to tell if food is safe to eat.

This Roman cup utilized nanotechnology to change colors when illuminated

Another topic that I found interesting is the major difference between conventional science and developing nanotechnology is the idea of being seen, and through that, trusted. If we can see a chemical reaction taking place, or an organic process occurring, we believe more fully that we can understand them and control them, but since the human eye cannot see nanotechnology taking place, it is more foreign to us and thus less trusted. In Professor Gimzewski and Vesna's articles, they speak at length about how nanotechnology requires a narrative behind it, and because it is not seen, it requires abstract descriptions and visualizations, instead of demonstrations that people can see and understand. This means that there must be vision and understanding behind every element of a nanotech project, and the public needs to be more educated and understanding if nanotech is to truly advance into the future.

Lastly, I was intrigued by Paul Rothemund's TED Talk about DNA folding. In the talk, Rothemund talks about his work in folding a virus' DNA by using "staples" with different base pairs to fold the DNA up into almost rectangles. This approach is called "DNA Origami, and it is innovative and unique. I was astounded by the creativity it required to think of this idea. Rothemund believes that all life is really genetic computing, and that all life comes from codes of base pairs and genomes that create people, things, and technology. While this may be technically true, I believe that it is a narrow view and that there is much more to life than what we are "programmed" with. I don't think that based upon our genetic coding we choose people to fall in love with, careers to pursue, cities to live in, etc. There is much more to life than his view, as complex as it is. That being said, this technology is incredible, and I was amazed to see maps of China, the Americas, and smiley faces appearing in his talk, made completely of DNA pairs. Molecular computations are a breaking form of science, and I look forward to seeing what becomes of it.

Citations

Aloi, Daniel. "Art and Nanotech Converge in Campus Biennial." Cornell Chronicle. Cornell Chronicle, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 23 May 2015.

Feder, Barnaby J. "The Art of Nanotech." Bits The Art of Nanotech Comments. New York Times, 25 Jan. 2008. Web. 23 May 2015.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science." (2004): 1-8. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=0AF1EFEE1A90856EC5DB09D1E5AA8C79?doi=10.1.1.127.8516&rep=rep1&type=pdf>.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt1." YouTube. UC Online, 21 May 2012. Web. 23 May 2015.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt2." YouTube. UC Online, 21 May 2012. Web. 23 May 2015.

Merali, Zeeya. "This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows That the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers." Smithsonian. Smithsonian Magazine, Sept. 2013. Web. 23 May 2015.

"Nanotechnology Now." Nanotechnology Art Gallery. Nanotechnology Now, 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 23 May 2015.

Peters Project. "Outreach The Art of Systems Biology and Nanoscience." The New Mexico Center for the Spatiotemporal Modeling of Cell Signaling. SpatioTemporal Modeling Center, 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 May 2015.

Rothemund, Paul. "DNA Folding, in Detail." Paul Rothemund: DNA Folding. Ted Talks, Feb. 2008. Web. 23 May 2015.

Unit 7 - Neuroscience & Art

This week, we learned about neuroscience and how the discipline overlaps with the art world. Artists have long found beauty and inspiration from the human body, but the brain has been relatively inaccessible, as it is both delicate and extremely powerful. As scientists have grown in their understanding of how the brain works, artists have joined alongside to experiment and create.

One of the first things that interested me about the intersection of neuroscience and art was the "neuroculture" that we currently live in. In their article about neuroculture, Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker discuss how, unlike any other scientific discipline, neuroscience captures the imaginations and interest of the general public. They believe this is because we as a society believe that our brains have much to reveal about us as individuals, and in our society individuality is valued highly. This plays into every fabric of our society, and they explain, "we relate aggressive and criminal behavior to dysfunctional firing in the pre-frontal cortex, brain images are used as evidence in court, it has become common to consider depression and sadness as a serotonin imbalance and to refer to the release of endorphins when talking about the sensation of pleasure from the consumption of chocolate or sex."(Frazzetto and Anket, 815) This was a good primer for my study of neuroscience and the art that is being created through it.

As I studied the history of neuroscience, I was intrigued by the scientist Franz Joseph Gall. He was a physician working in Paris, and began the study of phrenology. He believed that intelligence and potential was based upon the shape of one's skull, and he measured people's heads to tell them essentially how smart they were. This was significant because it essentially begun the long-held idea that the size and shape of your brain will determine your intelligence, which has ultimately been disproven. But, his idea that there were localized areas of your brain that control certain things, like speech and language, was correct. This plays directly into the idea that left brain is more science-driven while right brain is more artsy, which we discussed earlier in this class.

This is a typical ocular response to LSD

I was fascinated by the discussion of neurochemicals, specifically LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide). It was and is used for psychedelic experiences and was very popular in the 1960 counterculture. Albert Hofmann invented LSD, and was a user and celebrator of its hallucinogenic properties. The drug is so potent that only one gram of it can medicate up to 20,000 for 12 hours. People encounter strange dreams, visions, hallucinations, fears, paranoias, and other strange phenomena when they take the drug, but also report feeling incredibly good, seeing strange and beautiful colors, and experiencing altered perceptions and emotions.

Newspaper clippings concerning Operation Midnight Climax

The CIA used these properties in their experiments with LSD in the 1960s, and called them Operation Midnight Climax. They used LSD and acid on American citizens in order to get them to divulge secrets, telling them that if they didn't tell then their "trip" would go on indefinitely. They concluded the effects of LSD were too varied to be used as a drug to extract truth, and discontinued the operation. This played an important role in the history and future of using chemical and biological weapons in covert intelligence operations all over the world. Obviously, these experiments were illegal and immoral, but more than that I believe that the fact that these chemicals exist and can be used on people is frightening, and shows how destructive humans can be in their search for pleasure. It is good to know that the government is now regulating these drugs heavily, but it is scary to see how something that was designed for art and a sensory experience has been turned into weapon so easily.

Christopher DeCharms is a neurologist and scientist who uses non-invasive scans and mapping technologies to see inside the elusive human brain. He sees a future for this technology in neuroimaging therapy, because a person can see how their brain reacts when they move muscles, feel emotions, or remember memories. I believe this will allow doctors and patients to work together to figure out what causes symptoms like anger problems, addictive behaviors, and more. DeCharms even believes that this technology may be able to cure things like chronic pain by zeroing in on certain areas of the brain that are non-productively producing pain and ending it. I was excited by his talk and feel excited to see how this generation will be the ones on the "frontier of inner space."

Citations

DeCharms, Christopher. "A Look inside the Brain in Real Time." YouTube. Ted Talks, 27 Mar. 2008. Web. 17 May 2015.

Desk, News. "Tampa Bay Police Report LSD Tainted Meat Exposure." Food Safety News. Food Safety News, 08 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 May 2015.

"Franz Joseph Gall : Founder of Phrenology." Phrenology.com. American Phrenoloy Journal, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews: Neuroscience 10 (2009): 815-821. Web. 17 May 2015.

Freeman, Shanna. "How LSD Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.

Larsen, Shad. "Operation Midnight Climax." Damn Interesting. N.p., 26 Sept. 2005. Web. 17 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience-pt1." YouTube. UC Online, 17 May 2012. Web. 17 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience-pt2." YouTube. UC Online, 17 May 2012. Web. 17 May 2015.

Event 1 - The Hammer Museum

An artist's rendering of the new bus in London

Last week, I visited the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles for the first time, and it was an incredible experience! The museum was so interactive, and had so many interesting things to say about interesting topics like global politics, the role of women in the household, transportation systems, architecture, and more. What I chose to focus on and write about was the new bus that artists and scientists have developed to replace the iconic double-decker buses in London. I have been to London before and loved riding on those huge buses when I was there, so I immediately took an interest in the collaboration between designers and scientists in developing their new, stylish, and upgraded replacements.

This is the rear stairway in the proposed bus

These new buses were designed by Heatherwick Studio, headed by Thomas Heatherwick, and English architect and designer. Transport by London commissioned Heatherwick to answer the question, "can a London bus be better and use 40% less fuel?" He answered this question with the New Routemaster, which is the first new bus in London in 50 years and does reduce energy consumption by over 40%. In order to accomplish this, Heatherwick had to rely upon modern car and bus scientists in order to reduce energy consumption, and had to make design sacrifices based upon what designs he could implement without inhibiting the lower energy demands. It showed me that in projects that combine art and science both sides need to give a little bit and be flexible with how their aspects are implemented in the work in order that the project can maintain its integrity as a true combination of art and science. Heatherwick did a masterful job of this.

These are the new seats in the proposed bus

Because these buses are such a centerpiece and iconic part of London, the competition to see who could design them was a fierce contest, and the construction effort has been very controversial. Mayor Boris Johnson won his mayoral race in part because he promised to bring back the Routemaster design, and so he commissioned Heatherwich Studios to design these new buses in 2010. In order to achieve that classic design, Heatherwick shrank the overall bulk by rounding the edges and wrapped the exterior with ribbon-like windows that illuminate the rear stairway (pictured above). I believe that the artistry and beautiful/classic design will take off well with the public, and will help with the publicity of the crossover between art and science projects, and how they can work together to produce useful and aesthetically-pleasing works such as this one.

Myself and a few friends at the Hammer

I would recommend this event to all of my classmates if they are in Los Angeles, because not only is this museum interactive and interesting, it asks some very poignant questions and makes you think about important issues like feminism and the role of the United States in global politics. I found it to be incredibly engaging, and more than that, fun! They have chairs that are ergonomically designed that you can spin in, and they have ping pong tables that you can go and play on any time. This was a unique and fantastic experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Event Link: http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2015/provocations-the-architecture-and-design-of-heatherwick-studio/