Final Post - Revolutionizing Living in Space

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2g_wzkwlq5OLU1vUUV6R1pJS3M/view?usp=sharing

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/

Unit 6 - BioTech and Art

This week, we learned about artists entering the laboratory, and experimenting with live beings to create incredible and controversial works of art. The issue of life is a complicated one, bleeding other issues like morals, ethics, religion, and sociology. Even though this topic has made the news many times, before engaging in this material I hadn't really formed a lot of opinions about biotechnology and its future for our society.

Alba, the "GFP" Bunny

One of the most fascinating and ground-breaking experiments that I learned about was the genetically modified albino rabbit, Alba. She was implanted with genomes from a fluorescent jellyfish using zygote micro-injection by Eduardo Kac, the artist who is also her owner. One of his hopes for the GFP Bunny project is to engage in the "examination of the notions of normalcy, heterogeneity, purity, hybridity, and otherness." I found it incredible that life multiplies itself and that we can depend on it to spread throughout the organism, like the GFP-injected cells did in Alba, and this project actually made me question these issues. One interesting thing about Alba is that she does appear to be a "normal" albino rabbit, but under the right light she turns a fluorescent green. So, she masquerades as a generally accepted rabbit in regular light, but is of the "other" in reality. 

One of the most obvious concerns with genetically modifying live beings is their right to a healthy life, which is what I'm principally concerned with. In the case of Alba, Kac explains, "contrary to popular notions of the alleged monstrosity of genetically engineered organisms, her body shape and coloration are exactly of the same kind we ordinarily find in albino rabbits. Unaware that Alba is a glowing bunny, it is impossible for anyone to notice anything unusual about her. Therefore Alba undermines any ascription of alterity predicated on morphology and behavioral traits." It seems that Alba lived an average life for an albino rabbit, and only experienced differences when she was under special lighting, and I feel that this is how these experiments should be done.

Marta de Menezes' controversial work on butterflies is pictured above

In a similar artistic experiment, we can look at Marta de Menezes' work with butterflies. She was a resident of SymbioticA, an artistic laboratory at the University of Western Australia, and she created butterflies with different wing patterns than you would find in nature. The problem arose when it was discovered that they had holes in their wings, and this is where my issues with biotech arise. When people frivolously alter an animal, with real consequences to its health and well-being, that is cruel and problematic. Animals are not to be toyed with, and unless the artist can be sure that there won't be serious negative effects on the animals health, I believe they should not experiment with the animal.

I was also interested in Natalie Jeremijenko's TED Talk on her lab at NYU and her explanation of her clinic for environmental concerns. Her experiment with beurocrat-assigned tadpoles was comical and socially-engaging, and I thought it was a good way to see what the water quality is and to engage people in conversations as they "walk" their tadpoles. There was also and experiment where mice self-administered drugs like Zoloft and Prozac, and drank alcohol because of the social factors that led people to do the same. I'm not quite sure what that means because the mice don't really know what they're doing, but people do. In any case, I felt that her projects expertly spanned the gap between engaging society with artistic projects and caused people to talk about these meaningful issues.

I believe that artists should be able to express themselves in any way that doesn't infringe upon the freedoms of others, and that is the concern with the future of biotechnology and art. In an article from the NCBI, they state "This issue [of human safety] has generated considerable debate since 1999, when 18-year-old Jesse Gelsinger died while participating in a gene therapy trial at the University of Pennsylvania. The institution was widely criticized for failing to disclose crucial information on informed consent documents, relaxing criteria for accepting volunteers, and enrolling volunteers who were ineligible." Obviously, when humans are involved in any sort of genetic testing, we need to be extremely careful and I feel that there needs to be a lot of oversight and many opinions being voiced in the experiment  In Kelty's article about the future of BioTech, he posits, "Safe biology is implicitly one regulated by the state and the legitimate organizations of science, and so an unregulated biology is an outlaw biology. This makes DIY Chemistry, or "clandestine chemistry" (where individuals synthesize illegal and legal drugs using federally regulated chemical pre-cursors) simply criminal biology, not outlaw biology." Overall, since biotechnology has an impactful future both in its scientific and artistic pursuits, it needs to have a lot of oversight, in order to protect both the people and animals involved.

Citations

De Menezes, Marta. "Nature?" Projects: Nature? Marta De Menezes, 2002. Web. 08 May 2015.

Jeremijenko, Natalie. "The Art of the Eco-Mindshift." Natalie Jeremijenko: The Art of the Eco-mindshift. TED Talks, Oct. 2009. Web. 08 May 2015.

Kac, Eduardo. "GFP BUNNY." GFP BUNNY. N.p., 2000. Web. 08 May 2015.

Kelty, Christopher M. "Outlaw, Hackers, Victorian Amateurs: Diagnosing Public Participation in the Life Sciences Today." Journal of Science Communication (2010): 1-8. Desminopathy. Desminopathy, Mar. 2010. Web. 8 May 2015.

Philipkoski, Kristen. "RIP: Alba, the Glowing Bunny." WIRED. WIRED Magazine, 12 Aug. 2002. Web. 8 May 2015.

Silverman, Ed. "The 5 Most Pressing Ethical Issues in Biotech Medicine." Biotechnology Healthcare. BioCommunications LLC, Dec. 2004. Web. 08 May 2015.

"SymbioticA: Marta De Menezes." SymbioticA. University of Western Australia, n.d. Web. 8 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 Bioart Pt1 1280x720." YouTube. UC Online, 8 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 Bioart Pt2 1280x720." YouTube. UC Online, 17 May 2012. Web. 08 May 2015.

Midterm Assignment

https://drive.google.com/a/g.ucla.edu/file/d/0B9Q_QFpGJq14VzQ4cXRPNmd1RDg/view?usp=sharing

Unit 4 - Medicine and Art

This week, we learned about the human body and how artists have had a fascination with it since the beginning of recorded history. The complexity and intricate design of the body has fascinated humans, for the simple reason that we love learning more about ourselves. It was interesting to me how Professor Vesna was talking about how hospitals used to be places of art, and how people saw healing as a form of art and felt like developing technology and science had no place there. As different technologies (including X-Rays, CAT scans, and MRIs), surgeries, and medical science advance, they have obviously been incorporated into hospitals, but have also been ingrained into the artistic world. With studies like the Human Genome Project and the Visible Human Project, artists are able to take real, viable data and apply it to their projects in unique and interacting ways.

There is beauty even in the construction of our bodies

From Donald Ingber's article, "The Architecture of Life," I learned about the type of architecture called tensegrity, which he describes as, "a system that stabilizes itself mechanically because of the way in which tensional and compressive forces are distributed and balanced within the
structure." (48) I found this idea fascinating, and am astounded by thinking about how molecules self-assemble into cells, tissues, muscles, and bones, creating beautiful creations. The fact that a body is driven by different genes in an embryo to assemble themselves into a full human body is incredible. This article has expanded my view of how beautiful the body can be, and how science has expanded that beauty by letting us non-invasively see inside ourselves.

I also learned about the Hippocratic Oath, which has been passed down since Hippocrates, an ancient Greek philosopher and "father of medicine." I found it interesting that in the oath, it states, "I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug." I had never known that the medical community, in which almost 100% of medical school graduates swear to this oath, valued the artistic side of medicine this much. I can see this emotional and sympathetic aspect to medicine present in many of the doctors I've had throughout my life, and have seen how that can many times that kind of care can be even more valuable than medication.

What I found interesting in Diana Gromala's Ted Talk was her usage of technology, specifically virtual reality modules, to heal her own chronic pain. She has used her degrees in interactive art and computer science to create compelling intersections between health sciences and art, including fonts that react to the breathing patterns and skin reaction of humans, a virtual reality module based on her own MRI, and a jellyfish meditation virtual program that allows the patient to meditate effectively. She believes that the jellyfish serves as an inner mirror, and enables awareness and helps focus inward. I believe that this holds great implications for the future of our understanding of mental health issues, and serves of an example of how art can be used in a therapeutic and medically valuable way.

Orlan uses plastic surgery to create
art that critiques and exposes
how we view the body

Orlan is a French artist who has been doing performance art using her body since the 1990s. She engages in surgical procedures that were streamed live and recorded, and has engaged in 9 performance procedures, including adding horns to her head (pictured to the left), getting swollen lips, and making her skin translucent. Her art is controversial and cutting-edge, but I believe that she has maybe gone too far in her manipulation of the body. I understand that she is pushing the envelope and desires to make people uncomfortable, but I think that the body naturally desires to survive and be healthy, and I see these extraneous surgeries as counter to that goal. When art borders on actual danger to the humans they seek to depict, I believe it shouldn't happen.

Overall, it is clear that medicine was actually born of art, but with the introduction of new technologies that association isn't so clear. I see art as a new frontier of healing and medicinal solutions for many illnesses, especially mental, and I look forward to seeing how medical professionals and artists continue to bring them together. However, I feel that the body should not be extremely manipulated, and that an appropriate caution should be taken when creating art with actual human bodies.

Citations

Calvetti, Leonello. "Human Foot Anatomy Showing Skin, Veins by Leonello Calvetti." Fine Art America. N.p., 7 July 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Glatter, Robert. "Can Studying Art Help Medical Students Become Better Doctors?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Gromala, Diana. "TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." YouTube. TedX, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Ingber, Donald E. "The Architecture of Life." Scientific American Jan. 1998: 48-57. Web.

Panda, Sadhu C. "Medicine: Science or Art?" Mens Sana Monographs. Medknow Publications, 2006. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Pescarmona, Denee. "Who Is Orlan?" English 114EM. University of California, Santa Barbara, 2003. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt1." YouTube. UC Online, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt2." YouTube. UC Online, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt3." YouTube. UC Online, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Unit 3 - Robotics and Art

A cyborg is a combination between humans and robots

This week we focused on the convergence of technology and art, and I was specifically interested in the personification and human connection with machines. On a base level it is incredible to me that we can see a bunch of metal and wires and bolts, and assign emotions, feelings, and values to them. This can be met with fear, as we seen in many movies and in pop culture, like robot revolts or nefarious cyborg half-humans. On the other hand, robots are portrayed as helpful, efficient, and even adorable. This dynamic view of robots fascinates me.

One of the most interesting ideas about mechanization and art entering the digital world is how originals can be copied so easily. In his article, Douglas Davis discusses this idea and explains various sides of the issue. The issue cruxes on the value one places on originality. He explains, "often the forger - of Rembrandt, of Vermeer, of classical Greek and Roman art - argues that his work brings pleasure in the same measure as the copied master." (Davis 383) To me, much of the value that I find in art (when I've visited art museums around the country) comes from its originality.

Walter Benjamin expands on this idea when he states, "even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be." (Benjamin 1) He goes on to explain how the intersection of these two disciplines doesn't always induce creative achievement, and explains how sometimes they can even work against each other. For example, one can see that mass-produced paintings and photographs, sold at places like Target and Walmart, are essentially value-less (monetarily, but most would say creatively as well). In art, creative uniqueness is highly valued, whereas in disciplines like mathematics and robotics the same formulas and theorems are repeated in new ways.

Wall-E is a perfect intersection of
robotics and art

The other concept that interests me about robotics was personification and how humans can attach to them like a living being. As robotic science becomes more and more advanced, scientists can make them approximate humans and animals more closely, which allows humans to assign emotions and relationships to them. This can be seen in the phenomena of robot dog funerals in Japan, because people have become so attached to their robotic canines that they feel the need to mourn through having actual services. This can also be seen in how much people love and adore the Pixar lamp in the opening credits of Pixar movies. Audiences laugh and adore this inanimate lamp, which conveys sheepishness and cuteness.

One of the best examples of personifying machines is the Pixar movie Wall-E, which is a marvel of robotic humanization and creating art out of machines. First of all, machines are used in the production and creation of the movie, and secondly the plot and main characters are focused on machinery and artificial intelligence. The themes of love, loneliness, and survival are present in this movie, which resonate with human viewers and somehow engage viewers to see this box of metal as an adorable and sympathetic character. Wall-E takes a dramatic stance on industrialization, by portraying the future of mechanization as essentially a spaceship with a bunch of overweight people.

Citations

Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction." Leonardo 28.5 (1995): 381-86. JSTOR. The MIT Press, 20 Oct. 2007. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

Funeralwise. "Japan Embraces Robot Dog Funerals." Digital Dying. N.p., 27 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

"In Japan, Robot Dogs Are for Life -- and Death." YouTube. AFP News Agency, 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Kac, Eduardo. "ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ROBOTIC ART." ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ROBOTIC ART. N.p., 1997. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

McGovern, Bridget. "Wall-E: Pixar's Lasting Tribute to the Power of Art." Tor.com. Tor, 19 June 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Munkittrick, Kyle. "On the Importance of Being a Cyborg Feminist." Humanity+ Media. Humanity+ Media, 21 July 2009. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.

Osborne, Peter. "Walter Benjamin." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 18 Jan. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Scott, A. O. "In a World Left Silent, One Heart Beeps." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 June 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt1." YouTube. UC Online, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Walker, Lauren. "Japan's Robot Dogs Get Funerals as Sony Looks Away." Newsweek. Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

"WALL·E." IMDb. IMDb.com, 27 June 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Unit 2 - Mathematics and Science

Brahmagupta was an Indian
mathematician who greatly
expanded the idea of "zero"

This week we learned about the interrelationships between mathematics and art. I had never thought about how critical math is to true art, and how it is in fact necessary for all design. One of the most interesting things in the lecture was the concept of zero, and how it came to be. I had never thought about how one would, without knowledge of zero, conceive of a number to signify nothing. Brahmagupta created many rules to understand basic mathematics, which revolutionized that time. Then, Descartes developed those ideas and propelled the concept of zero into the future. We also learned about the Golden Rule, which is an aesthetically appealing ratio, and began to be used for art in ancient Egypt.

This video about the Mandelbrot Fractal was fascinating. It is incredible that such a simple equation (to the left), can produce such an incredibly complex and intricate design. I was initially intrigued because of what I've heard of fractals, but when the video began to zoom in and allow me to see how nature, which is widely considered to be the pinnacle of beauty, was present in this fractal, I was astounded. The trees, rivers, and lakebed I was able to see in the fractal were shocking, and studying this fractal expanded my understanding of how mathematics is built into the very DNA of what we consider to be alluring. 

One eye-opening thing I learned was about perspective in art, and how parallel lines need to converge on the same plane in a painting. It was a Muslim scholar, al-Haytham, in around 1000 B.C.E. that first posited that vision occurred in the brain, and not in the eyes, and he revolutionized the field of optics and how geometry is used in art. It is so interesting to see how something I take for granted in art had to be actually studied and discovered to be implemented successfully. It also changed my view of the value of geometry, because it can create such beautiful things.

Di Vinci described perspective by saying, "Images of
all things are transmitted to the eye by pyramidal lines."

This week I learned a ton about how mathematics, art, and science interrelate and are essential to each other's success. The readings and videos altered my understanding that artists just wanted to be free and create whatever came to them. I learned that the fourth dimension of geometry actually "was primarily a symbol of liberation for artists," (Henderson, 205) which I had never thought about. I now see that the juxtaposition of these three disciplines actually fuels each to new depths of creativity and imagination.

Citations

Abbott, Edwin Abbott. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. New York: n.p., 1963. Print.

Das Ji, Ram. Brahmagupta. N.d. N.p.

Di Vinci, Leonardo. The Last Supper. 1948. Santa Maria Delle Grazie, Milan.

"Golden Ratio." Golden Ratio. Math Is Fun, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Henderson, Linda D. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion." Leonardo 17.3 (1984): 205-10. JSTOR. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Scripter, Carl. "Fractals - Mandelbrot." YouTube. DJ DlimitR, 17 June 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube. UC Online, 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Weisstein, Eric W. "Mandelbrot Set." Mandelbrot Set. Wolfram Alpha, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Unit 1 - Two Cultures

Me studying abroad in China last summer

Hi everyone! My name is Ryan Reimers, and I'm a senior Business Economics students with a minor in Accounting. The idea of "two cultures" and the split between North and South campus has always been one that I feel distanced from, because I feel like my major doesn't really fit into either of them. I study the effects of human behavior and those social sciences, and at the same time empty mathematical models to better understand markets and economies. I would say that I have experience in both sides of campus, yet art not science have been of much academic interest to me in the past. I am excited to expand my understanding of both disciplines in this class!

I feel right at home in the middle of the campus!

The video by the RSA really spoke to me, and challenged the way that I think about education. One point that I thought a lot about was how he disliked the fact that children are educated in groups by age, which is an idea that has always made sense to me. If kids should be educated in groups based on ability/intellect instead of by age, then much of the education system needs to be changed. I wonder what the gap between science and art would look like if they kids were encouraged to pursue what they were passionate about, even at a young age, versus forcing them to engage in all kinds of standardized tests that they won't care about.

Snow's article also made me think about how I let ideas of science and art affect me, and how since I have never had a massive interest in either, I have always thought that I wasn't capable of understanding or engaging in either discipline, because they both require a lot of discipline and talent (or so I thought). I look forward to seeing how my perspective, which doesn't fall in either camp, can be used to see this disciplines uniquely. 

Citations

Ryan in China, Great Wall. Personal photograph by author. 2014.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.

The RSA. "RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.

UCLA Campus Map. 2010. Biochemistry Department, Los Angeles.

Vesna, Victoria. "TwoCultures Pt2." YouTube. UC Online, 31 Mar. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "TwoCultures Part1." YouTube. UC Online, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.