Extra Event No.2: Fowler Museum

The last event I attended this quarter, in the final week! Because of the busy schedule this week, I chose the last event as the closest place. I have been to our museum before, but it was long time ago. Comparing to my previous visits, this time, I had a specific theme to look for: the interaction of art and science. The name of current exhibition is Fowler at Fifty, celebrating the fiftieth birth day of Fowler. Wow!

The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth: Ancient Threads/New Directions
The first exhibition I want to introduce is the Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth. The estimated time period is 500-100 B.C.E., but the technique, color and design are of high standard. The design of the cloth, exhibiting the graphic combination of rectangle and circle, geometric arrangement of symmetry, the output of the left is actually pretty "modern" comparing to its era. Moreover, since the civilization of Peruvian was far from that of ours, the similarity on design proved that it was human nature of aesthete towards math and graph. The interaction of science and art is innate!  

New World Wunderkammer: A Project by Amalia Mesa-Bains

Another exhibition next to the Peruvian is the New World Wunderkammer.The table in the middle of the showroom raised my interest. It looks like a record of scientific experiment of plant cultivation. The record showed the structure of the tree, the growth and the color it revealed. I think it is a botanic study  in Wunderkammer during New World era. In all, this theater of wonder will animate the cultural landscape and human geography of the New World through objects of beauty.

I would recommend my friends to take a look at the exhibition, since it was the fiftieth anniversary, the path Fowler has been through was plotted on the wall, which gave us a general idea of the background of it. 

Picture with Jason

Work Cited

"Amalia Mesa-Bains." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalia_Mesa-Bains>.
"New World Wunderkammer: A Project by Amalia Mesa-Bains | Fowler Museum at UCLA." New World Wunderkammer: A Project by Amalia Mesa-Bains | Fowler Museum at UCLA. Fowler, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/fowler-at-fifty-new-world-wunderkammer>.
"The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth: Ancient Threads/New Directions | Fowler Museum at UCLA." The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth: Ancient Threads/New Directions | Fowler Museum at UCLA. Fowler, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/fowler-at-fifty-peruvian-four-selvaged-cloth>.
"Peruvian People." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 May 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruvian_people>.

Extra Event No.1: Hammer Museum

Two weeks ago, my friend and I went to Hammer museum together as the fourth event for our DESMA class. Hammer museum is located in Westwood, 15 minutes by foot from our school. Despite the close distance and the fair interest I had in visiting museums, it is a fact that I have never been to Hammer before! Maybe I thought it is too close and too easy, but for whatever reason, I'm here!

walls at entrance

The wall at the gate is surprising, setting the tone of modernity and animated atmosphere throughout the museum. By arranging simple graphs and lines and assigning various colors, a beautiful picture is created. The application of symmetry and parallel lines are obvious on this three walls, the beauty of math and art is fully appreciated in this artwork.

Flash Talk by Erik Vilain

We attended Flash Talk given by Dr. Erik Vilain on Forrest Bess. Since we were not allowed to take the picture inside, this is the only picture I can post here. The professor of Human Genetics and Director of the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA gave a seminar about intersexuality and the genetics of gender identity. Some stories he gave about his conversation with his patients really opened my vision in this mystery field. Although hard to empathy their real feelings, but replace my position with them also evoke the pain as a minority in the society.

Mark Leckey, On Pleasure Bent

 Later we went to the showroom of Mark Leckey On Pleasure Bent, since we were not allowed to take pictures again...TvT...I can only find some artworks by Mr. Leckey online. From his exhibition, we saw how technology shapes desire. In a dark room with multimedia including pictures, videos, sculptures. The picture below I found online is one of the exhibition I saw in the showroom, named transfiguration. The inconsistency of cloth and old man with an awkward position represented the problem we met when technology met with our culture.

Transfiguration (working title), 2013. Mixed media. 51 3/16 x 39 3/8 in. (130 x 100 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Gavin Brown's enterprise. © Mark Leckey

I would recommend all UCLA students (not only our class!) to take a look at Hammer museum, although not as famous as those large one like Getty or LACMA, there are still some exciting artworks to be appreciated.

Work Cited

Frank, Priscilla. "Mark Leckey's 'On Pleasure Bent' Explores How Technology Shapes Desire (PHOTOS)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/mark-leckey_n_3750245.html>.
Leckey, Mark. "Mark Leckey: On Pleasure Bent - Exhibitions - Hammer Museum." Mark Leckey: On Pleasure Bent - Exhibitions - Hammer Museum. Hammer, 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/detail/exhibition_id/240>.
"The UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics." The UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics Eric Vilain Director Comments. UCLA, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://socgen.ucla.edu/people/eric-vilain/>.
"Mark Leckey." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Leckey>.

Event Blog No.3: Diary of Smells: Shards - A Smell Laboratory

screen showing abstract pictures

Table with different smell bottle

On Nov. 7th, I attended an exhibition in CNSI Art|Sci Gallery about smells held by Josely Carvalho. It was a relatively small exhibition comparing to the previous two I have attended. However, the size of the room and my early arrival gave me an intimate interaction with artworks and artists! She is a Brazilian artist living in New York City and Rio de Janeiro. She focused on multi-media art that brings different sensory to the audiences, which I, honestly speaking, have no idea before. The first impression is thrilling! My friend Heming and I were the first audiences of the exhibition, and the welcome music of the room is a loud, terrifying sound of broken glass and later a gunshot. The room is so small that in turn amplified the volume. Without the presence of Ms Josely at first, we even doubt if we came to the right place.

With Josely Carvalho

Under the guidance of staff and professor Vesna, we found the artist, a kind, old woman. She was patient to explain her work to us and everyone who came later. Although with strong accent, her explanation was detailed and inspiring.

Every bottle contained a special smell with a different story. With almost ten different elements mixing in the water, the output was very strong. 

There were two smells left strong impression on my mind. One was #7734D7 She Bled, it was collected from a broken wine glass with bloody mud. Accompanying with the sound and smell, a vision came up to my mind spontaneously: an accident happened at dinner party that sharp glass lacerated your finger, with impulse of the unbearable pain, you dropped the glass on the muddy ground.

The other was #3925D8 Affection, the smell that invoked my hunger at that moment! The mixture of Vanilla and Ethyl Malthol produced a long lasting sweet smell.

I would definitely recommend this event and it might be the best one for me so far, since the conversation with true artists really helped me understand their artworks.

She Bled

This is the event with best interaction with artists in all five events and I really recommend if my friend would have a chance to explore the magic of smell!

Work Cited

"Creative Capital." Creative Capital. Creative Capital.com, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://creative-capital.org/grantees/view/268/project:226>.
"Diary of Smell: Shards." Josely Carvalho. Joselycarvalho.net, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.joselycarvalho.net/work_installations.htm>.
"Diary of Smells: Shards | UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab." Diary of Smells: Shards. UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://artsci.ucla.edu/?q=events/diary-smells-shards>.
"Josely Carvalho." Josely Carvalho. Joselycarvalho.net, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.joselycarvalho.net/bio.htm>.
"Josely Carvalho (Brazilian) ." Josely Carvalho Biography and Links – Josely Carvalho on Artnet. Artnet.com, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://www.artnet.com/artists/josely-carvalho/biography-links>.

Event Blog No. 2: Trip of Glow!

It was the first event I attended this quarter on Sept. 28th--Glow on Santa Monica beach! This was an art festival in every three years, performed by 15 artist this year. It was estimated that more than 150,000 crowds during the exhibition. As described on its website, "An all-night cultural experience featuring original commissions by artists that re-imagine Santa Monica Beach as a playground for thoughtful and participatory artworks." We started our trip early in order to avoid the traffic. However, it was actually too early, and we are waiting for artists setting their works up. 

Picture with Karen Atkinson

Karen Atkinson is the professor at CalArt. Her work is a large screen coated with phosphorescent paint that holds the shape of projected images, like an echo repeats a sound. 

Chamber of Mystery and Ring of Fire by Mathieu Briand

With Mathieu Briand (left three)

Sculpture in the Chamber of Mystery

Starting at 6:43 pm, the time sun descended below the sea, chamber of mystery made by Mathieu Briand opened to the public. We went into the chamber and saw the sculpture and the echo made by the special sound inside. Above the chamber is the ring of fire, it represents the power of the sun after sunset. We talked to Mr. Briand, who is a french artist, he regards the ring of fire as sun, the whole work display the worship to sun and our earth's primal essence. 

With professor Victoria Vesna

Me wearing octopus dressing!

Eventually, we found our professor! She was taking the ride of the Pacific Wheel wearing the glowing octopus, the whole wheel would become the ultimate revolving mandala. The name was the Octopus Mandala Glow(OMG). The wheel represents the industrial age and the octopus shows human's wish to control it instead of being controlled. It was also a symbol that people taking back the joy of simple like and celebrating the end to the industrial age.

It was a really exciting experience to see our professor for the first time this quarter! The creativity revealed in these exhibitions improved our expectations of the topic in the coming quarter!

Work Cited

"Glow Santa Monica." Glow. Glow.org, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://glowsantamonica.org/>.

"Mathieu Briand." Glow Mathieu Briand Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://glowsantamonica.org/mathieu-briand/>.

"Octopus." Octopus Mandala Glow. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://octopusmandala.org/join-occupy/>.

Painter, Alysia G. "Art on the Beach: Glow Santa Monica." NBC Southern California. NBCUniversal Media, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/the-scene/Art-on-the-Beach-Glow-Santa-Monica-225112972.html>.

Senn, Evan. "Illuminating Santa Monica: GLOW 2013." KCET. KCETLink, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/glow-2013-santa-monica.html>.

Week 9 Assignment: Space&Art

The last week of the class! And finally, we came to the space chapter, which I have been waiting for the whole quarter! Space is always full of fascination to me. For me, the brilliant star sky and vast dark world above have long been attracting my attention since I was very young and little. For a very long time, it was proud and joyful when people ask me what I want to do when I grow up; and I would say, "An astronomer!" As a matter of fact, the space has not only attracted my attention but also the ancients intellectuals. In Han dynasty China, astronomer Zhang Heng(AD 78-139) has written The Spiritual Constitution of the Universe, which discussed the birth of the universe, the star map and the explanation of sun and moon eclipses. During Renaissance period, Nicolaus Copernicus(1473-1543) proposed that the sun is the center of the universe, which was really a revolutionary idea at that time. Accompanied by the development of the technology, human is able to use tools like telescope and later the space shuttles to explore the outer space. 

Chinese ancient star map

Besides, the rapid development of aerospace was largely due to the thrilling Cold War between two super powers after the World War Two--USSR and USA. Although guided by political confrontation, the propellant impact on scientific field is unquestionable. Human beings are able to send people into the outer space and then come back home safely! The space travel that has long been a topic for science fiction finally comes true. 

Neil Armstrong moon landing in 1969

Moreover, I think apart from the political competition, the imagination of artists and writers is a crucial factor of astronomy. Movies like Star Trek, Star War in the early time, and Gravity recently showed up all reveal the great interest and high expectation people have about the space and our future in it. Artists and writers are eagerly producing great artworks that could go beyond human understandings and power.  The recent movie Gravity also exhibited the highest level of photography and editing of our film makers. It simplified the story line and actors interaction but executed the visual effects in an extraordinary level. 

Trailer of Gravity

Work Cited

Dunbar, Brian. "Neil Armstrong Biography." NASA. NASA, 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/neilabio.html>.

"Gravity." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/>.

Redd, Nola T. "Nicolaus Copernicus Biography: Facts & Discoveries." Space.com. TechMedia Network, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. <http://www.space.com/15684-nicolaus-copernicus.html>.

"Star Trek." StarTrek.com. CBS Studios Inc., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.startrek.com/>.

"Zhang Heng." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Heng#Astronomy_and_mathematics>.

Event Blog No.1 LA Auto Show

This weekend, my friend and I came to LA Auto show in downtown LA. I'm really glad to know from professor that this event can be counted as one for our class! The large event held in Convention center has more than 100 years history, and is now the world's most influential and most attended auto show. Yesterday was the second day of the event. I saw automobiles as the most close and practical example of interaction of arts and technology even before I attend this course. Especially in the U.S., the cars are part of people's life. As cars were invented as a transportation tool at first, people started to customize their cars in order to show their uniqueness and personality. Therefore, auto makers provided strong financial support in designing their cars and differentiate from the others. 
My favorite auto maker is Audi, one of the "German big 3", along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Besides its fame in reliability and quality, I enjoy its design, both interior and exterior. With its arresting lines of their signature Singleframe grille plus the distinctive LED daytime running lights, I just felt obsessive to it! The application of technology into an artistic looking is the key factor of Audi's long-lasting fame all over the world.

2014 Audi S8

2014 Audi A7 TDI and Me!

There were many other beautiful cars and some of them are really astonishing at first glance. However, I don't want this post to be an auto gallery, thus the next part I want to discuss the unity of appearance and target group.

Smart Fortwo

Lamborghini

Red Bull RB6

Three typical cars I found in the show. Small, lovely Smart, exotic pre-owned Lamborghini and the legendary Red Bull RB6. Smart was designed as a two seater city car, and the cute exterior was primarily manufactured to attract female and youngster who prefer less consumption and tight interior. The second is an exotic pre-owned Lamborghini. Look at the way it opened its doors and the matt pink body! It would attract everyone's attention before the driver steps out. Both impressive designs with high artistic value are designated to attract the potential owners. The auto makers have already predicted the preference and personality of its future owner. Lastly, the formula one racing car was all designed for better performance and almost no artistic consideration at all. Therefore, one can see how different are designs of various kinds of cars!

This annual celebration of auto lovers is now in LA! If you love cars or are interested in technology, you should definitely take a look! 

Work Cited

"About Us | LA Auto Show." LA Auto Show RSS. 2013 LA AUTO SHOW, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://laautoshow.com/about-us/>.

"Audi." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi>.
"Exterior Design." Audi Design: Car Designs. Audi of America, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.audiusa.com/innovation/design/exterior-design>.
"Red Bull RB6." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 July 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_RB6>.
"Smart Fortwo." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Fortwo>.

Week8 Assignment: NanoScience&Art

This week's topic is nanoscience and art. Since our professor has been working on it for over ten years, we had a very detailed, comprehensive lecture about this subject. We started with the scaling of nanoscience, which is measured by nanometer(10^-9 meter). Like we learned in physics class, when an object reduce to the size of nanometer, the Newtonian laws are no longer effective; instead, scientists find quantum mechanism apply to that scale. Inspired by Richard Feynman, precedents in this promising subject found the deterministic feature of quantum objects, which explored the large potential for scientists later to work on. In the lecture, professor Gimzewski gave a very specific introduction of nanotechnology in many aspects, such as the allotropes of Carbon, the Scanning Tunnel Microscope invented by Gerd Binning and  Heinrich Rohrer, and the application of this method that changes the physical property of a molecule in nanoscale level. However, since our focus should be on the interaction with art, I'd like not to discuss too much about it.
I realized human beings have been using nano-particles for a very long time. The Lycurgus Cup, probably made in Rome in 4th century AD, exhibited different colors under different conditions. Known as dichroic, the glass contains nano-sized gold and silver that display red and green when light passes from different direction, respectively.

The Lycurgus Cup

Another amazing feature of nano-particles is the self-organization and self-assembly. As we acquired the technology to manipulate nano-particles and concluded the quantum laws of it. Several objects Belousov Zhabotinsky reaction. It is an classical example of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, and displays perfect harmony of motion and stability. Resulting in the Oscillating Chemical reactions, the particles are reacting with each other back and forth in a very long time, therefore creates such effect.

Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction

The Marangoni effect is another example, which is less complex but display similar feature. Due to the surface tension gradient, two fluids are transferring up and down, which creates the visual effect of "tears" of wine in the case of alcohol and water. Besides, I found a very interesting experiment using Marangoni effect that creates a soap propelled boat.

The Marangoni Effect: How to make a soap propelled boat!

Work Cited

"Belousov–Zhabotinsky Reaction." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belousov–Zhabotinsky_reaction>.

Gates, Sara. "Lycurgus Cup." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/27/lycurgus-cup-ancient-romans-nanotechnology_n_3818512.html>.

"Marangoni Effect." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marangoni_effect>.

"The Scanning Tunneling Microscope." The Scanning Tunneling Microscope. Nobel Media AB 2013, 1986. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/physics/microscopes/scanning/>.

Zhabotinsky, Anatol M. "Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction." Scholarpedia. Scholarpedia, 11 Sept. 2007. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Belousov-Zhabotinsky_reaction>.

Week7 Assignment: NeuroScience&Art

This week's topic is about neuroscience. In the lecture video, professor introduced how human recognition of brain and mind evolves overtime. From Aristotle's perspective that "seat of human thought and emotion was the heart. Brain cools blood and prevent heart and lung from becoming overheated" to Franz Joseph Gall's practice of phrenology and effort to localize the mental functions of brain, it takes almost two thousand years for human beings to treat neuroscience as an individual subject. Later, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the Spanish neuroscientist, who investigated the structure of nervous system, drew map of the delicate brain cells and was considered the father of neuroscience. 

Neurons by Santiago Ramón y Cajal

Throughout the all lecture videos for this week, the Brainbow process is the most surprising part to me. I have been used to the pictures and models in textbooks and laboratories about neurons, which is monochromatic and connected by lines. However, the Brainbow distinguished nearby neurons using fluorescent proteins. The colorful pictures of neurons taken under this process are both beautiful in artistic perspective and effective for scientific researches. I also found some pictures online--not only the human neurons, but also mice!

By Tamily Weissman, Jean Livet, and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University

By Alain Chédotal and Linda J. Richards

In the second part, professor asked about dreams, which is still mysterious to scientists, but we have been trying to understand it by studying our mind. Sigmund Freud divided mind into conscious and unconscious and then further separates into id (instincts or drive) and superego (conscience). There are many controversy between him and Carl Gustav Jung, who divided unconscious into personal and collective and treat religion in a positive light while Freud didn't believe so. 

Although we still know little about dream in laboratory, there are many great movies in the cinemas. Mulholland Drive, an American surrealist neo-noir film, categorized as psychological thriller, written and directed by David Lynch, mixed reality and dreams to the awake audiences. 

In 2010, Christopher Nolan also made a science fiction movie inception, introducing the idea of "dream stealers."

Mulholland Drive Trailer

Inception Traler

Work Cited

"Brainbow." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 May 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainbow>.

"Santiago Ramón y Cajal - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 17 Nov 2013. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1906/cajal-bio.html>

Straub, Julian. "Notes: Advice for a Young Investigator by Santiago Ramón Y Cajal." Julian Straub. Julian Straub.de, 21 July 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.jstraub.de/notes-advice-for-a-young-investigator-by-santiago-ramon-y-cajal/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience-pt1.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.

Weissman, Tamily. "Cell - Cell_picture_show-All-Stars." Cell Press. Elsevier Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cell.com/cell_picture_show-All-Stars>.

Week6 Assignment: Biotech and Art

This week's topic is the most controversial one so far. Biotechnology, a powerful and mysterious science from the perspective of public, is facing severe limits and doubts nowadays. As a pioneer in exploring new and exciting area, artist has first stepped in it and exhibited to the public in their own ways. 
Kathy High, the Associate Professor of Department of Arts of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is one of them. Like many other artists, she makes rat as her friend. Technologically, this small animal is close relative to humans in tree of revolution; morally and historically, its nocturnal habits and notorous name as a pest makes it easier for human beings to accept the "scary" experiment on it. Kathy inserted foreign DNA into regular rats. Therefore, some non-rat features have been displayed on its offsprings, which is called the transgenic rats. 

The choice of gene are chosen by human, depending on the goal of the experiment.  For example, In the picture above, rats could release many eggs, which would never happen on wild rats. Some others chose to give them fluorescent gene--Green fluorescent protein DNA, then the baby rats would become green under ultraviolet light, this was done by researchers in University of Pennsylvania. 

Photograph courtesy University of Pennsylvania

Artists are not satisfied with applying this amazing science only to small animals like rats. The famous Harlequin Coat by French artist Orlan, composed by various skin from different color, age and sex, develops the idea of crossbreeding and hybridization. Afterwards, a questions rise to the public: can skins of different color be cultivated?

There are a lot more artworks combining biotechnology and art, like "the third eye" by Stelios Arcadiou. Seriously, I can't look at the picture for too long because such implanted "artwork" makes me sick. However, I'm not in the opposite position of their rights of doing so. Some critics blame this method are driving against the natural law. But I would argue that, as long as the nature makes it possible to do so, there is nothing "unnatural" of it. The biotechnology should definitely being controlled and tested carefully because of the unpredictable nature of the experiment. I would expect inspiring advances and amazing artworks to be created in the future, but I sincerely hope we treat it fairly and carefully.

Work Cited

Combs, Chris. "Glowing Animals: Beasts Shining for Science." Nationalgeographic.com. Nationalgeographic, 14 May 2009. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/photogalleries/glowing-animal-pictures/?rptregcta=reg_free_np&rptregcampaign=20131016_rw_membership_n1p_us_se_w#/rats-mice-glowing-animals_11838_600x450.jpg>.

High, Kathy. "Embracing Animal :: All About Transgenic Rats." Embracing Animal :: All About Transgenic Rats. Embracinganimal.com, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.embracinganimal.com/transrats.html>.

High, Kathy. "Kathy High: Visual/media Artist, Independent Curator, Educator." Kathy High: New Media Artist: Full Biography. Http://kathyhigh.com/, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://kathyhigh.com/longbio.html>.

Orlan. "Bio-art." ORLAN OFFICIAL WEBSITE SITE OFFICIEL DORLAN RSS. ORLAN Studio, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.orlan.eu/works/bio-art/>.

"Still, Living." Still, Living. SymbioticA, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.stillliving.symbiotica.uwa.edu.au/pages/artists/orlan.htm>.

Week4 Assignment: Medtech and Art

This week's topic is Medicine, technology and art. An essential interaction of art and medicine is the study of human bodies. And the body dissection is the starting point of everything involved. In ancient Rome and most other civilizations, dissection of human body is heavily forbidden because the tradition, religion reasons. Therefore, the progress of dissection is pretty slow at that time (Arthur). Finally at the late 13th century, increasing number of human body dissections started to show up. And artworks about this controversial study recorded this significant progress. 

Fascicolo di medicina

After improvement in the understanding of human body structure, the painting and sculpture of human started to flourish. Some famous artworks still maintain precious aesthetic value. Like the masterpiece David (1501-1504), which revolutionized previous impression people have about the Biblical hero. The significance of this sculpture is challenging the previous opinion of man with trapped soul but being rational, beautiful and heroic--worthy of happiness and capable of great achievement (Sandstead). 

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni

After acquiring necessary knowledge of body structure, people has the reasonable provision discovering ways to change it. During World War One, plastic surgery emerged as large number of wounded people need to be saved by cutting their body parts or repair their skins and muscle. Later as the war ended, this skill has been applied to art and commerce. A artistic example would be Skin trade by Martha Wilson and Larry List. The perception of skin has shifted from "universal solitary confinement" to "a marker of identity" to "a means of communication"(Colucci). Although I don't really appreciate the way these artists express themselves, it is a revolutionizing and impressive approach. 

Exhibition : from the 20th of June to the 20th of July 2013

SKIN TRADE

Reference

Aufderheide, Arthur C. The Scientific Study of Mummies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.

Colucci, Emily. "Filthy Dreams." Filthy Dreams. N.p., 30 June 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://filthydreams.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/transcend-the-skin-youre-in-at-p-p-o-w-s-skin-trade/>.
Ketham, Johannes De. Fascicolo Di Medicina. 1493. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Dissection. Venice: Johannes and Gregorius De Gregoriis, 1493. N. pag. Print.
Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Michelangelo Di. David. 1504. Galleria Dell'Accademia, Florence.
Sandstead, Lee. "The Meaning of Michelangelo's "David"" The Meaning of Michelangelo's "David" Sandstead.com, 5 Sept. 2004. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.sandstead.com/essays/david.html>.
Wilson, Martha, and Larry List. Skin Trade. 2013. P.P.O.W, New York CIty. Orlan. Orlan.net, 8 July 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.orlan.eu/>.

Week3 Assignment: Robotics and Art

The topic of this week is robot, but not only robots nowadays or in the future, professor traced the history of robotic history. One popular point of view by Walter Benjamin towards machine and robotics is that Mechanical reproduction destroy uniqueness, culture and even tradition: it eliminates the aura of original artwork, written in his famous paper The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (Ch2). Now I realized human has been long imagining the interaction with machine with both curiosity and scare (Part3). However, I don't think development of robotics and machine would damage our culture and art, but generating new ground for art and imagination. People are now creating human-like robots, or the "friendly-looking" robots as described by Japanese professor Machiko Kusahara, since in this way, people won't get scared and may the robotics be part of human life.

One influential application of these kinds of robots is Japanese Animation. While animation gives enough freedom for artists, the success reflects the promising expectations that we have about robotics. I would give one example here--Doraemon. Doraemon is a robotic cat that comes from the 22nd century. He comes to 20th century and stays with Nobi Family. Doraemon always help the Nobis with the devices from 22nd century(IMDb). They made great friends with each other. In the animation, the robotics can sleep, eat, think and have emotions that a human possesses but have incredible devices, cute appearance and machine-like problems.

Doraemen Poster

Human-like appearance and emotions

Doraemen Theme Song

Reference

Benjamin, Walter. "Two." The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Trans. Andy Blunden. N.p.: Zeitschrift Für Sozialforschung, 1936. N. pag. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Feb. 2005. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm>.

"Doraemon." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069576/>.

Doraemon Theme Song. Prod. Kan Sawada. Perf. Kazuyo Aoki. Shin Ei Animation, 1979. YouTube. YouTube, 17 Apr. 2008. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l-r7_f0CVs>.

Kusahara, Machiko. "Robotics Machiko Kusahara." Interview. YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZ_sy-mdEU>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt3." Lecture. YouTube. YouTube, 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkP7oSZVkbg>.

Week2 Assignment: Math and Art

As a junior student majoring in Math/Econ, I was very glad to see the topic of this week! Mathematics eventually gained an approach to stay closer to the real world! It has been a long time that people consider Mathematics and people who study it as arcane and sophisticated while the art department, which is located in the far north of the campus, is usually none-related to math. As several points presented in Professor's lecture, I found the perspective to be the most direct interaction between math and art. Mathematician is not creating features but discovering facts. While we compare the paintings before and after Renaissance, we would see the clear difference in displaying objects since painters don't have the knowledge of projecting 3D object into 2D canvas (Aliar). Besides, the content starts to contain ordinary people instead of religious images. Therefore, the application of perspective in artwork shifted the paradigm of human aesthetic vision.

Madonna and Child (c.1300)

Young Woman With Unicorn. 1506

Besides the application of perspective, there are a lot more links between art and math, like the golden ratio, dimension. Even the technology of computer is heavily based on mathematical calculation, which is prevalently used in modern artwork.

Furthermore, there is a point of view stayed in my mind that mathematical formulas itself are artworks, some of them are even masterpiece! One famous example is Euler's Formula:



It was discovered in 1748 by Leonard Euler (1707 - 1783). No one could tell how it was created, maybe only god can interpret it. an equation connecting the fundamental numbers i, pi, e, 1, and 0 (zero), the fundamental operations +,* , and exponentiation, the most important relation =, and nothing else (Weisstein). I don't know what non-math major student see from this formula, but it gives me the same enjoyment of beauty and impression those amazing painting and sculpture has given me. It is a perfect union of the simple numbers, just like the great mountain combined every elements in the nature world.

I don't separate art and math as individual subject, but a different focus in discovering the world. Everything that inspires me and brings me the enjoyment of beauty would be considered an artwork to me, including the formulas and numbers that do so.

Reference

Aliar. "19 | November | 2012 | Alia's Site." Alias Site. IICS, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.           <http://aliar.iics-k12.com/2012/11/19/>.
Buoninsegna, Duccio Di. Madonna and Child. 1300. Greatest paintings of the Medieval era.             The Stroganoff Madonna New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York CIty.
"Duccio Di Buoninsegna (c.1255-1319)." Duccio Di Buoninsegna: Sienese Painter, Maesta                Altarpiece. Visual-arts-cork.com, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. <http://www.visual-arts-                    cork.com/old-masters/duccio-buoninsegna.htm>.
Da Urbino, Raphael. Young Woman With Unicorn. 1506. Oil Paint. 65 cm × 61 cm. Galleria            Borghese.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Woman_with_Unicorn. 12, 10, 2013.
Weisstein, Eric W. "Euler Formula." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource.                         http://mathworld.wolfram.com/EulerFormula.html

Week1 Assignment: Two Cultures

    I would agree with professor Snow's point that people had gone too far in pursuing differentiated achievement in art and science and causing misunderstanding between these two group of people, which he described as "a sheer loss to us all"(Snow 12). In Sir Ken Robinson's video about changing education paradigms, art is described as victims, and contemporary education system is modeled on the interest of industrialization (RSA Animate).

    However, the idea of third culture gets most of my enthusiasm, called the "nerd culture" by Kevin Kelly in his article "The Third Culture", that "nerd"starts to generate culture and impact. It reflects spirit of both science and art. I would consider it as a negating example of Snow's point because it shows the barrier between science and art is nonexistent. The third culture abandoned restricted approach of classical scientists and reject the abstract and irrelevant artwork. J. Brockman,a literary agent to many bright scientists, writes, “Unlike previous intellectual pursuits, the achievements of the third culture are not the marginal disputes of a quarrelsome mandarin class: They will affect the lives of everybody on the planet.”

    Moreover, these nerds are having great impact on the world. A famous example is the Internet we are using. Specifically, Facebook, the world's largest online social sites, is launched by Mark Zuckerberg using the efficient algorithm and advanced technology support. Now, 70% of U.S. population has a Facebook account with 1.1 billion active users (Facebook.Inc). Online social network has developed their own culture, which penetrates our lives to every aspects. Tesla, a booming automotive company, combines technology and art perfectly by making their electric cars. People start to realize that science is not that far from our lives, technology can also make pretty stuff.

Source from www.recinet.org

Nowadays, no many people can isolate from social media completely

Tesla Model S : 2013

www.autoweek.com by Jake Lingeman

Also, the artist starts to accept this third culture and mix it into their artwork.

Ring of Fire

chamber of mystery

    These two pictures above are the artwork by Mathieu Briand in Glow on Santa Monica Beach. Inside the chamber, it created varying psychological experience when we approach the screen. And the ring above the chamber represents the sun.

Reference

C. P. Snow, The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution(Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1959). 

Facebook Inc., Annual Report. Menlo Park: Facebook Inc., 2012. Dec. 31st, 2012. http://investor.fb.com/annuals.cfm

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. Science and Society, 13 Feb. 1998. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.

J. Brockman, The Third Culture (1996). Available at www.edge.org/3rd_culture/index.html.

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Adapt. Abi Stevenson. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube. YouTube, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.