Student Art Exhibits 

Walking around the art exhibit was really interesting, and knowing that fellow UCLA students created them was awesome and inspiring as well. I did not understand some, but one that caught my eye was titled, "The Melting Pot" by Lydia Gu. Initially walking by I did not understand the artwork, or that all the different photographs were related. Once I read the description on the side however, it all clicked. 

It begins with beautifully colored foods from around the world that represent how diverse America is with so many different races and cultures. 

It later turns to a uniform color of food and similar shapes. Once reading the description I understood the piece, She wrote that she was influenced by the recent Presidential election that the United States is having and she was inspired by candidate Donald Trump's immigration policies. She accurately portrays the future that America is facing if Donald Trump is elected. It's such a diverse country with people from so many different backgrounds, and Trump is attempting to change that. He wants to kick out immigrants and have a uniform society. 

I really like how she captured all these underlying themes in such a simple manner. At first glance you have no idea what it means, and without knowing her inspiration it can mean anything to anyone. That's something that I really like about art, it can mean something completely different to different people. However, for the artist, there is a distinct purpose to why she created it and what it means to her. If I did not have access to her inspiration and was forced to think critically about what the art meant to me, I would never have guessed the actual inspiration. 

I spoke with Lydia and she told me she was trying to do a much more subtle approach to her piece compared to most of the other pieces in the exhibit. It was cool checking out all the different works of art that fellow students were able to produce and awesome getting to talk to Lydia about her work. 

Space + Art

Space + Art 

In my opinion, space will always have a strong relationship with art because there are so many unknowns to it. Throughout this quarter I have learned that artists have been inspired by the unknown and like to put their own spin, or interpretation on it by producing their unique pieces. Therefore, as our technology improves and we learn more about space, space inspired art will continue to grow with it. Space has also influenced other fields of art, especially in pop culture throughout various television shows and movies, and as we learn more about space, these products will just increase in accuracy of their depiction of space. 

It is astounding to me the progress that space exploration has made throughout history. Early astronomers and physicists had early theories based on educated guesses, they didn't have the same technology that we have today, and somehow weren't too far off from some of the truths that space has to offer. 

One instance where outer space is portrayed in the movies is in "The Martian" 

Works Cited

"The Artistic Space-Time Continuum | Arts | The Harvard Crimson." The Artistic Space-Time Continuum | Arts | The Harvard Crimson. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2016. <http://www.thecrimson.com/column/artistic-matchmaker/article/2015/3/4/artist-matchmaker-artistic-spacetime-continuum/>.

"Latest All Articles About The Martian." Deadline. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2016. <http://deadline.com/tag/the-martian/>.

"World Photography Day: Outer Space Phenomena That Look like Modern Art | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis." Dna. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 May 2016. <http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-world-photography-day-outer-space-phenomena-that-look-like-modern-art-1874199>.

Nanotech + Art 

Nanotechnology is something that I had never heard about before reviewing this week's materials. It's crazy to think the enormous impact that this technology could have on our society and the implications it holds for the future. It is something that takes place at such a small scale, more specifically, a nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers.  Long before nanotechnology was coined, physicist Richard Feynman gave a talk about, "a process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules" (Nano.gov, 2016). 

Since everything is made up of atoms, and this nanotechnology gives scientists the ability to manipulate everything at such a minute scale, there are endless possibilities. It carries huge implications for progressing environmental sustainability efforts, as well as improving human healthcare, but the negatives of these progressions are still widely unknown. What may be good for the environment, might end up being terrible for human health. 

Nanotechnology is also used as a medium for art. This new technology has inspired many abstract artists to delve into what the atoms look like at this tiny scale. Since they are only capable of being seen through scanning electron microscopes, which are very hard to come by, there are very few actual images out there of what they look like. Allowing artists interpretation's and imaginations to dictate what the art form of this looks like. For example, Christian Orfescu, a scientist by day and artist by night stated that his work, "Loses the basic scientific information in the end. But with more than 70 percent of the people in the U.S. using products incorporating nanotechnology, I want people to know about it and I hope my art stirs their curiosity to find out more" (Feder, 2008).

Works Cited

Feder, Barnaby J. "The Art of Nanotech." Bits The Art of Nanotech Comments. The New York Times, 25 Jan. 2008. Web. 20 May 2016. <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/the-art-of-nanotech/>.

Goldman, Lynn. "Implications of Nanotechnology." Summary. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2005. Web. 20 May 2016. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21027/>.

Lilley, Maiken. "The Art of Nanotech." PBS. PBS, 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 May 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/art-nanotech.html>.

Lovgran, Stefan. "Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?" National Geographic News. National Geographic, 23 Dec. 2003. Web. 20 May 2016. <http%3A%2F%2Fnews.nationalgeographic.com%2Fnews%2F2003%2F12%2F1223_031223_nanotechnology.html>.

"Nanotechnology and Art." Nano Bugle. N.p., 22 Oct. 2008. Web. 20 May 2016. <https://nanobugle.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/nanotechnology-and-art/>.

"Nanotechnology, Conceptual Artwork by Laguna Design." Fine Art America. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2016. <http://fineartamerica.com/featured/nanotechnology-conceptual-artwork-laguna-design.html>.

Orfescu, Chris. "NanoArt: Nanotechnology and Art." : Media and Communication IS&T Book Chapter. IGI Global, n.d. Web. 20 May 2016. <http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/nanoart-nanotechnology-art/65026>.

"What Is Nanotechnology?" Nano.gov. Nano.gov, n.d. Web. 20 May 2016. <http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition>.

Event DMA Lecture: Toni Dove

I attended an arts and science lecture put on by Toni Dove a few weeks ago and in it she really opened my eyes to all the different forms that art can take. Coinciding with the course theme of science and art, as well as the theme of the week, robotics and art, it really emphasized the role that technology has in progressing art forward. Technology can open so many doors for art and she is on the cutting edge of bridging that gap and producing forward thinking art. 

She is involved in a wide breadth of art projects, however during her lecture she focused on the robotic pieces and how they are triggered and trained to move. I thought that most of her work had a dark and ominous theme to it, which I think is what she was trying to go for. I found it insane the kind of technology she had developed in one of her pieces, "The Dress that Eats Souls." This dress is fourteen feet long and is supposed to mirror the movements of a person standing in front of it and essentially can think and move for itself.

Here is the picture of Toni and I after her lecture. Her lecture really demonstrated that art can come in all shapes and sizes, and what might be appealing art to some may not be to others. Art can mean something completely different things to different people and I have a lot of respect and admiration for Toni for being in such a niche area of the art community but making it work for her career for such a long time. 

Black Mountain College Exhibit

This past Sunday I visited the Leap before you look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957 Exhibit at the Hammer museum with  a classmate, Tori Smith. Having never heard of the college previously, I found it very interesting how its ideals line up with the themes that we have been discussing in class. The college was founded with intentions of being an experimental liberal arts school that challenged what art was and opened new doors to experimental forms of art.

It was really interesting reading about the history of the school and how around the time it was functioning that resources were limited as a result of the great depression and wartime cutbacks. This caused the artists and staff to often fundraise through parties or work in their free time in order to keep the school afloat. This also unintentionally contributed to the creativity of the art produced there, resources were limited, so students had to come up with unconventional methods of producing their artwork, particularly in sculptures, or one student using wine corks and bobby pins to make jewelry. 

One specific style of art that relates well to this class and was discussed at the exhibit was the combination of art and math. One of the Professors, R. Buckminster Fuller attempted to make a geodesic dome that uses overlapping circles to keep the dome upright and stable. This was an  incredibly experimental method of constructing a dome at the time, but this was the kind of methodology that was taught and used at the school to influence future generations and demonstrate the various possibilities art has. 

Neuroscience + Art

I found this week's topic to be very interesting because there are so many unknowns with neuroscience because everybody's minds are different. The opening questions that the professor asked in the first lecture really caught my attention, especially the question "are we slaves to machines" I think that this is definitely true, our minds have become so used to technology and the ease of it so we don't even think that much. I subconsciously check my phone all the time, not because I want to, its just instinct at this point. 

Freud explains that the unconscious mind is the "primary source of human behavior. Like an iceberg, the most important part of the mind is the part you cannot see" (Freud, 1915). It's crazy that there is still so little known about the unconscious mind.

Freud and Albert Hoffman using drugs to experiment with neuroscience and psychology is insane to me. It's even more insane that studies have shown that taking the drug can cause someone to break out of an addiction such as alcoholism. In an article by Ian Chant, he describes the positive effects of LSD when he says it "Could act as a kind of chemical catalyst for the moment of clarity cited by many addicts as a turning point in their treatment" (Chant, 2012). 

I also thought it was really interesting seeing the images in the lecture while the professor was explaining his first acid trip, and how artists have chosen to portray what taking acid looks like. 

Works Cited

Banks, Michele. "#SfN14: Art of Neuroscience, with Michele Banks." Neurorexia. Neurorexia, 15 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.neurorexia.com/2014/11/15/sfn14-art-of-neuroscience-with-michele-banks/>.

Brown, David J. "Albert Hofmann." Albert Hofmann. Mavericks of the Mind, n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.mavericksofthemind.com/hoffman.htm>.

Chant, Ian. "LSD May Cure Some Addicts." Scientific American. N.p., 1 July 2012. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lsd-may-cure-some-addicts/>.

McLeod, Saul. "Unconscious Mind." Unconscious Mind. Simple Psychology, n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html>.

Smith, Craig S. "Albert Hoffman, the Father of LSD Dies at 102." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 May 2016. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2008%2F04%2F30%2Fworld%2Feurope%2F30hofmann.html%3F_r%3D0>.

Szalavitz, Maia, and Maia Szalavitz. "LSD May Help Treat Alcoholism | TIME.com." Time. Time, 09 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/09/lsd-may-help-treat-alcoholism/>.

"Unconscious Mind." Unconscious Mind. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html>.

Biotech + Art

This week's topic really interested me because of the controversial topics that it embodies. Topics such as genetically modified organisms in your food, testing on animals, and creating hybrid species for different plants. I never really recognized this as a part of art, but after hearing the lecture and reading the articles I realized it is. I agree with some aspects of this science/art combination but disagree with others. 

I find Joe Davis' quote very interesting "I like to take the least connected things and try to build connections between them" I like that unique outlook on art and how to create new things, however, in certain aspects there is no practicality to it. For example he went on to test how e. coli reacts when jazz or other sounds are played and examines how to produce sound-waves stressful to bacteria. 

I strongly disagree with the use of GMO's in your food. I understand the applicability in the ability to feed a large majority of the population, but this creates inequalities throughout the world and forces those in poorer countries to rely on countries capable of creating GMO's to supply them with food. However, the negatives greatly outweigh the positives. 

Contrary to this, I really like George Gessert's unique way of creating hybrids of Irises planned modification. I'm alright with this opposed to GMO's because it is not harming humans by consuming it, it is simply for aesthetics, and it is a great example of how artists work with nature while using technology.

Works Cited

"Agricultural Biotechnology | USDA." Agricultural Biotechnology | USDA. USDA, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 08 May 2016. <http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=BIOTECH>.

"Examine: The Hybridization of Irises by George Gessert." Digital Studio Project Development. N.p., 05 Sept. 2012. Web. 08 May 2016. <https://kingkati.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/examining-the-hybridization-of-irises-by-george-gessert/>.

Gibbs, W. Wayt. "Art as a Form of Life." Scientific American. Scientific American, n.d. Web. 8 May 2016. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatesofparadise.com%2Fjoe_davis.htm>.

Miranda, Carolina A. "Weird Science: Biotechnology as an Art Form." Art News. Art News, 3 Mar. 2013. Web. 8 May 2016. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.artnews.com%2F2013%2F03%2F18%2Fbiotechnology-as-art-form%2F>.

"The Truth About GMOs: Are They Safe?" Futurism The Truth About GMOs Are They Safe Comments. Futurism, 16 Aug. 2014. Web. 08 May 2016. <http://futurism.com/the-truth-about-gmos-are-they-safe/>.