Week 4 - Medtech + Art

Work by Virgil Wong

As discussed in lecture, the advance of medical technology in recent years has allowed for the progression of art in many different ways. The most immediate transformation has been the ability for artists to now accurately depict the inside of the body, as well as how it functions. This can be seen from artists such as Virgil Wong as he incorporates the internal body in his works.

This newfound influence of medical technology on art has also fostered itself in many other ways. The other day in my Theory of Mind class, we watched a video of a machine capable of transmitting brain signals and making a video out of them. Though the video was rather blurry and only able to make out rough shapes and human faces, I found it fascinating nonetheless. As our medtech continues to grow, we may eventually be able to create physical art just by thinking.

Movie Made from brain activity

EnableTalk Glove

Medtech has also had a profound effect on the art of sign language. Individuals that are unable to speak are now able to purchase a glove that uses an accelerometer to track hand and finger movements and transmit those into speech. They are calling it EnableTalk and all it requires is the glove and a smartphone. This advancement will allow those incapable of speech to communicate with anyone and everyone they should meet without the need for a translator.

Orlan

Though there are many benefits between medical technology and art, I also believe that there are many negatives. One of which is the widespread use of plastic surgery. While it does have its uses for things such as burns or injuries, I am talking about the use of plastic surgery for self beautification. An example of this is Orlan who underwent numerous surgeries in pursuit of a better image. I do not believe this is art, simply because it is solely for personal gain. Art should be for the contentedness of oneself and the appreciation of others. It should not be used to gain status through aesthetic appearance, but to share a small portion of your own mind with the world.

 

Sources and Links:

http://www.azquotes.com/public/pictures/authors/80/d6/80d693d74558b11fee71b6642e6e9dfb/55bc539db6887_orlan.jpg

http://blog.soliant.com/wpcontent/uploads/medical_imaging_turns_into_art_medical_avatar_virgil_wong_so.jpg

http://enabletalk.com/images/prototype_schema.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsjDnYxJ0bo

Works Cited:

BBC. "All in the Mind - BBC Brain Story." Dailymotion. BBC, 2000. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

Quick, Darren. "Sign Language-to-speech Translating Gloves Take out Microsoft Imagine Cup 2012." Gizmag. GIZMAG, 10 July 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/Ep0M2bOM9Tk.” Lecture. Medicine pt1 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/psjnQarHOqQ.” Lecture. Medicine pt2 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.

Wong, Virgil. “Art Exhibited in Galleries and Museums around the World.” Art. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://virgilwong.com/art/>.

Week 3 - Robotics + Art

Mrs. Jetson talking to Mr. Jetson

As a kid, I remember sitting on the couch watching The Jetson's, one of my parents favorite TV shows. For those that don't know, The Jetson's was set far in the future, with flying cars, robotic servants, and means of communication unparalleled by modern standards...or so that is what my parents and I thought. Communicating through a screen seemed but a faint idea not imaginable at the time, yet here we are today. This feat is now easily accomplished with the touch of a                                                                                                       couple buttons.

Real life Cyborg

This concept is exactly what professor Vesna points out in her lecture on Robotics + Art. The influence of robotics on art is obvious (e.g. editing software), but it is the converse influence that I find most interesting. I believe art has the power to embody abstract ideas and make them concrete. This can be seen in shows such as Star Trek that bring to life the idea of a cyborg. This is now used today as humans are equipped with                                                                                                   mechanical limbs in order to return                                                                                                     bodily function.


With the development of the tech industry comes critique. In Walter Benjamin's, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," he points out how the mass production of art allowed by robots takes away from the creativity of a piece.

Western Culture View on Robots

Rodney Brooks explores this further in his TED Talk discussing the various impacts robots have had and how they will invade our lives. Representative of western culture, the use of "invade" carries a negative connotation for robots. Guest speaker, Machiko Kusahara, addresses this while also explaining how eastern culture (specifically Japan) takes the opposite view, welcoming robots into personal daily lives.


Overall, I believe the positives of robots far outweighs the negatives. Exemplifying the harmonious culmination of the two is the project "Murmuration," from UCLA's very own professor Jennifer Steinkamp. Her art piece combines technology and art and is designed to put individuals at ease as they enter the court house in Long Beach.

Jennifer Steinkamp's "Murmuration"

Sources and Links:

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/sites/18/images/article_images_month/2013-01/i%20robot%203d%2002.jpg

http://static1.therichestimages.com/cdn/568/299/90/c/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Untitled4.png

http://weloveit.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/jane-jetson.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UTkvGmOU8M

Works Cited:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. 16 Apr. 2016. Print.

Brooks, Rodney. "Robots Will Invade Our Lives." Rodney Brooks. TED, Feb. 2003. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Fricano, Mike. "She Breaks through Boundaries of Art to Create High-tech Visual Poetry." UCLA Newsroom. UCLA, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Uconlineprogram. “Robotics MachikoKusahara 1.” YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Lecture Part 2." Math + Art. 16 Apr. 2016. Lecture.

Week 2 - Math + Art

School of Athens by Raphael

Historically seeing math and art as two distinct subjects, it was not until taking an art history class my senior year of high school that I began to see the intersection of the two. As addressed in Professor Vesna's lecture on art and math and one of the sources provided, one of the first entanglements I noticed of the two was the use of a vanishing point in art, or more specifically, the art piece School of Athens. Having always viewed art as something abstract, this was the first I had seen of structure applied to art, let alone the use of parallel lines and convergence (terms I had previously only associated with mathematics).

Example of the Golden Ratio in products

The video, "Fibonacci Sequence, Fractals and 

Financial Markets," discusses further how art and mathematics relate to one another. The Fibonacci Sequence is closely related to the Golden Ratio, a proportion that describes the what is most aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. This application of math to art allows for the most optimal image to be created and is used today in many applications such as branding and advertisements.

Golden Ratio Explained

Theoretical Cube in Other Dimensions

The book Flatland discusses the concept of a 2D world where its' inhabitants are incapable of imagining the world in a higher dimension. This same idea could apply to us, living in a 3-dimensional world, not able to comprehend fourth dimension. However, some artists attempt to conjure up what this world would be like through the applications of math in their work. Though the two have their differences, maybe a culmination of math and art is in fact the key to imagining a fourth dimension.

Sources and Links:

http://i.stack.imgur.com/brSJv.png

http://www.webexhibits.org/sciartperspective/i/raphael5_medium.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaBD6Z6TOU

http://s3.media.squarespace.com/production/481327/5520108/_-eZ7FrlsPdc/SYXgMgSjCLI/AAAAAAAAA1A/XptOhTc-V3M/s320/dimensions.png

Works Cited:

Abbott, Edwin. “Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.” N.p., n.d. Web. 9 April. 2016. <https://cole.uconline.edu/content>.

Meisner, Gary. "Product Design and Logo Design Using the Golden Ratio."The Golden Ratio Phi 1618. N.p., 06 May 2014. Web. 09 April 2016.

Socioeconomics Institute. “Fibonacci Sequence, Fractals and Financial Markets.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 31 May 2007. Web. 9 April 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 9 April 2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>

Week 1 - Two Cultures

The concept of “Two Cultures” concerns itself chiefly with the disparity between the various forms of academia. The sciences are seen as technically demanding with a single right answer, while the arts are viewed as erring on the creative side with a multitude of solutions. C.P. Snow discusses this in his lecture, explaining how academic interests lead to polarization within an individual's field of study. This, however, is not the only source of the “Two Cultures” seen today.

North Campus UCLA

UCLA serves as an excellent modern representation of this disparity. North Campus tends to follow as being the “artsy,” atmospheric portion of UCLA, whereas South Campus is considered the much more dreary, science oriented part. While this grouping saves long walks between classes, it has a profound effect upon widening the gap between humanities and art majors with science majors.

ZBT UCLA

The division of cultures defeats any room for a grey area. Polarization of choices leads to assumed polarization of personalities. As a member of a fraternity here at UCLA, I am immediately labelled subjectively, whether good, bad, or neutral. I believe that it does not need to be this way.

Cultures Coming Together

It is part of human psychology to form these groupings and it is something that is done automatically. But, by being aware of this innate mental function, I believe it is possible to overcome “black and white” labels, and create a new “third culture.” A culture that blurs the lines of society and allows for innovative solutions that come from all groupings of academia. One that brings together people from all ends of society to find answers to all areas of society.

Citations:

Alter, Adam. "Why It's Dangerous to Label People." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLP, 17 May 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.

Changing Education Paradigms. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube. Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. <http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U>.

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

The Pull of Two Cultures. Digital image. Mochimag.com. Mochi Magazine, 1 Nov. 2009. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

UCLA Sculpture Garden. Digital image. Ucla.edu. N.p., 1 Nov. 2009. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web.