Event 5: Coyotes in Two Directions

Previous to attending the LASER that day, I took a stop at the Coyotes in Two Directions exhibition presented by Sarah Rosalena Brady. At first glance, I was actually kind of confused as to what I was seeing at the exhibit. However, I did recognize one of the art pieces at a previous event I attended (Weak or No Signal: MFA Design Media Arts Thesis Show). 

I was explained about this artwork, which is displayed below, by artist Sarah Brady herself at the exhibition and with a more thorough explanation at the LASER event which I went to right after visiting this exhibit. Essentially, I first described this artwork as what appeared to be half of a unit circle, connecting it to the math, specifically geometry, and art unit we had towards the beginning of the year. However, after hearing the explanation about what exactly it represented, I was thoroughly impressed and intrigued by the meaning behind this piece of work. The piece of artwork displayed six eagles’ talons, which would be spread out evenly at one point and then switch to a different position. This change in position was because of what was described as a “defense mechanism” in terms of the eagle metaphor (Brady). Her goal to make technohybrid forms in her artwork brings back memories of many units in our class where we examined how technology and art come together. Similarly, Brady incorporates technology in order to display the behaviors of eagles, which include guarding, shielding, and even thinking on its own (Brady). 

(The first time I saw this art piece at the Thesis Show held at Broad Art Center)

(The second time I saw the art piece, except at the Coyotes in Two Directions exhibition)

Another interesting piece of artwork artist Sarah Brady set up in her exhibit was the two metal rods with coyote feet on both sides of the rod. The coyote feet on the top and bottom of the rod signify exactly what her exhibition’s name is: Coyote in Two Directions. Furthermore, coyotes are actually thought of as one of the most successful animals to survive the Anthropocece and in fact have a deeply symbolic and mythological presence in this piece of art. The two coyote feet essentially represent the way coyotes roam around in these “two directions," towards the heavens and below. The coyote feet in this display were actually 3D printed, which once again depicts how technology plays a big role in art, especially in this time and age (Redwood). 

(A selfie with an art piece with two coyote paws)

The last part of the exhibit I was able to take a look at was the large rattlesnake tail that was propped up against the wall. To be completely honest, I had no idea it was a rattlesnake tail and instead thought it kind of looked like a QTip. However, after listening to artist Sarah Brady’s short explanation of this piece of artwork, it became clear the purpose of the rattlesnake metaphor. The inclusion of technology, as she had to utilize 3D printing to create the rattlesnake tail section of the artwork, yet again highlights the importance and relevance of digital technologies and computations to “refigure objects under colonization.” On top of the 3D scanned rattlesnake tail, it was also made out of wood and aluminum, which was used because it was such a frequently used metal in our common technology (Sanders). Prior to this class and even this event, it’s hard to imagine how technology would directly relate to art, but through what seems like a very simple piece of artwork, it is clear the connection between technology and art. 

 (Another art piece by Sarah Rosalena Brady displaying a 3D printed rattlesnake tail)

Overall, this was a very interesting exhibition and I would recommend for anyone looking to see how technology and art come together to form a distinct artform. 

References

Brady , Sarah Rosalena. “The Desert, The Animist, The Virus.” Sarah Rosalena Brady | Artist Website, www.srbrady.com/the-desert-the-animist-the-virus.

“COYOTES IN TWO DIRECTIONS.” COLLECTIVE BREAD DIARIES: A TASTE OF PROTEST | UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab, artsci.ucla.edu/node/1395.

“JUNE 7: LEONARDO ART SCIENCE EVENING RENDEZVOUS (LASER).” YouTube, CNSI at UCLA, 7 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1340.

Redwood , Ben. “The Advantages of 3D Printing.” 3D Hubs, 3D Hubs Blog, www.3dhubs.com/knowledge-base/advantages-3d-printing.

Sanders, Robert E. “Technology Innovation in Aluminum Products.” Raising the Hunley: Archaeology Meets Technology, www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0102/Sanders-0102.html.

Event 4: LEONARDO ART SCIENCE EVENING RENDEZVOUS (LASER)

For my fourth event, I visited the LASER: Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous, which featured Appelusa, Daniel Schuster, Daniel Krasofski, Daniel Small, and Sarah Brady. Going into the event, I didn't really know what to expect because I didn't really read up on it, but I just went because of Dr. Vesna's recommendation. Having sat in on this meeting, it is clear how each of the speakers' works and ideas connect with many of the concepts we have covered in this class. 

 (Daniel Krasofski speaking about the brainwaves that occur whilst smelling perfume)

Daniel Krasofski spoke about an interesting topic regarding scents/perfumes and how they affect human life. He has as rare condition known as Synesthesia, which was introduced by the first speakers Appelusa and Daniel Schuster. Synesthetes, who make up about three to five percent of the population, essentially will report that when stimulation in one sensory or cognitive pathway occurs it will lead to the activation of a secondary sensory or cognitive pathway. Specifically, in the case of Daniel Krasofski, every smell that he was able to catch would have an associated color with it, down to the very molecule of the smell. This reminded me of the nanotechnology unit we had a couple weeks back because although not much technology is involved, it's cool to see how even humans can sometimes perceive in the "nano" and that life actually does go down into that much detail. Furthermore, smell synesthetes are in fact better at odor recognition because of the visual experiences they have (Anderson, 2017). 

In addition, Krasofski proceeds to talk about an experiment done on individuals with anosmia, or the inability to smell. He essentially hooks them up to an electroencephalography (EEG) while having them smell different scents to see if their brain still triggers waves. To his surprise, the brain still recognizes the scents, although it can't translate it directly to a sensory experience. This connects directly to our neuroscience section and how the brain is actually a very intricate and complicated structure in our body that has so much to be learned about. I thought this was a very crazy and super interesting concept, as I've never heard of this condition before. However, upon listening to Krasofski's life and how he used this condition to become a perfumist, traveling the world to find different scents that will positively impact human lives, I found it eye-opening and enlightening. 

 (Artist Daniel Small explaining the aerogel material used in his work)

Artist Daniel Small brought up some interesting topics that directly connected with some themes from our class. First of all, he introduced an interesting material known as aerogel that he has worked with in some of his art pieces. What makes aerogel so interesting is that the material is made of the lightest solid materials known to man, while it is 99.8% made of empty space (Woods, 2015). In fact, this material is so durable and light that NASA has considered using it in possible space travel expeditions or even on Earth (Pline, 2007). It's really interesting to see how space and art really come together in a real life example like this. In what can be an artistic tool and avenue for someone like Daniel Small, aerogel also serves as space travel materials and technology for an association like NASA. 

(A selfie I took at the event after it was over)

Works Cited

Anderson, James. “People With Smell-Color Synesthesia Better At Odor Recognition.” ReliaWire, 22 Aug. 2017, reliawire.com/smell-color-synesthesia/.

Badhwar, Amanpreet & Jakobson, Estrid. “The Interplay between Neuroscience and Art.” Organization for Human Brain Mapping, 3 June 2017, www.ohbmbrainmappingblog.com/blog/the-interplay-between-neuroscience-and-art.

Duncan , Bruce. “Bina48 Social Robot with Lifenaut.com.” LifeNaut, www.lifenaut.com/bina48/.

"Nanotech Jim pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 May 2018.

"Nanotech Jim pt4." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 May 2018.

"Nanotech Jim pt6." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 May 2018.

Radboud University. "Better odor recognition in odour-color synesthesia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 August 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170821105523.htm>.

Pline, Alex. “Ideas That Gel.” NASA, NASA, 30 Oct. 2007, www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/aerogel.html.

Woods, Tori. “Aerogels: Thinner, Lighter, Stronger.” NASA, NASA, 15 Apr. 2015, www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/aerogels.html.

Week 9: Space & Art

Outer space has always been something that has caught my eye and was fascinating to me. However, I didn't really see how it could connect to art until this week's unit. According to the lectures by Professor Vesna, space and art are connected not only through the countless discoveries made by scientists, but also the pop culture in our society (Vesna, 2018). A prime example of the evidence of space in film would be Star Trek. Not only does this movie series inform the viewers of the expansiveness and mystery in space, but also has had a significant impact on space technology and exploration (Howell, 2016). 

(Movie cover for the famous movie series, Star Trek)

Another example of how space and art come together is a very specific example in an art project called Literary Constellations by digital artist Nick Rougeux. The concept behind this endeavor is to artistically depict the first sentences of classic books as constellations of stars (Oulton, 2018). Constellations are obviously a very space-intrinsic concepts, where even the natural formation of them in the sky look like an artform. Now, Rougeux takes this to another level, where he takes the idea of constellations, while utilizing the artform of literature, to create a piece of artwork that culminates all of these (Stinson, 2017). 

(An example of the artwork by Nick Rougeux)

Finally, this week's unit reminded me of my first event, where I visited the California Science Center and walked through the outer space section. One thing I realized is the art behind designing a spaceship that is capable of flying through space. The dimensions, shape, and overall appearance has to be efficient and economical, yet display an elegance about it, which we place in the hands of aerospace engineers (Littman, 2012). Overall, space and art have an apparent connection that is continuing to grow as we discover more about outer space. 

(The Endeavor Exhibit at the California Science Center)

Images Cited

Calzada, Ruby. “Endeavour Exhibit at California Science Center.” NASA, NASA, 4 June 2015, www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/multimedia/imagegallery/Shuttle/endeavour_preceremony.html.

Oulton, Emma. “This Artist Turns Stories Into Constellations.” Bustle, Bustle, 25 Apr. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/this-artist-turns-stories-into-constellations-the-results-are-magical-34108.

“Star Trek (TV Series 1966–1969).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0060028/.

References

Howell, Elizabeth. “Star Trek: History & Effect on Space Technology.” Space.com, Space.com, 2 Feb. 2016, www.space.com/31802-star-trek-space-tech.html.

Littman, Michael. “Art Form Function | School of Engineering and Applied Science.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, 12 Dec. 2012, engineering.princeton.edu/news/2012/12/11/art-form-function.

Oulton, Emma. “This Artist Turns Stories Into Constellations.” Bustle, Bustle, 25 Apr. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/this-artist-turns-stories-into-constellations-the-results-are-magical-34108.

Stinson, Elizabeth. “Beautiful Literary Star Charts Map Famous First Sentences.” Wired, Conde Nast, 3 June 2017, www.wired.com/2017/01/beautiful-literary-star-charts-map-famous-first-sentences/.

Vesna, Victoria. “Space + Art.” Lecture 1. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/888567/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=16300833>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Space + Art.” Lecture 2. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/888567/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=16300833>.

Event 3: Weak or No Signal (MFA Design Media Arts Thesis Show)

Event 3: Weak or No Signal (MFA Design Media Arts Thesis Show)

Before I paid a visit to this thesis show, I did not read up on what it would entail or have on display. Therefore, I was very confused and felt lost when I first walked into the New Wight Gallery at UCLA's Broad Art Center. What also made it tough to figure out what was happening in the gallery was the fact that none of the individual exhibits had written descriptions of what was displayed. However, as I continued to stroll through the gallery, I began to make some apparent connections with some of the topics and concepts we covered in this class. I will be talking specifically about three exhibits I saw that connected with three of the units we have explored thus far. 

The first piece of art that I encountered as I walked in was a suit with a variety of technological advancements on it, yet sported quite a very ancient, aged feel to it. It almost seemed like a suit one would see in a movie where soldiers from the past, perhaps around the 16th-17th century with technology of this age. This mix of cultures distinctly brought back the unit from week one about two cultures and how this blend can lead to forms of art. Specifically, although Snow talks about the mix of the sciences and humanities, the same overlap of cultures is seen in this suit (Snow, 1959).

 (A selfie with a random contemporary suit that had an ancient feel to it)

The next exhibit I got to experience was more difficult to analyze and sort through. As seen in the image below, the encasing seemed to have a treatment table, heartrate monitor, and a bunch of rocks on a conveyor belt looking thing. What really caught my eye was the treatment table and heartrate monitor because it reminded me of the week four unit covered in this class. I was reminded of how oftentimes medical technology will serve as mediums of art. Similarly, there is a robot named Aramique that actually draws pictures based off the installation visitor's heartbeat (Pangburn, 2014). Just like how MRI images are essentially seen as pieces of art, the way the heartrate monitor and treatment table are incorporated in this piece of art display the unification between medical technology and art. 

 (An encasing with what looked like a treatment table, heartrate monitor, and conveyor belt with rocks coming out of it)

In this last piece of art that I was able to analyze, the artwork seems to be half of a unit circle on display with a couple of sea urchin looking items evenly spread out on the floor. This reminded me of the second unit we covered in this class about how mathematics and art are connected. Specifically, the exhibit connected with the mathematical art of M.C. Escher, as he made an effort to incorporate various geometric properties (Smith, 2014). What I could take away from this particular piece of artwork is the apparent inclusion of certain geometric concepts, especially the part that somewhat looks like a fan. 

(An exhibit that seems to display random geometric models)

As mentioned before, what made this event tough to analyze and connect with the class was the lack of written explanations and general theme to the thesis show. However, it became apparent that this is exactly what art is: a free-flow of themes, emotions, and concepts and in order to create artistic beauty. Ultimately, it is cool to see how so many different concepts and aspects in everyday life can connect directly to art. 

References

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

Pangburn, DJ. “Heart Bot Turns Heartbeats Into Personalized Illustrations.” Creators, Creators, 29 Aug. 2014, creators.vice.com/en_us/article/wnpdk5/heart-bot-turns-human-heartbeats-into-personalized-illustrations.

Smith, B. Sidney. "The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher." Platonic Realms Minitexts. Platonic Realms, 13 Mar 2014. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://platonicrealms.com/>

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>

Vesna, Victoria. Medicine Body Lecture. Video. 26 Oct 2012.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.

Week 8: NanoTech & Art

Prior to this week, I wasn't sure if I even understood what nanotechnology was. However, after this week's unit, not only do I recognize what nanotechnology entails, but also how it connects with art. Nanotechnology essentially creates a way for people to perceive our world with a sense of "sensing and connectivity" (Gimzewski, 2012). Nanotechnology has brought our world to where it is today and has the capability to take us into another level of discovery and innovation. 

One topic of nanotechnology that has caught my eye is the invention of the microchip implants. According to an article, a systems engineer named Dave Williams is part of a group of "biohackers" that chose to augment their bodies with nanotechnology (Gray, 2017). This allows for Williams to essentially be a walking contactless smart card that can perform many different tasks like open doors or unlock his computer.

(An image of Dave Williams hand with the microchip implanted)

Just like any other technology, like the smartphone or microwave, this microchip is a form of art. These microchips are essentially categorized as radio-frequency identification devices that allow for tasks like communication and credit card functions (Grauer, 2018). Many are worried about health complications with the chips, but even the insertion of the microchip is an art. Supposedly, these microchip implantations are safer and have less complications than ear piercings. 

(An example of what a normal microchip implantation would look like)

An example of nanotechnology before it even became a field is the Lycurgus Cup from the Roman times. What makes this cup so special is that it looks jade green when lit from the front and blood-red from the back (Merali, 2013). This feat was done by grinding particles of silver and gold as small as 50 nanometers in diameter and impregnating the glass. Although nanotechnology wasn't an official science yet, this form of art displays the artistry and innovativeness of the Romans, even though some historians believe this happened by accident (Smithfield, 2017). 

(Images of the Lycurgus Cup from Ancient Roman times)

Images Cited

Grauer, Yael. “A Practical Guide to Microchip Implants.” Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2018, arstechnica.com/features/2018/01/a-practical-guide-to-microchip-implants/.

Gray, Richard. “Capital - The Surprising Truths and Myths about Microchip Implants.” BBC News, BBC, 2 Aug. 2017, www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170731-the-surprising-truths-and-myths-about-microchip-implants.

Merali, Zeeya. “This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows That the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Sept. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-1600-year-old-goblet-shows-that-the-romans-were-nanotechnology-pioneers-787224/.

References

Grauer, Yael. “A Practical Guide to Microchip Implants.” Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2018, arstechnica.com/features/2018/01/a-practical-guide-to-microchip-implants/.

Gray, Richard. “Capital - The Surprising Truths and Myths about Microchip Implants.” BBC News, BBC, 2 Aug. 2017, www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170731-the-surprising-truths-and-myths-about-microchip-implants.

“Infonomia.” James K. Gimzewski, Nanotechnology Pioneer, www.infonomia.com/james-k-gimzewski-nanotechnology-pioneer/.

Merali, Zeeya. “This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows That the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Sept. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-1600-year-old-goblet-shows-that-the-romans-were-nanotechnology-pioneers-787224/.

"Nanotech Jim pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 May 2018.

"Nanotech Jim pt4." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 May 2018.

"Nanotech Jim pt6." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 May 2018.

Smithfield , Brad. “The Lycurgus Cup- A 4th-Century Roman Glass Cage Cup That Changes Color When Lit from Different Angles.” The Vintage News, 7 Aug. 2017, www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/29/the-lycurgus-cup-a-4th-century-roman-glass-cage-cup-that-changes-color-when-lit-from-different-angles/.