Event 3

The Getty Center has an amazing garden, my last visit just was not enough I had to go back to walk through the garden area. It starts up by the main entrance of the museum then goes all the way down in a zig zag formation, ending at a large circular fountain area with a design in the center that is made of rose bushes. This layout has a vanishing point, the circular fountain; the admirer is looking to get to the end to see the beautiful open garden area after walking through the zig zag walkway crossing bridges that are over a water stream, and the many succulents that surround it.

                   

It is amazing that the use of so many different forms of life can form such a beautiful thing to look at. Flowers and plants are manipulated, rooted and planted in a new place, to create an area where people can sit, walk through and admire. The architecture of the whole central garden area made it very appealing as well. Each plant and bend in the walkway is carefully planned so that wherever a person is standing they have an amazing view. So in a way there were many vanishing points created so no matter where someone stands they can admire the central garden. 

Event 2

For my second event I visited the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Here I focused my time on the exhibition they have right now called Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road. It was very interesting to see the different caves and the very intricate paintings and sculptures that were created. They had many exhibits but I had limited time and could not wait for hours in line. The main exhibit I visited included a three dimensional movie showing what the inside of cave 45 looked like. This started with a short movie that showed pictures of what the area looks like, its wildlife (flora and fauna), some cave paintings, and more. These images really helped to paint a picture of what China was like, and helped me to get into the mindset of what I was about to step into.

There were no pictures allowed inside of the 3-D movie so I will have to try my best to explain it to you. This cave’s main feature was a set of sculptures that were of deities with a Buddha in the center.  Each sculpture had such great detail with exquisite paintings on them as well. One deity for example had demons at their feet because this one was supposed to keep the demons away.

 

On either side of the main sculpture there were many many paintings. These depicted the many situations that those who are presented in the cave can help a person solve. It is amazing how art can help somebody figure out their problems just like the many experiments done in biotechnology and nanotechnology that help to understand life better.

I really enjoyed this exhibit, I think that the 3-D experience really helped me to become more immersed in the cave, like I was actually there.

Week 9: Space and Art

This week I really took interest because I like to learn about the vast galaxy that we live in. I however did not think about how much art is influenced by space. For one is the Griffith Observatory museum, this place is filled with all of the scientific innovations that have made it easier to examine space as well as understand it. There they have the Samuel Oschin Planetarium where they project movies based on space onto a screen that allows one to feel like they are lying down and observing space from outside. I have gone to a few of these and they are magnificent.

The many science exploration fleets have inspired people to make television shows and movie about what it would be like to be from another planet, to travel through space, and also what other possibilities of life are out there (The Jetsons, Star Trek, and Star Wars).There are also artists like Chesley Bonestell who creates prints of images of space, and space rockets. Different perspectives are taken from each work of art. For example there are two pieces that are of Mars, but they are form the point of view of different moons that orbit by that planet. I like this artist because even though the prints are dated, they have a futuristic feel.

The KSEVT has a Cultural Space Programme that expresses the idea “what is it like to be human in space?” (KSEVT.com). There have been so many technological advances in space that this program believes that art should be practiced in space so this is exactly what they aim to do. I do find this quite interesting, it would be cool to see someone attempt to paint in zero gravity and see how that affects the end result.  There is a YouTube channel called Thai Space Education that has many videos that have different experiments that are done in space, here is one that shows different affects that happen when trying to draw on a piece of paper placing the paper at different angles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6OxoFL1ByM 

Bibliography (Pictures were taken from the websites)

Bonestell, Chesley. Bonestell. Bonestell. Web. 29 May 2016. <http://www.bonestell.org/#prettyPhoto>.

Cultural Space Programme. KSEVT. 2015. Web. 29 May 2016.

The Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Griffith Observatory.Web. 29 May 2016. <http://www.griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/sop.html>.

Vesna, Victoria. Week 9 View. UC Classes.Web. 29 May 2016. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/484297/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=8599423>.

Paritatt. Try Zero-G Asia 2015 : Zero-G Painting (Thailand). YouTube. YouTube, 2015. Web. 30 May 2016.

Week 8: NanoTech and Art

 Nanotechnology has been used to both improve the products that we use every day as well as to create some art. The technological advances in nanotechnology have made it possible to take this realm of science and use it to benefit others, by making it useful in home items and to create something nice to look at. Dr. Gimzewski speaks about the many wonders that come from this field of study in the lecture videos on the course website. The field of nanotechnology as Victoria Vesna and Jim Gimzewski puts it is that it is “concerned with control of matter at the scale of atoms and molecules,” (Gimzewski and Vesna). The different technologies that have been put to use in this field of science show exactly that.

One thing that really struck me was the Scanning Tunneling Microscope; this device can be used to manipulate atoms, which is pretty cool. It “shows three-dimensional images of a sample,” (nobelprize.org) which is usually of atoms and their parts. The process of manipulating atoms is called Quantum Corrals; some people have made them into aesthetically pleasing images. However the purpose of this machine is to study the structure of a surface at the level of the atom.  

Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau used nanotechnology to create Nano - Scape which is an invisible sculpture made of invisible nano particles. In this installation the viewers can touch the air where the sculpture would be with magnets in their hands so they they can feel the energy from the atoms that are creating the sculpture. The viewers can feel electric shocks, magnetic forces and the like theta are a result from the nano particles and the magnets. The sculpture also changes based on the hand movements of the viewers participating. (art.base)

Bibliography

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.Base. N.p., 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 22 May 2016. <https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science." Vv.arts.ucla.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.

"Past Exhibitions 2010." John Curtin Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://johncurtingallery.curtin.edu.au/exhibitions/archive/2010.cfm>.

" ." STM Image Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/view_group_subpage.php?id=4252>.

"The Scanning Tunneling Microscope." The Scanning Tunneling Microscope. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/physics/microscopes/scanning/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Unit 8 View." UC Classes. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2016. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/484297/pages/unit-8-view?module_item_id=8599417>.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 May 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology#/media/File:Comparison_of_nanomaterials_sizes.jpg>.

Week 7: Neuroscience and Art

The brain can be expressed in many ways though art. Neuroscience has become a field that is not only scientific but artistic as well, and very prevalent in society. As Frazzetto and Anker write about in “Neurocultre,” the scientific information being produces in the labs is being used in so many other places like our “daily lives, social practices, and intellectual discourses” (Frazzetto and Anker 815). I have not thought to deeply about how much we are thinking about how our brain works and how the knowledge is being used in so many fields. Using art to express the findings in the neuroscientific world can help to educate the general public as well. For example one of the videos showcased in this week’s lecture is a song by The Amygdaloids called “Fearing,” which talks about fear, how it is felt, what it is, and what is does to an individual. There are many artists who sing about different feelings, and what those feelings do to them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMI3hbgRj6o

There are experiments done based on research done on the brain. For example there is a group involved in something called The Global Consciousness Project, which researches the many states people are in thought the world, trying to find connections between the different states of consciousness. Different thoughts and emotions provide different outputs of energy, which is measured to find different descriptors of what consciousness can be. A thought experiment called Schrödinger’s Cat, tries to measure the state of the object when it is in suspended animation. The observer has to make the call is the object, in this case a cat) is dead or alive when the box with the cat inside is exposed to the observer. There is argument whether this observation is a true measurement of the cat’s state, because the cat, if it survives, thinks he was completely alive the whole time however to the outside observer the animal looked dead. Roger Penrose brings the third culture into this topic, which is a valid observation. He talks about how measuring something in relation to consciousness has to be with something more than just numbers, which would involve not only scientific thought but artistic input as well.

The neuron connection is the brain are expressed through art work as well: 

Sumi-e paining by Dr. Dunn

Todd Carpenter's "ISOTHUJONE"

Bibliography

Brockman, John. "The Third Culture - Chapter 14." The Third Culture - Chapter 14. Simon & Schuster, 1995. Web. 14 May 2016. <https://www.edge.org/documents/ThirdCulture/v-Ch.14.html>.

Feelings. Perf. The Amygdaloids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMI3hbgRj6o

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews Neuroscience Nat Rev Neurosci 10.11 (2009): 815-21. Web.  

"The Global Consciousness Project." Global Consciousness Project: Introduction. 

Web. 14 May 2016. <http://noosphere.princeton.edu/gcpintro.html>.

Vankin, Deborah. "Todd Carpenter on Art, Neuroscience and Seeing the Light." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 14 May 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. "Unit 7 Veiw." UC Online. Web. 14 May 2016. 

<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/484297/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=8599411>.

"Schrödinger's Cat." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 14 May 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrödinger's_cat>.

Woollaston, Victoria. "A Beautiful Mind: Japanese-style Art Inspired by Neuroscience Reveals Grey Matter in Much More Colourful Glory." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 14 May 2016. 

Week 6: BioTech and Art

I found this week’s topic of discussion interesting, but I just cannot decide how exactly I feel about it. Using the first of the Ruth West questions, “If life a valid expressive medium,?” I feel like in some instances, in more than not, it is not valid to use life as an expressive form. Using live animals, like a mouse, to experiment on just for the sake of art seems a little morbid, and even so in most scientific research as well. For example, the mouse that was genetically modified to have a human ear growing out of its back does not seem to be morally right. The work shown in the lecture video by Zaretsky is really not appealing, as most art is, at least to me. I do not think that there should be limits on creativity per say, but when it comes to what is moral or not, I believe that should be considered. When it comes to manipulating organisms, primarily humans and animals, there should be different standards and restrictions that artists and scientists have. Living organisms should not be manipulated for the sake of art, if it causes and harm, especially pain, unless the artist is inflicting it upon themselves, (like the case of the man who put and ear on his arm).

On the other hand, Natalie Jeremijenko, uses plants as her form of experimentation on life forms.  Her experiment “One Tree,” uses cloned walnut trees that are planted in pairs in different areas of San Fransisco to see how they react to their environment. This form of life manipulation poses to be morally okay in my opinion; plant life can already be considered art (i.e. landscape design).

Jeremijenko also used plants to transform fire hydrant areas, creating street are with plant life. There are other types of plant modification like genetically modified seeds, as well as weeds that have gotten just out of control because of the environmental effects on the modified plant life.

Bibliography/References

Jeremijenko, Natalie. "The Art of the Eco-mindshift." Natalie Jeremijenko:, Oct. 2009. Web. 07 May 2016. <http://www.ted.com/talks/natalie_jeremijenko_the_art_of_the_eco_mindshift>.

"Natalie Jeremijenko." Natalie Jeremijenko. Web. 07 May 2016. <http://www.inspirationgreen.com/natalie-jeremijenko.html>.

Stutz, Bruce. "Wanted: GM Seeds for Study." Seed Magazine. 1 July 2010. Web. 07 May 2016. <http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/wanted_gm_seeds_for_study/>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Unit 6 View”. UC Online. Web. 07 May 2016. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/484297/pages/unit-6-view?module_item_id=8599405>.

Yeates, Ed. "'Super Weed' Taking Strong Hold in Utah." KSL.com. 08 June 2009. Web. 07 May 2016. <http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=6754314>.

Photos

"Natalie Jeremijenko's Assorted Prescriptions, including OneTrees." PopTech. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2016. <http://poptech.org/blog/natalie_jeremijenkos_assorted_prescriptions_including_onetrees> 

"Natalie Jeremijenko || Wave Hill - New York Public Garden and Cultural Center." Wave Hill Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2016. <https://www.wavehill.org/arts/artists/natalie-jeremijenko/>.

Sardar, Zahid, and Lea Suzuki. "Society's Signposts / Natalie Jeremijenko's Trees Aren't Simply Decorative -- They Can Be Read like a Social Register." SFGate. N.p., 23 Oct. 2004. Web. 08 May 2016.

                                                                           

Event 1 - Griffith Observatory

I visited the Griffith Observatory, and noticed a great deal of the two cultures concept present. What stood out to me the most was the exhibit right when you enter the building, Foucault Pendulum. This is a giant swinging pendulum that tells the time. Directly above is a mural of mythological stories that adds to the art that is the pendulum.

The two cultures are seen here clearly: the science aspect is directly visible in that the pendulum is using the Earth’s rotation and gravitational pull that is making the pendulum work. But the art work above the piece as well as the elegant design of the pendulum itself shows the creative art side in the exhibit. The two cultures elegantly come together with the sleek design of the gun metal ball at the end of the pendulum, as it slowly swings responding to the Earth’s movement. C.P. Snow talks about how the two cultures merge to become a third culture and this is essentially what the whole Griffith Observatory museum is an example of. 

I do recommend going to see this exhibit, but the whole museum as well. You will experience the beauty as art that there is in the world through all of the scientific revelations throughout the many years. The premises is a work of art in itself, sitting at the top of the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign. This exhibit specifically is an immersion into the third culture, not only the design of the Foucault Pendulum but the breathtaking artwork surrounding the scientific revelation brings together the whole exhibit. 

Works Cited

Angela Soderquist. 2016. Photograph. Los Angeles, California 

"Foucault Pendulum." Griffith Observatory. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/centralrotunda_foucaultpendulum.html>.

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

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

 Vesna, Victoria. "Week 1 View." UC Online. Web. 03 May 2016. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/484297/pages/unit-1-view?module_item_id=8599378>.