Week 5, Space + Art

Forty-five years and a week ago was one of the most proud and memorable moments for our country. Neil Armstrong announced the famous words, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" as he became the first human to step first on the moon.

Neil Armstrong on the Moon

Space has always been one of the most interesting topics for people through the ages, largely because the majority of its nature is unknown.  In fact, before Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543, Western culture held the geocentric viewpoint that all the planets and the sun revolved around the earth. As with most interesting and unknown areas of life, humans have incorporated art and experimented with different elements of space.

Ptolemy's Geocentric Model

Leo the Lion

 Off the bat, we notice the way societies have grouped the stars of the night sky together to form constellations, often named after common mythological figures.

Additionally, the natural state of space having an absence of gravity provides an environment to experiments with a number of things, including paintings inspired by the work of Jackson Pollock, an artist who uses gravity to create unique impressions on his artworks.


We see the heavy influence of space in our culture with its involvement in television shows and movies, such as The Jetsons, Star Wars, Gravity, and 2001: A Space Oddysey. This whole subgenre of science fiction pushes society to think of what would happen if space travel was facilitated to the point of daily use or even to the level of long-term life. As technology continues to grow at astronomical speeds, outer space's frontier is certainly one of the next main steps in pursued real estate.

In this article, we learn that even in the next year, NASA plans to work on life-supporting space systems in addition to its space station and many other advances in studies for life and exploration apart from earth. Along with the fact that SpaceShipOne broke the barrier for private space travel, I am excited to see what great discoveries will be made for space travel in my lifetime. I think it would be fantastic to be able to visit another planet, especially if James Cameron and Google co-founder Larry Page's asteroid mining venture works out as they envision here.

Works Cited

"Geocentricism." Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Bartolomeu_Velho_1568.jpg>.

 Guardian Liberty Voice. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://guardianlv.com/2014/07/nasa-2015-budget-reveals-ambitious-plans-for-future-space-exploration/>.

"Leo the Lion Constellation." Red Orbit. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2004/10/10_5ab7105d15bcfbf19515ddfb1cbab1c12.jpg>.

"Neil Armstrong Stepping on the Moon." Soda Head. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001512601/4424624505_moon1_answer_7_xlarge.jpeg>.

 Space.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.space.com/15395-asteroid-mining-planetary-resources.html>.

"Star Wars." Wall St. Cheat Sheet. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.wallstcheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Star-Wars.jpg?bc759b&bc759b>.

 Universe Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.universetoday.com/36487/difference-between-geocentric-and-heliocentric/>.

Week 5, NanoTech + Art

When I was younger and involved with a variety of sports, I often wondered why tennis balls, unlike basketballs and footballs, never needed to be inflated. Dr. Gimzewski opened my eyes to this answer along with a number of other fascinating inventions and discoveries, all due to the world of nanotechnology.

Because nanotechnology takes place on a scale smaller than atom level, the inventions, art, and productions made with nanoscience is fantastic and phenomenal.  In this TED lecture by Paul Rothemund, we see how modern technology has facilitated nanotechnology creation.

Rothemund shows us that we can make both cool things, like smiley faces a tenth the width of a hair on a drop of water from DNA strand linings, as well as groundbreaking creations like using DNA strands to make much, much larger physical objects. An example of one of the more amazing creations the video shows is algorithm-infused molecular computers self-replicating the computers we have around us. This opens up the possibilities for the future of nano artwork and perfecting the processes to make more precise designs and tools.

Like the tennis ball, nano technology's consistent involvement in our lives often escapes our vision. For example, the self-cleaning and water-resistent slacks and windows are usually never questioned. But when it comes to more serious areas of our life, like food, it makes me wonder if people are aware of the manipulation that has been performed on what they are ingesting.



There is infinite potential to the possibilities of nano-scale creation with foods, but if such cloning is being performed on foods, I side with the International Union of Food and other organizations that these foods should be labeled as modified. 


Putting health issues aside, I think it is phenomenal that edible wrappers and plates can be created in whichever shape and color is desired. For art purposes, this is fantastic and opens many doors. At a Perth International Art Festival, a piece was exhibited displaying the way that bones can be used as speakers. Of course, nano-scale examination and integration is necessary to amplify these inner bone vibrations.
                 
Because there are endless possibilities to the ways nanotechnology can be used, it is important to distinguish between the helpful and harmful uses. When scientists artfully coat cancer cells with nano-sized antibodies that kill the cancer cells around infrared light, we see the wonderfully positive uses of nanotechnology. But we must be careful not to abuse our capabilities. Some things are meant to be kept natural while some are meant to be tweaked.

Works Cited

 Artabase. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>.

Gimzewski, James. Nanotech Jim pt3. By Uconlineprogram. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHCuZetAIhk#t=287>.

"Nano-Cloned Tomato." The Ecologist. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.theecologist.org/siteimage/scale/0/0/105559.jpg>.

"Nanoprotect." Dickinson Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://blogs.dickinson.edu/mindmeetsmatter/files/2010/11/nanoprotect-ag-is12.jpg>.

Paul Rothemund: DNA Folding, in Detail. TED. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_rothemund_details_dna_folding#t-891015>.

"Wilson US Open2." Cara o Wapax. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://sagatheball.ru/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/wilson-us-open2.jpg>.

Week 4, Neuroscience + Art

Phrenology

Though we have barely scratched the surface of the true nature of the human brain, studies have uncovered a massive amount of information regarding the way in which the brain works in connection with the lives we live. Of course, with such a fascinating subject, we notice the many ways in which our brains are played with, studied, and altered to experiment and discover what we do not know. During this week's lecture, we learned about phrenology, the study of the localized functions of the brain with their specific functions. I find it fascinating that we can pinpoint the part of our internal organs that causes us to form acute desires toward certain subjects like music genres.

Neuroscience is especially interesting to me because it involves areas of our life that are not only fantastical but uncontrollable as well, such as with our dreams. With dreams, people have tried to consciously control their not-so-conscious fantasies while sleeping with lucid dreaming, as seen in the movie Inception.

Inception Lucid Dream

LSD Projection

Limitless

Alongside the attempt to control the unconscious with lucid dreaming, the more common form of brain altering is seen with psychedelic and mind-enhancing drugs, specifically with LSD, acid, and cocaine. As professor Vesna discussed in lecture, there was a time when these drugs were legal for recreational use. Though these hard drugs are illegal today due to their detrimental effects of the drugs, famous intellectuals such as Aldous Huxley have published multiple writings regarding the mind, psyche, and various philosophical ideas which were to some level spurred by hallucinogenic drugs. Users claim to experience an extraordinary experience or "trip" of remarkable imagination capacity to enhance their artistic abilities to think outside their everyday box. While I learned about the history behind some of these drugs' use, it made me wonder at the possibility of more purposeful drugs to be created, as seen in the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper. This might be an exceptional combination of neuroscience and art that could be used to positively assist society.

Greg Dunn Microetching: Brainbow Hippocampus

I find it fascinating that we have been able to analyze the workings of the brain on a microscopic level to discover in detail the way in which we think, a concept we do not normally conceive to become visual. Dr. Greg Dunn, a scientific art designer, has devoted much of his time to visually depicting the neural landscape of the human brain with handmade lithographs he and his friend, Dr. Brian Edwards, have invented, called microetchings.




These images are brilliant, yet it makes us wonder how much we will know in ten years, since scientists say we truly know nothing about the brain's nature. David Deutsch reveals this in his lecture on the history of how societies have evolved in the way they have perceived knowledge and how we form our beliefs and convictions. Art has been integrated with science, especially over the past few centuries, to derive our assertions and factual discoveries about the world around us.

Works Cited

David Deutsch: A New Way to Explain Explanation. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

Dunn, Greg. "Brainbow Hippocampus." Greg A Dunn. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

"Limitless." Generation Film. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

"LSD Forest." Deviant Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

"Lucid Dreamer Controls Dream." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

"Phrenology." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

Week 4, BioTech + Art

George Gessert's Hybridized Iris

In today's environment of the rapidly evolving capacity of technology, questions and concerns have been evoked alongside the methods used to produce forms of sci-art, where both science and art prominently collaborate. These compositions and practices often times are seen as different and weird, but the questions many people ask when confronted with such obscure practices of genetic modification, mutation, and breeding primarily address the humane and safety elements of the procedures. With such discoveries and experiments, scientists have produced a variety of contributions to sci-art, some beautiful and some harmful in nature.

One of the more beautiful examples of genetic modification is the hybridized "works" of George Gessert. Gessert has strategically bred plants since the 1970s and has been exhibiting his hybridized creations and documented the breeding projects over the last 14 years. Because of the constructive nature of these plants' beauty, Gessert faces little complaint against his artwork. He explains his surprise at this, saying, "When I first exhibited plant hybrids as art I expected to have to defend my work against criticism that plants were not art, but no one, then or now, has raised that question..." [1].

On the other hand, most of the genetic modification that happens today is highly disputed. We see this especially in the use of GMO (genetically modified organism) integration in commercial foods. The videos below explain how GMO's are being used today and the detrimental effect they can have on those who consume such foods. 

 People have an issue with genetically modified foods often times because the process is simply unnatural, making way for serious damage toward the nutritional elements of plant genomes. With that said, it makes sense that people would be uncomfortable eating foods infused with herbicide-resilient bacteria and viruses. Yes, these plants are cost-effective, as they can resist adverse weather conditions and growing environments, yet they introduce reason to be cautious of ingesting unnatural foods into our bodies.

The topic of purpose is discussed in a blog that addresses the emotion behind the two areas of study. In the post, design scientist consultant, Lizzie Crouch, is referenced. Art, the blog contends, is used to "tap into the emotional core" [2] of its audience that provokes action and thought. Thus, we should continually regard the purpose behind art work, especially when abnormal practices are used in scientific discoveries. One such controversial area of study is seen with mutational experiments on animals, as seen with the rat pictured here.

Personally, I see these topics as interesting, since they have the potential to provide medical discoveries and aid those born or imposed with severe physical disabilities. The main problem I see with the genetic modification is when it transforms the natural elements of living beings to the point that it harms them. Using rats solely for "science" while impeding their immune systems and longevity is an example of where I question the necessity of such methods. 

Works Cited

"Bio-Artist Tests Music on Bacteria." CBS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

"Ear on Rat." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

Effects of GMO. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

[2] "Emotion in Science and Art." Sci Art Sci. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

[1] Gessert, George. "Trondheim Regrets." Trondheim Matchmaking. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

 Viewing Space. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

What is Genetically Modified Food? YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. .

Week 3, The Medical Industry / Technology / Art

Orlan Gives Birth to her Beloved Self

As technology has progressed over the years and society has allowed for more freedom of thought and expression, so too has medicine been used for purposes beyond simply aiding human health and well-being. One subject mentioned during this week's lecture that particularly interested me was the idea of plastic surgery being used artistically. This idea in particular has redefined the common understanding of what might be considered "art," and has also pushed society to overlook cultural taboos, such as nudity and physical pain, in honor of artistic expression.

 

Orlan, a renowned French artist known for her unique and unorthodox artistic expression, has promoted and expanded the idea of human art in ways most artists would never dream to attempt. In the video to the left, Orlan reveals her thought process, claiming that materiality is of no importance to her. The idea is her main concern with her works, so she has performed and transformed her own body for the purpose of expressing unique ideas. With modern advances in biotechnology, she explains "I cultivate my cells." Narcissism, Orlan contends, is of utmost importance in exhibiting her plastic art in order to reflect her various perceptions and thoughts on feminism and the female's position in society.

The way in which biology has been used to express ideas and evoke feelings is not limited to surgical treatments, as we discover in the Pilobolus dance performance to the right. Here we notice the use of strength and dance techniques to symbolize biological and emotional relationships.

Throughout this week's lectures, we were further informed on the history of art and its weight in the advancement of anatomical teaching and discovery. It makes sense that art played such a heavy role in medicine, as it would be pretty tough to describe the shape and placement of body parts such as the hypothalamus or gallbladder without intricate illustrations. We see evidence of this as we recognize the detailed editions of every medical student's fundamental illustration-heavy reference book, Gray's Anatomy.

The images below display art techniques such as proportion, shading, and design to portray the complexity of the human body that every medical student must know.

Finally, we observe another interesting and new form of art from Diane Gromala's TED lecture, describing the elements of virtual reality environments used to treat chronic pain as an alternative or supplement to drug use. With the permission of technological advancement, medicine has been able to expand to unconventional forms that provide sensual conflict to permit distraction from cases of chronic pain. Art plays the prominent role in such forms of emotional medicine, as media artists design virtual environments specifically catered toward accessing unused parts of one's conscious, as one might access through meditation or mind-altering drugs. These few examples alone boggle my mind as to how much we can express and treat with technology; only time will tell what other fantastic discoveries will be made for entertainment, access, and design purposes in art.

Works Cited

"Anatomy of the Human Body." Edward Tufte. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. 

French Artist Orlan: "Narcissism is Important." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. 

"Gray's Anatomy (Hardcover)." Tower Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. 

Orlan. Orlan Gives Birth to Her Beloved Self. N.d. Google Images. Web. 13 July 2014. 

Pilobolus: A Performance Merging Dance and Biology. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. 

TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. 

Week 2, Math + Robotics + Art

As professor Vesna noted, artistic talent and appreciation is not dedicated solely to drawing and painting. I grew up thinking I hated art for this very reason, a disability to draw. Later on, however, I found that much of my academic interests were actually a form of art in that I spent much of my free time studying piano and found my favorite college classes to be from the English department. Math is distinctly incorporated in music, as seen in the following video.


Sound (frequency, pitch, tone, etc.) and tempo (timing) are the elements we often initially observe. Reviving the idea of proportions discussed throughout the lectures, we note sound and tempo mathematically directing the artistic harmony of music.

As I read the intriguing story of “Flatland” by Edwin Abbott, I was reminded of the constraint two-dimensional lines put on art works. As the progagonist was exposed to cubic and other three-dimensional forms from Spaceland, the story exposes the wide expansion geometric shapes create for art, involving depth and space.

Leonardo da Vinci Flying Invention

During the lecture, I was reminded of Leonardo da Vinci’s renowned juxtaposition of mathematics and art in his works and inventions. I actually had the chance to visit the travelling da Vinci exhibit in San Francisco during high school, displaying a history of not only his career in drawing but his mechanical inventions as well. Da Vinci so heavily incorporated mathematics into his scientific studies and art works that we can easily see how art relies on geometry to permit infinite creation we have seen through history.

Of course, when we think of math’s involvement with art, we often think of robots. Thoughts of fictional environments seen on TV as The Jetsons, I, Robot, or Wall-E arise. But is today’s technology far from those? Rodney Brooks, in his TED lecture, contends that we are on the cusp of such robotic environments. Since the invention of the personal computer, programmable robots have been created to perform menial chores such as vacuuming rooms to more intricate purposes like interacting with people for social tasks. 

   

 

A more common form of robotics used today is seen  in video games. Video game creation, as seen in the following video, is an intricate process that makes plain the juxtaposition of science and technology with the worlds of math and robotics, all together forming a piece of art. Robotics and math are constantly around us, though they become so commonplace to us that we forget their involvement in our lives.

Works Cited

Abbott, Edwin A. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Second Rev. ed. London: Seeley & Company, 1884. Print.

Brooks, Rodney. Robots Will Invade Our Lives. TED. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014.

"The Jetsons." Freshome: Design and Architecture Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014. .

"Leonardo's Inventions for Flight." Leonardo da Vinci's Inventions. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014.

The Math of Music. Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014.