Event 1 Blog Post: Forces to Forms 3

 I attended the event from Forces to Forms 3 which highlights an exhibition in a Manhattan gallery. The purpose of this exhibition is to illustrate the ways in which design may engage new tactics to other form making such as gene editing, nanotech, etc. In doing so, we are able to visualize the interconnectedness of the world that is critical to the bettering of life and how nature can be healed through outlook and initiative. 

I was able to take away many things from this event, one of which is the project or endeavor that Ursula discussed which tackled the juxtaposition of two related products through HTML. Her aim was to interweave or superimpose the digital era with material essentials (i.e. natural systems like vegetation). She dealt with input field reversal and input field form where she analyzed the processes of agriculture through a vegetable digital hybrid in print. In the process, Ursula made user interfaces using biological design to differentiate between the vegetables which enabled participants to see the wide spread variety of the food chain in various locations. From this, it is evident that the breaking of dualistic approach versus reality was realized or the divergence between nature and technology.

Ursula + the Input Field Reversal/Form

In relation to Ursula’s work regarding vegetation, Professor Vesna digressed into the topic of the importance of Plankton in nature and ecosystem. Underwater there is a noise that can disturb the condition of plankton, despite plankton's importance to the production of oxygen. Many of these noises are from fossil fuels or objects that are thrown into the ocean which can result in micro plastics. Addressing this issue of safety for our oceans is crucial for the vitality of our planet and its survival. 

From Professor Vesna’s study as well as Ursula’s study I am left with 2 important takeaways: what is needed to change one’s behavior for the better and as a catalyst … the complexity of healing nature. 

As a result, I am considering gearing my midterm towards the cultures of ecology in relation to art. This topic hasn’t been discussed too much in class and would pose much interest to me.

I would also recommend this event to other classmates because it will benefit their understanding of art's take on environmental education which is a perspective that most might not get to tap into. 

Professor Vesna and Planktons

Sources: 6 Total

(1 Screenshot + 2 Images from Event + 3 Sources) 

Ashmann, S. (2006). An Application of The Two Cultures to Environmental Education . Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1099028.pdf

beautyandtruth09. (2010). Seedmagazine.Com Two Cultures Steven Pinker. Youtube.com. SEEDMAGAZINE.COM. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BUbVc7qVpg&t=174s.

Corwin, W. (2022, April 1). From forces to forms. The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://brooklynrail.org/2022/04/artseen/From-Forces-to-Forms 

Endlicher, U. (2022). Forces to Forms 3. Manhattan. Retrieved April 22, 2022. 

Vesna, V. (2022). Forces to Forms 3. Manhattan. Retrieved April 22, 2022. 

Attendance Screenshot:

Week 4 Medicine + Technology + Art Blog

The human body enables the activities we undertake. The early Renaissance spearheaded this outlook of the human body in relation to art. Vivid artistic illustrations of the human body and anatomical description promoted scientific understanding amongst doctors of the time (Saenger). In this way,  anatomy and dissection managed the connection between art and science. Literary books also delved into the inner working of anatomy as seen in Gray’s Anatomy. More so, the interrelation of medicine and technology can be recognized in the tools used to achieve medical diagnosis and advancements (i.e. X-rays, etc).

Leonardo da Vinci, Anatomical studies of the shoulder, c 1510.

Withal, this connection was also implemented in the lives and practices of Ancient Egyptians. Personally I find this enriching, and even so relatable, since I am Egyptian. Based on my knowledge, mummification was used to preserve the dead for the afterlife in Ancient Egypt; this sacred practice was done for religious purposes on affluent individuals while sustaining elements of art as well as being illustrated through hieroglyphics. This idealism towards the physicalities of the human body is achieved through their spiritual callings and in turn art. Additionally, mummification dissected the bodies of its individuals through the removal or extraction of organs which plays into the science of anatomy and is even reminiscent of the early implementations of cadavers.

A scene of embalming in Ancient Egypt

Not only that, but the inner workings of plastic surgery are particularly intriguing to me. Plastic surgeons are essentially the artists of medicine. Although, despite the stereotypical beliefs of today, these practices in its core did not originate from superficial and vain proceedings and a desire for beautification. This form of medicine was used as a result of war and the injuries one can sustain from it. Weaponization made it necessary for medicine and science to delve into the art of plastic surgery and facial reconstruction. This form of work also proceeds into helping amputees through the use of bionic limbs - which goes into elements of machinery and robotism through science and medicine. Plastic surgery further pertains to science through the ability to perform gender affirmation surgeries; surgeries as such aid in self identification and the needs of the trans community. As Ingber states in this week’s reading, there is a universal pattern in the way that proteins are organized through hierarchical structures which is quintessential to the understanding of the human body in relation to medicine, art, and technology.

Plastic Surgery

I mostly reviewed Professor Vesna’s lecture material; I found that this influenced my understanding of this week’s topic the most. 

References: 8 Total (5 Sources + 3 Images)

Broomhall, S., & Marusic, I. (2019). Leonardo da Vinci, Anatomical studies of the shoulder, c 1510. The Conversation. The University of Melbourne and University of Western Australia. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/leonardo-da-vinci-revisited-how-a-15th-century-artist-dissected-the-human-machine-112399.

Edgar, J. (2021). Plastic Surgery Fails: Telltale Signs of Facelifts, Eyelid Lifts, and Nose Jobs. realself.com. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.realself.com/news/plastic-surgery-fails.

Garlinghouse, T. (2020, July 15). Mummification: The lost art of embalming the dead. LiveScience. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.livescience.com/mummification.html

Ingber, D. E. (1998, January). The Architecture of Life. Scientific American.

Saenger, P. (2022, February 18). The Human Body Laid Bare in Art. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-human-body-laid-bare-in-art-11645220335

Staff, E. T. (2021). A scene of embalming in Ancient Egypt. Egypttoday. ClicksEgypt. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.egypttoday.com/Tag/98047/Embalming-In-Ancient-Egypt.

Vesna, V. (2022, April). Human Body + Medical Technologies. Lecture Part 1. Los Angeles; Canvas.

Vesna, V. (2022, April). Human Body + Medical Technologies. Lecture Part 3. Los Angeles; Canvas.

Week 3 Blog: Robotics + Art

Historical events are able to mold both the present and the path of current events through establishing technological inventions that contribute to the times of the industrial age and progressively today. This can be seen through the impact of the printing press which sparked mass assembly production and allowed for the flourishing of creativity through writing in print as well as a technological advancement that also progressed the spread of science and knowledge overall. 

Printing Press

As a writer, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, demonstrates the cooperation of science and literature in a more global context. His manifesto brings forth the perspective that technology is an art form in and of itself - he describes this outlook through devising a poem on the automobile. This dialogue of speed through automobiles seeps into the interrelation of fascism and its influence on the creation of robotics.

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in Automobile in 1908

Walter Benjamin suggests that mechanical reproduction halts the surge of uniqueness or “aura”. Benjamin explains that originality is in turn tarnished upon the culmination of mechanical reproduction. To Benjamin, time and space can not withstand mechanical reproduction and hence degrades its authenticity and circumstances a loss of aura.

Walter Benjamin: Art, Aura and Authenticity

The industrial age ushered in fast paced production via machinery and manufacturing. As such, this is seen in robotics and art. The introduction of robotism, analyzed by Karel Capek, suggested how workers and laborers have essentially become machinery, or robots. In this way, art presented how the industrial age began to superimpose a culture of machinery as well as a metaphoric robotism within workers. In all, mechanization and mass production influenced the presence of robotics but as did computers and the ideas of cybernetics.

References: Sources + Images (8)

Benjamin, W. (2008). The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London;

Penguin.

Davis, D. (1995). The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995). The MIT Press.

Keuning, S. (n.d.). Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in Automobile in 1908. artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Pinterest.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/499407046155420011/.

Lehmann-Haupt, H. E. (n.d.). Printing Press - Johannes Gutenberg. Britannica.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Gutenberg/Printing-of-the-Bible.

McLaverty-Robinson, A. (2013). Walter Benjamin: Art, Aura and Authenticity. ceasefiremagazine.co.uk. thearcadesproject.tumblr.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/walter-benjamin-art-aura-authenticity/.

Vesna, V. (2022, April). Lecture Part 1. Robotics + Art. Los Angeles; Canvas.

Vesna, V. (2022, April). Lecture Part 2. Robotics + Art . Los Angeles; Canvas.

Vesna, V. (2022, April). Lecture Part 3. Robotics + Art. Los Angeles; Canvas.

Week 2 - Math and Art

Although math and art may appear disparate to one another, they utilize many of the same facets. For instance, geometric optics are implemented in art when finding a vanishing point. Similarly symmetry and dimension also further constitute the relationship between math, science, and art.

Kate McKinnon’s lecture particularly exemplifies this phenomenon. McKinnon describes the mathematical ratios that are used when beading. McKinnon then goes onto compare DNA to CastingSpines; this comparison largely demonstrates the way in which similarities/technique transcend the idea of division between larger ideologies like math and art. In this way, beaders clone and copy edges in order to foster creation - similar to that of science/DNA.

Geometry and Art

Whereas Professor Vesna’s lecture delves into Leonardo da Vinci’s use of the divine perspective. Hence, da Vinci’s use of proportions to create the Mona Lisa can be accredited to mathematics. Moreover, da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man also combines the use of human proportions and the golden ratio.

And thus, the human body was also used as a proponent to art in his work.

In doing so, da Vinci’s perspective and techniques further allowed me to comprehend the influence of math in the arts - just as McKinnon’s comparison of DNA and beading to science.

                                           

       Mona Lisa and Geometry        

Vitruvian Man 

Thus, the interconnectedness between math and art are also seen in modern cinema like in Good Will Hunting. The phenomena of an average joe character solving a complex and intricate math problem within no time has raised much acclaim in the world of the arts, as this film has become a cult classic and renowned in its own right. This goes to show that even the digital arts have found a way to interweave math into its own realm of interest.

In all, this week I learned that the alluring nature of art does not always come down to just creativity, but rather premeditated factors that are more matter of fact and less fluid - like math. The integration of math tends to please the eye more and provides consistency, or a nice flow to the piece. From this, the juxtaposition of mathematics, arts, and sciences can be attributed to the need to create flow and structure. Math helps build the foundation for most art, while science can explain why this is so.

Finally, Professor Vesna’s lecture influenced my understanding of this week’s topic the most.

Sources (8 TOTAL)

Text Sources/Class Content (5):

Cooper, Luke. “Art and Mathematics.” Medium.com, Nice Slice, 10 Aug.

2019, https://medium.com/nice-slice/art-and-mathematics-a2677a515450. 

 Eargin, Samy. Good Will Hunting. Good Will Hunting Scene (Math Problem), Youtube.com, 14

Sept. 2008, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7b0cLn-wHU&t=6s. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.

Haran, Brady “The Problem in Good Will Hunting - Numberphile.” Youtube.com, Numberphile,

4 Mar. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW_LkYiuTKE. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022. 

 McKinnon, Kate. “DESMA 9 Week 2 Featuring Kate McKinnon.” DESMA 9. DESMA 9, 8 Ap

2022, Los Angeles, Vimeo.

 Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” DESMA 9. DESMA 9, 8

Apr. 2022, Los Angeles, Youtube.

Images Sources (3):

Bizzi, Regolo. “Geometry and Art.” Pinterest.com,  

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/446700856781173215/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.

Grant, Robert Edward. “Mona Lisa and Geometry.” Facebook.com, 23 June 2019,

https://www.facebook.com/robertedwardgrant/photos/davincis-use-of-geometry-and-divine-proportions-behind-his-masterpiece-the-la-gi/1064778140397778/. Accessed 8 Apr.  2022.

 Vinci, Leonardo da. “Vitruvian Man.” Wikipedia.org, 31 Mar. 2022,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.

Week 1 Blog

In his work, “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution”, Snow divulges between the idea of two cultures - the arts and sciences; he describes the two cultures as a divide in intellect yet believes that having a connection between these realms will better serve society and foster advancement. He emphasizes that a division in culture can be accredited to disparities between the rich and poor as a result of socioeconomic bearings. Though Vesna describes in her article,“Toward a Third Culture: Being in between”, that triangulation can transpire as one navigates between the two realms of the sciences and arts, and the third culture; she heeds against casually embracing scientific fact from an artistic lens and vice versa without the proper discretion or knowledge as it can dilute the main substance of what is being observed. While I do understand Snow’s rationale to bridge the gap between the sciences and the arts, I more so resonate with Vesna’s assertions that a certain expertise in a particular field should be preserved in regards to the potential mingling that can emerge as a result of the third culture of technology, and into the sciences and the arts. 

Pertaining to the idea of two cultures, my personal academic path involves pre-health and medicine and yet I also hope to own a creative business someday. This so-called disparity between two different cultures, or fields of interest, between sciences and the arts truly exemplifies the nature of Snow’s idea of cultural separation. While these perspectives do not so much change my way of thinking, but rather have made me more aware of the two cultures and their socio economics influences as well as their origins. At UCLA, the two cultures are seen evidently between students on North and South campus; these differences can be identified in the way students dress, their personal interests, and even their personalities. And the distinction between North and South campus students also plays into an avid role of stereotypes - to most, South campus is the more STEM, nerdy, and ugly side of campus whereas North campus is viewed as the artistic, fun, and pretty sect of UCLA.

Lastly, I mostly reviewed the required readings which I found better influenced my understanding of this week’s content.

3 Images:

“The Art of Your Campaign Is Covered, Let Technology Handle the Science.” The Drum

https://www.thedrum.com/industryinsights/2017/06/15/the-art-your-campaign-covered-let-technology-handle-the-science

“Convergent Vs. Divergent Thinking: Know the Real Difference.” Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/bill0353/divergent-thinking/

“‘The Two Cultures’ – `Science’ & `The Arts / Humanities.’” StoryAlity,

https://storyality.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/storyality-14b-creativity-the-missing-link-between-the-two-cultures/

5 Sources/Links:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-update-on-cp-snows-two-cultures/

https://www.age-of-the-sage.org/scientist/snow_two_cultures.html

https://www.city-journal.org/html/bridging-c-p-snows-two-cultures-15837.html

https://www.commentary.org/articles/steven-marcus/the-two-cultures-by-c-p-snow/

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1098484.pdf

Works Cited

ReFUEL4. “The Art of Your Campaign Is Covered, Let Technology Handle the Science.” The Drum, Carnyx Group Limited., 15 June 2017, https://www.thedrum.com/industryinsights/2017/06/15/the-art-your-campaign-covered-let-technology-handle-the-science. Accessed 1 Apr. 2022. 

Snow, Charles Percy. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution: The Rede Lecture. Cambridge Univ. P., 1961. 

Sullivan, Bill. “Convergent Vs. Divergent Thinking: Know the Real Difference.” Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/517139969713794156/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2022. 

Velikovsky, JT. “‘The Two Cultures’ – `Science’ & `The Arts / Humanities.’” StoryAlity, WordPress.com, 11 Dec. 2012, https://storyality.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/storyality-14b-creativity-the-missing-link-between-the-two-cultures/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2022. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121–125., https://doi.org/10.1162/002409401750184672.