Friday, June 12, 2015

Event 5 Fowler Museum

UCLA is blessed to house museums on campus. Fowler Museum reminds me that in the midst of all my academic classes, I should take time to smell the roses and appreciate art.


The event I attended was truly strange: Vivan Sundaram's Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem. Gagawaka featured recycled hospital materials transformed into interesting outfits. Postmortem highlighted different anatomic human structure. This reminded me of Art + MedTech: Sundaram recreated art from human body parts and used bandages or recycled x-ray films. This daunting idea underlines the closing gap between art and science.

Event 4 LACMA

My friends are in another class required to attend LACMA and observe ancient writing on artifacts (which surprisingly encompasses a lot more complexity than I expected). I decided it was the perfect opportunity to do a joint trip and head to Los Angeles’s famed LACMA together.


LACMA features the most bizarre arrangement of lampposts I have ever seen. It forms a perfect rectangle yet it is weirdly beautiful. It is truly a work of art.

At LACMA, I visited the James Turrel-Breathing Light exhibition. Involving art, mathematics, architecture, and science, this exhibition eliminates the viewer’s depth perception. Everything feels limitless and weirdly bizarre. This disorientation made me greater appreciate my ability to judge depth and distinguish how far away objects are. 

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Week 9 Space + Art

Treasure Island by Walt Disney

Ever since I was little, I was always fascinated by space. The ceiling of my bedroom is plastered with glow in-the-dark star stickers. I was a huge fan of movies like Treasure Planet and my dad always encouraged me to watch space documentaries like Space Station and Apollo 13. Therefore I always imagined space to be filled with endless possibilities.

From these movies, I always strictly connected space with science. However, this course has over and over again proved that most aspects in life are connected with science and art. While mathematical space composes of the elements or points in this infinite field, artistic space is the organization or rearrangement of space. (1) American artist Frank Stella went even further to state that “the aim of art is to create space — space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space within which the subjects of painting can live.” (2)

Frank Stella: www.20thcenturyartmovements.weebly.com

Although that space isn’t exactly the space we associate with outer space, I, nonetheless, believe it is still important to understand. From the Powers of Ten video (3), it made me realize exactly how small and how large adding an extra zero does to something. It put into perspective that literally everything is space. Space is honestly infinite and we see this as we continually zoom out into 10^20, 10^21, 10^22, etc. Therefore, it is not surprising that the ideas we have associated to space is also infinite and incredible. Intergalactic movies, like Star Trek, Spaceballs, and Starship Trooper, have ran rampant with space technology and ideas. (4) Artists like Shepard Fairey even send their artwork into space to hopefully connect with intergalactic organisms and mark their achievements. (5)

Apollo 11 Mission Patch (via NASA)

Apollo 17 Patch Designed by Robert McCall (via NASA)

Skylab 1 Patch Designed by Frank Kelly Freas

Citations:
1. Tyler, Christopher. “The Concept of Space in Twentieth Century Art.” <https://www.ski.org/CWTyler_lab/CWTyler/Art%20Investigations/C20th_Space/C20thSpace.html>
2. “Frank Stela” The Art Story <http://www.theartstory.org/artist-stella-frank.htm>
3. Eames, Charles and Ray. “Powers of Ten” video. Eames Office. 1977. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=25&v=0fKBhvDjuy0>
4. Hickman, Matt. “18 Space Movies Everyone Should See” Mother Nature Network. Jun 24, 2013. <http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/18-space-movies-that-everyone-should-see>
5. Meier, Allison. “5 Artists Who’ve Sent Their Work Into Outer Space.” Salon. Mar 23, 2013
<http://www.salon.com/2013/03/23/five_artists_whove_sent_mission_patches_into_space_partner/>


Event 1, 2 &3 - San Francisco Museum visits: De Young Museum, California Academy of Arts and Sciences, and SF SOMA exhibit + More

Over this Memorial Day weekend, I flew back home to San Francisco and made a trip to Golden Gate Park. Golden Gate Park is home to dozens of attractions like the Botanical Gardens, the Japanese Tea Garden, and the Amphitheater. Scattered throughout the park is beautiful statues, some even moved from SF SOMA (which is currently being remodeled). During this trip, I paid a visit to two famous Museums, the DeYoung Museum and California Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as other attractions.

 Event #1: De Young Museum

The overall structure of DeYoung Museum is extremely interesting. Its tallest structure looks like an inverted triangle, involving the use of the Golden Ratio and mathematical measurements to ensure the building’s survival during an earthquake. The entire building is made of copper — therefore, when it oxidizes, it will turn green and blend in with the trees surrounding it. This clever use of chemistry ensures long term aesthetic appeal.


My favorite part of the Museum is somewhat hidden. It is on the 9th floor observatory deck, known as the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Tower. In the picture above, it is the very top floor of the inverted triangle. From the Tower, you get a 360˚ view of San Francisco. The view is astonishing and the architecture is marvelous. 

Untitled, ca 1955-1959
Copper Wire
Gift of the Artist
2005.90.2
If you are an abstract or American art enthusiast, I highly recommend the DeYoung Museum. It features many unusual artworks with twisted shapes. The following statues are from Ruth Asawa, a San Franciscan native. This overall reminds me of neural networks. Their floating, biomorphic nature evokes organic beauty and the intricacy of the natural world. Their complexity cleverly captures light, creating shifting shadows and dancing lines in the space outside the structure. I am quite impressed that fine copper wires can transform into something this beautiful.






 Event #2 California Academy of Arts and Science

I remember when the California Academy of Arts and Sciences reopened in 2008 and people from around the world lined up around Golden Gate Park to enter one of the largest museums in the world; the entire Amphitheater in the picture below was filled with people. This weekend, the line was nowhere nearly as long, but nonetheless, the exhibits did not fail to impress.

First, I would definitely recommend the Academy of Arts and Sciences to everyone. Like C.P. Snow would agree, it is definitely the best of two cultures; its name itself already unites the arts and sciences. Therefore, it will cater to many people’s interests. From the underwater fish exhibits and touching the sea creatures to admiring the large planetarium, it would take hours to thoroughly enjoy every exhibit. As a huge animal lover, my favorite, without a doubt, is the animal exhibits. Although everyone comes for the albino alligator, Claude, I enjoyed watching Lemondrop.


Lemondrop, a lavender albino reticulated python, belongs to the constrictor family. It coils around their prey until its breathing stops, and swallows it whole. The record meal for these reticulated python was a 51 pound Malayan sun bear that took nearly 10 weeks for the snake to digest. It is interesting to study Lemondrop’s genetics: Lemondrop lacks a pigment called melanin that results in albinism. Therefore it would struggle in the wild. Biotechnology could actually alter these genes by either turning the pigment on or off. It is extremely rare for it to be found alive in nature, but under extensive care, it could thrive in a sheltered home.

My height compared to the 15ft long Lemondrop



 Event #3 SF MOMA + Little Gems Hidden in Golden Gate Park 

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is currently closed for expansion. However, it is currently launching its On the Go programming, with exhibits scattered across San Francisco and educational events on selected dates.

SF MOMA located near Yerba Buena prior its reconstruction. (Photo from www.cntraveller.com)
Personally, I am not the hugest fan of modern art, but if you are, I highly recommend attending MOMA when it reopens early 2016. The exhibit I saw was relocated from the Moscone Center near Yerba Buena to the front of De Young Museum.

Untitled (Three Dancing Figures), 1989
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was a political artist who expressed his concepts of birth, death, sexuality and war through graffiti and contemporary art. His sculpture uses bold and contrasting color, with each figure connecting with one another at jarring positions. Although this greatly differs from my taste of art, it does have a weird feature to it. Haring enjoyed creating raunchy-dancing figures, crawling babies, and squiggly lines. His artwork reminded me of the ones I saw during the robotics week. Although it is unusual, it does get his point across — he clearly is not pleased with the political system and wants to show its horror in an eerie manner.

As I wrap up my museum visits, I also entered the Japanese Tea Garden, the oldest public Japanese garden in America, hidden next to De Young Museum. It is decorated with traditional stone lanterns, native Japanese plants like the Cherry blossom, a zen garden. My personal favorite is the arched drum bridges, which reminds me of serenity and harmony.


Lastly, as I exited Golden Gate Park, I ventured through the Botanical Gardens. This garden is the perfect location for picnics next to gorgeous flowers, trees and a peaceful atmosphere.



Sunday, May 24, 2015

Week 8 Nanotechnology + Art

Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary study that
 embraces concepts from physics, chemistry and biology.
www.omninano.org
 Nanotechnology is science, engineering and technology conducted at the nanoscale. Exactly, how much is a nanometer? It is ten to the ninth power; on a comparative scale, if a marble were a nanometer, then one meter would be the size of the Earth. (1)

As a physical science major, I have encountered the nanoscale endless times calculating the distance between cells or wavelengths. Hence, I always associated nanotechnology strictly with science and mathematics. However, this week taught me that even art has connected with this technology.


A person that really captivated my interest in this field is Cris Orfescu, nanoart researcher and abstract artist. During the day, he does nanotechnology research for a company in Torrance, California to improve lithium batteries. However, once he’s off, he stays in lab and does nanoart. (2) In the image below, Orfescu attempts to inform people about this technology by creating a nanosculpture, hydrolyzing titanium organometallic compound and coating it with gold.

www.crisorfescu.com
What is even more amazing is art’s ability to help better comprehend nanotechnology. In “Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Answer,” this new science is about a “shift in our perception of reality from a purely cultural one based on sensing and connectively.” In this, we can take a new approach and better understand nanotechnology. (3) Currently, we have potential in nanotechnology to destroy cancer cells (4) and trace harmful substances or even GMO in foods like McDonalds or Dunkin’ Donuts (5).

Microscopic nanomaterials, often used to add creaminess and color to foods,
may also add a health risk. 
Citation:
1. “What is Nanotechnology?” National Nanotechnology Institute. <http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition>
2. Feder, Barnaby. “The Art of Nanotechnology” The New York Times. Jan 25, 2008 <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/the-art-of-nanotech/>
3. Lovgren, Stefan. “Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Answer?” National Geographic. Dec 23, 2003
4. Cox, David “Nanoparticles could help deliver a killer blow to cancer” Aug 13, 2014 <http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/aug/13/nanotherapy-future-cancer-treatment>
5. Shemkus, Sarah “Activists that aim at nanomaterials in Dunkin’ Donuts” July 11, 2014 <http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/jul/11/activists-nanoparticles-titanium-dioxide-food-dunkin-donuts>


Saturday, May 16, 2015

Neurosci + Art

Location of the Orbito-frontal Cortex shown through MRI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbitofrontal_cortex
Neuroscience and art are more intertwined than I believed. Neuroscience involves the study of the brain and the nervous system: this is central to perception and appreciation of art, creating a subcategory of neuroscience called neuroesthetics. (1) Neuroaesthetics combine perceptual psychology, evolutionary biology and functional brain anatomy to explain our appreciation for the essence of art. Aesthetic perception relies on the brain’s visual cortex. However, the orbito-frontal cortex determines whether we believe a painting is beautiful or not. (2) This transmits subtle emotions, like pleasure or disgust, when we see pictures.

What I find as the most interesting aspect of neuroscience and art is the effect drugs have on the brain. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a drug that amplifies and animates our senses, emotions, and awareness, which can greatly alter our view of art. In “Artist Draws Nine Portraits on LSD”(3), we can see the altered and disorientation of the drawings as LSD hits the artist.



These drawings align with the drug’s effects. It takes approximately 20 minutes before the drug hits. After, a peak is reached, causing the user to feel euphoria and hallucinate. Once the drug wears off, the user will feel tired and dead. (4) The drug activates the HT2A receptors, which are involved in cognitive processes in the prefrontal cortex. (5) Hence, at the drug’s peak, the artist felt hyperactivity and couldn’t draw the portraits accurately. Another further example is Mark McCloud’s LSD art collection (6). His artwork collection features bright colors, repeated images, and a disoriented feeling — similar to the image below.
 
LSD Stimulator: Isn't it difficult to focus with all these disoriented wavy lines?
Citations
1. Diamond, Adele, and Dima Amso. “Contributions of Neuroscience to Our Understanding of Cognitive Development.” Current directions in psychological science 17.2 (2008): 136–141. PMC. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2366939/>
2. Chatterjee, Anjan. “Neuroaesthetics.” The Scientist. 1 May 2014 <http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/39802/title/Neuroaesthetics/>
3. “Artist Draws Nine Portraits on LSD During 1950s Research Experiment.” Art. 15 Oct 2013 <http://www.openculture.com/2013/10/artist-draws-nine-portraits-on-lsd-during-1950s-research-experiment.html>
4. “LSD Effects” <http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/lsd/effects.htm>
5. Olson, Samantha “This Is Your Brain On Drugs: The Truth About Where LSD Trips Take Your Body and Mind” Medical Daily. 12 June 2014 <http://www.medicaldaily.com/your-brain-drugs-truth-about-where-lsd-trips-take-your-mind-and-body-287852>

6. Frank, Priscilla. “Meet Mark McCloud, The World’s Leading Collector of LSD Art.” The Huffington Post. 4 April 2014 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/04/mark-mccloud_n_5087179.html>  

Sunday, May 10, 2015

BioTech + Art

Until this week, I didn’t really understand the magnitude and beauty of biotechnological advances. When I think of biotechnology, electrophorus gel and fruit fly recombination come to mind. However, as Professor Vesna delve into blood wars and laughing rats, I was appalled — yet incredibly awestruck by the beauty of each creation. Biotechnology encompasses a much wider range than I originally believed.

Engineering Pets: Glow-in-the-Dark Cats
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/29/tech/innovation/biotech-animals-emily-anthes/
Genetically Modified Flower
http://www.scoop.it/t/dnaresearch


 One apparent beautiful biotechnological advance is genetically modified and colored flowers. This has been commercially available for nearly ten years now, involving manipulation of the biosynthesis pathways to create color-altered variations, ideal gifts for today ― Mother’s Day. (1) When breeding the plants, we hybridize wild varieties, discard unfavorable results, and reproduce favorable products. (2)


Overall, I never considered life itself as a valid expressive medium. Unsurprisingly, this crosses many ethnical boundaries: “Biotechnology can produce unanticipated consequences that cause harm or dehumanize people. (3)” Questions arise when people, not plants, are brought into question. The book, Never Let Me Go, (4) excellently covers ethical problems through an uneasy story about cloning humans. Society has trouble processing biotechnology because it defies what we know: mother nature created the planet. Humans are not supposed to manipulate life and recreate it. (5) Until further research is done in biotechnology, I believe ethical dilemmas will continue to be one of biotechnology’s largest roadblock. 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
A book on ethical problems clones potentially face

Citations
1. Tanaka, Yoshikazu, Filippa Brugliera, and Steve Chandler. “Recent Progress of Flower Colour Modification by Biotechnology.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 10.12 (2009): 5350–5369. PMC. Web. 10 May 2015. , <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2801998/>
2. Breyer, Melissa. “Can genetic engineering make flowers better?” Mother Nature Network. Wed, Oct 31, 2012 <http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/stories/can-genetic-engineering-make-better-flowers>
3. O’Mathúna, Dónal P. “Bioethics and Biotechnology.” Cytotechnology 53.1-3 (2007): 113–119. PMC. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2267612/>
4. Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. New York: Knopf, 2005. Print.
5. “Conference on CoE bioethics outline challenges facing emerging tech” May 5, 2015 <http://www.spyghana.com/conference-on-coe-bioethics-outline-challenges-facing-emerging-tech/>