Unit 4: MedTech + Art

The Vitruvian Man

Human anatomy first became introduced by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, with Egyptians using its idea for religious purposes while the Greeks used it for science. However, it wasn’t until the age of the Renaissance that human anatomy became intertwined with arts and sciences. For instance, the Vitruvian Man was created by Leonardo da Vinci with the intention of utilizing the human body and applying it to art such as for architectural purposes. Later on, human dissection had proved to be a critical role in documenting and understanding the roles of the body. Techniques such as plastination were used to preserve the body parts and fully gain understanding of the bones, flesh, and fluids. Plastination can not only be used for scientific purposes, but also for art, such as displaying human bodies in exhibits.

X-rays can help us see our bones

As we look to how medicine technology has progressed to what it is today, we can look at how human dissections evolved into x-rays, CAT scans, and MRIs. Through these different and higher developed technology, the perception of the body becomes shifted. In my personal experience as an active tennis player, I had to deal with a lot of injuries, mostly on my lower back. Because of these injuries, I always got directed by my doctor to get an x-ray or an MRI. To me, I see these techniques as not just science, but also art in the sense that we are looking at an image of ourselves which we are not used to seeing, ultimately changing our perceptions on our bodies.

Virtual reality can be a tool for pain management

One of the most recent and innovative forms of technology is virtual reality. In a Ted Talk by Diane Gromala, she discusses how virtual reality is a tool to alleviate chronic pain by its effects of biofeedback, which is a tool to control one's bodies functions. It directs the inner senses and allows one to become more aware and focus inward. She compares the experience to mindfulness meditation as it is supposed to soothe your feelings and temporarily take your attention away from the moment.

Sources:

Ingber, Donald E. The Architecture of Life. 1998.

Talks, TEDx. “TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Dec. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdarMz--Pw.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine and Art: Part 1.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2019. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine and Art: Part 2.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2019. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine and Art: Part 3.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2019. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.

Event 1: Hammer Museum

Vincent Van Gogh - The Sower Outskirts of Arles in the Background

For my first event, I visited the Hammer Museum in Westwood, and I got the chance to explore various different art forms featuring historic arts from Vincent Van Gogh to some contemporary art forms. Through these unique paintings, media, and sculptures, I was able to narrow the connection between arts and sciences to them as one entity. Going through the Armand Hammer Collection, it was very interesting to see some of the old paintings which were showing impressionism and postimpressionism through the works of painters such as Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, and Edgar Degas; however, the artist that really stood out to me was Vincent Van Gogh. Throughout his life, he lived virtually as a poor man, following the stereotype of how scientists are rich and artists are poor. At this point in time, art and science were almost as two separate cultures, and through prevalent stereotypes the distinction was quite clear. While viewing his paintings, I was able to feel the emotion and elegance through its vibrance of abstract color, and I was able to imagine what life of the artist was like.

 

 

As I moved more through the gallery, I was able to discover some more contemporary art forms, such as the picture of the clay face being squashed in a wooden structure shown above. Also, I noticed a layout of a glowing city with various colors and chemical characteristics. With my interpretation, I saw these two art forms relating to the Industrial Revolution, and how the world was starting to evolve through its new innovative uses of sciences. From all of these scientific advancements and accumulating insights to new art techniques, it ultimately gave way to a new dimension of society, bringing art and science together.

Picture of me and an employee at the Hammer Museum

My explorations at the Hammer Museum definitely gave me insight on my proposal for my midterm, on how I saw art and science combined as one. I would highly recommend this museum to my fellow classmate because it shows a wide variety of different art, and is quite different from other museums I went to in the past in its abstractness and vibrance of color.

Week 3: Robotics + Art

Benjamin Walter

        The Industrial Revolution, emerging roughly around the 18th century, impacted society in many different ways, from helping economies through mass production to the overall well-being of many individual families. The printing press, which was first invented by the Chinese in 1040, became a driving figure for reproduction and was ultimately what birthed the concept of the robot. Through this evolution of mechanical manufacturing along with the growing significance of math and science, reproduction of numerous art works and films were able to be established. This topic of reproduction and the use of robotics is what Benjamin Walter discusses in his work, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”. Walter explains how mechanical production destroys the idea of uniqueness, authenticity, and aura; through technological processes such as the printing press, it strips away the artwork’s nature, shifting the focus away from ritual and tradition. Following these revolutionary ideas, Picasso and other artists portraying surrealism begun to emerge.

Image of the printing press

Influenced by the printing press in the early 20th century, the invention of assembly lines came into the spotlight, bringing up issues such as Taylorism(the issue of people being treated like machines) as well. Just like the printing press, the idea of the assembly line was to create efficiency in mass production. One of the first people to put this to use was Henry Ford, whose main goal was to provide a car for everyone, no matter if he or she was rich or poor. 

Assembly lines of Ford cars

Ultimately, advancements in technology, such as in the development of computers, helped bring about the ideas of robotics; processes according to tradition became obsolete as newly innovative ideas brought surrealism and other “unnatural” works into the picture. Today, it’s connections with the rest of society contribute to the individual’s well-being.

Sources:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Penguin Books, 2008.

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, p. 381., doi:10.2307/1576221.

Norman, Jeremy. HistoryofInformation.com, www.historyofinformation.com/narrative/index.php.

“Pablo Picasso Biography.” Henri Matisse, 2009, www.pablopicasso.org/picasso-biography.jsp.

Thompson, Cliff. “San Francisco Robotics Society of America (SFRSA).” San Francisco Robotics Society of America (SFRSA), 2002, www.robots.org/.

Unit 2: Math + Art

Picture of Filippo Brunelleschi - first person
to be credited for liner perspective

Over the years, mathematics has impacted the usage of art and how others perceived it as well. Around the beginning of the twentieth century, the fourth dimension in art started to become popular, and to many individuals it was a major concern because of its abstractness. This fourth dimension is referring to the usage of numbers, signs, symbols, colors, and shapes. However, this type of art gradually started to become more accepted and people started to appreciate its revolutionary aim as it showed surreal, idealistic, and utopian views, and thus it was eventually considered a new “language”. Some references to these insights include Brunelleschi, who was the first person to be credited for linear perspective and to introduce what a single vanishing point was. Not only did mathematics influence art, but it also influenced science as well. For instance, al-Haytham was the first to provide a correct explanation of vision and was therefore considered to be the founder of the modern scientific method. Furthermore, the Vitruvian Man gave ideals for human proportions as well as proportions for architecture.

One of Piet Mondrian's works shows his abstract usage of lines,
shapes, and color 

The artist that really stood out to me was Piet Mondrian, who utilized horizontal lines and believed that math and simple geometric shapes, primarily colors could be used to express reality, nature and logic from a different point of view. In the first decade of the twentieth century, he became thoroughly impressed through the works of Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso as they both used unrecognizable forms to create a completely abstract art. These methods of art can also be recognized in the novel, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, by Edwin A. Abbott. In the novel, he relates the variety of shapes to how real life in the world is. For instance, he explains how a straight line is parallel to a woman, a triangle is related to a low-class man, and how a circle is the highest nobility. From his beliefs, it is interesting to see the connection between geometry, reality, and art.

Through technological advancements, math, science, and art can be merged into one

The juxtaposition of mathematics, art and science is that by using art, artists are better able to freely express themselves; math provides a sense of empty space, just as how the number zero does, and allows artists to openly convey surrealistic, utopian views. Also, with growing technologies such as computers, it provides the capacity to combine these three concepts as one.

Sources:

Abbott, Edwin. “Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.” N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <https://cole.uconline.edu/content>

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion.” Leonardo. 17.3 (1984): 205-210. Print.

“Piet Mondrian and His Paintings.” Piet Mondrian: 120 Famous Paintings Analysis,Complete Artworks & Bio, www.piet-mondrian.org/.

”Platonic Realms Entryway.” Platonic Realms Entryway. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.mathacademy.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>

Week 1: Two Cultures

CP Snow’s perspectives of the two cultures and their interactions have greatly influenced our contemporary society, but has also been prevalently misconceived by many individuals in the process as well as today. He identifies the two cultures as those of literary intellectuals and natural scientists; in simpler words, of arts and sciences. 

The common stereotypes and definitions of these cultures have contributed to the widening gap of the two. For example, Snow originally thought of the idea, ‘The Rich and the Poor’. From this, he portrays the artist as generally women or individuals who are lonely, and contrasts this with scientists who are constantly making new discoveries and prospering from them. However, with the presence of a third culture associating new technologies and active dialogues, it unifies the gap, making the differences less pronounced.

This division between science and the arts is also shown on UCLA’s campus (specifically Royce Hall) as the Northside deals with arts and humanities while the Southside, on the other hand, deals with math and sciences. Although these distinct parts of campus are split and a little ways away from each other, the enormity of students walking to and from these areas are what bridge this gap. It is the collaboration between these brilliant minds, alongside the technologies at hand, that contribute to this idea of uniformity. So no matter what major—psychology to chemistry— the collective students are what bring the school together, and form its uniqueness.

As I have grown up and adopted the American culture, I also gained Korean influence as well (my parents being originally from Korea). In much previous years, communications and connections between these two cultures would have never existed if it wasn’t for the third culture’s technologies that joined these unique unions together. Now, I feel that both of these cultures are intertwined and can be freely expressed.

Sources:

"John Brockman: Matchmaking with science and art." Interview by Duncan Graham-Rowe. Wired UK. N.p., 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2019.

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 1998

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a third culture: being in between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-125.

Wilson, Stephen. "Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology." College Art Association Meetings. 2000, New York City. 7 Apr. 2019. Lecture.