Week 4- Medicine and Art

Art as we have found out over the past couple of lectures can be associated and intertwined with various different subjects. During this week’s lecture, Professor Vesna illustrated how medicine and art intersect with one another and as a result it helps us to better understand the human body. One of the most influential projects that truly encompass both art and medicine together is known as “The Visible Human Project”. This project provides detailed and specific data sets of photographs of the human body. Professor Vesna explains that with this project it “inspired artists” to create pieces of art with the human body. The ability to use the human body to create pieces of art is very beneficial because it allows us to better understand the anatomy and make-up of our bodies. 

"The Visible Human"- Image of the Human Body

Our ability to understand the human body not only relies on doctor’s evaluations/diagnoses but with the use of artwork. How our bodies are visually displayed through these pieces of art help us grasp a better idea of our inner structures/composition. Drew Berry’s “Body Code”, provides a digital animation of the “behavior, dynamics, and physical properties of DNA, bio-molecules, and proteins” (ACMI). Drew Berry’s animations enable us to see what goes on inside the human body. By combining the scientific elements needed to accurately portray our DNA and the use of animation (art), visually we are able to see and gain knowledge of what goes on inside our body. 

Pictures from Drew Berry's "Body Code"; animation of DNA 

 

Donald Ingber in his article, “The Architecture of Life”, provides insight into how art and medicine relate to one another. He states, “Thus with my highly simplified construction, I showed that tensegrity structures mimic the known behavior of living cells, “(Ingber 51). With the use of his artwork, he was able to resemble living cells and use the model to provide a visual explanation. Donald Ingber’s experiment is a prime example of how the human body can be visually represented through various art forms and we are thus able to better understand the human body. 

Donald Ingber with his model that resembles the behavior of living cells

Sources: 

Professor Vesna Lecture- https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/wiki/unit-4-view?module_item_id=970434.

Berry, Drew. Body Code http://www.acmi.net.au/drew_berry.htm.   

Ingber, Donald. “The Architecture of Life”. Scientific American Inc.  

National Library of Medicine. The Visible Human Project. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/vhpconf98/AUTHORS/LE/IMAGIND.HTM. 

Image: Berry, Drew. Body Code http://www.acmi.net.au/drew_berry.htm. 

Image: Donald Ingber. http://poptech.org/people/donald_ingber

Week 3- Robotics and Art

In this week’s lectures, we continue to learn how art is not only intertwined with math and science, but is also related to robotics. As Professor Vesna mentions in lecture, artists have been and continue to be greatly influenced by robotics and mass production. Although this can be viewed as a positive, mass production inevitably has had a negative effect on art. Walter Benjamin expresses this negative influence mass production has on art when he says, “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: in presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be” (Benjamin). As the pieces of art become reproduced, the multiple copies wash the uniqueness and the original beauty of it away.

An example of the mass production of artwork

The Disney Pixar movies are a prime example of how art and robotics relate to one another. It is with the use of computer technology that helps create virtual worlds that are visually appealing to an audience. The technology that is used to create these movies is very fascinating because they use machines/computers to take the sketches and drawings that were made to design and create characters that can move and talk. Pixar films help prove how art and technology rely on one another and can work in unity to help create such successful films.

The design process of the character from the Disney Pixar movie "Brave"

Disney Pixar Movie: "Brave"

Art and robotics are illustrated in Dr. David Hanson’s TED talk and it is with the creation of robots that help us to understand how much these two subjects are related to one another. Dr. David Hanson demonstrates his knowledge about robots and his creative invention of robots that are able to show empathy towards human beings. The use of art and technology together help create these robots, which enables them to operate and have characteristics very similar to human beings. Dr. David Hanson’s talk brings us insight into the world of technology and art and helps illustrate how important both of them are in the process of building/designing robots.

Dr. David Hanson's robot that is able to "show emotions"

Sources:

Professor Vesna- https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/wiki/unit-3-view?module_item_id=970429

Benjamin, Walter. “ The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”

TED Talk David Hanson: "Robots that Show Emotion”. http://www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_relate_to_you.html

Wikipedia. David Hanson robot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein-Hubo.jpg

http://andrewmulenga.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-choice-introduces-work-by-top.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217209/

http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/tag/pixar-brave-behind-the-scenes/

Week 2- Math and Art

While science and art have always been distantly related fields of knowledge and practice, mathematics has brought the two subjects closer together or rather intertwined the two together. Artists on a daily basis use math as a tool to help them create, build, design, or even sculpt their masterpieces. In order for them to draw a picture or build a statue for example, it will require them to draw accurate lines, shapes, and/or figures, all of which stems from mathematics.

In this week’s lecture, Professor Vesna gives the class insight on many historical individuals and one of them being a Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian. His work really caught my attention and opened my eyes to see how much math truly influences the arts. He was known, as Professor Vesna explains, “for using horizontal lines in many of his drawings”. His ability to use his knowledge of math (using geometric shapes and lines) to create art pieces, illustrates the connection and the influence of mathematics in art. 

The intricate lines and precise angles used help to create these animal origami

Piet Mondrian's artwork

The ability to construct origami figures, as Robert Lang explains on his website, requires much attention to mathematics. The way the paper has to be accurately folded at a particular angle and have the right “crease” again comes down to incorporating math into the arts. Another example that really caught my attention and helped exemplify how mathematics can blend together both art and science, was watching the video “Beautiful Chaos” on Nathan Selikoff’s website. It amazes me that through the “Leap Motion Controller”, math equations consistently change as an individual moves their hands and as a result it creates a piece of art. 

The Parthenon- An example of the Golden Ratio which Professor Vesna explains is the, "ultimate connection of math and art"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s resources and lecture have proven to me that science, mathematics, and art are all closely related to one another. As much as people try to keep these areas distinct from one another, together they work hand in hand and it is with this blending of these different subjects that help individuals build and design masterpieces.

 

Sources:

Vesna, Victoria. Week 2 Lecture. https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/wiki/unit-2-view?module_item_id=970424

Wikipedia. Piet Mondrian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mondrian_CompRYB.jpg

Selikoff, Nathan. “Fine Artist Playing with Interactivity, Math, Code”. http://nathanselikoff.com/works/beautiful-chaos

Lang, Robert. Origami Website. http://www.langorigami.com/art/creasepatterns/creasepatterns_art.php

Wikipedia. Parthenon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg 

Week 1- Two Cultures

The separation between the North campus and South campus here at UCLA has been present in my daily life these past three years. I am studying Sociology, which is a North campus major and my boyfriend just completed his degree in MCDB, which is a south campus major.  After reading C.P. Snow’s article, I began to realize how I have also experienced a similar situation where I start my days off interacting with students in my Sociology classes to then finding myself sitting at a computer lab in the chemistry department. 

South campus computer labs

North campus sculpture garden- an area on campus that I walk through often

Not only do I see the difference between these two cultures visually, but I have also seen how the two cultures shape an individual’s mindset and their viewpoints on things. For example, when my boyfriend decided to build a computer my artistic side was eager to design a computer that was visually appealing. However for him, this was an opportunity to use the parts that would give him the

A computer similar to the one I helped build!

best performance regardless of the way they looked. Even though I tend to look at things through an artistic perspective and he insists on having concrete/tangible answers, together we worked to build something. 

Left brain vs. Right brain- Stereotypes

This relates to Professor’s explanation on stereotypes and how people categorize themselves as a right brain person who is more artistic and a left brain person who is someone who is more "linear".  Although we see things through a different perspective we were able to use our knowledge from both art and science to build the computer.

This connects to what Bohm explains, that no matter if you are a scientist, an artist or even a musical composer, the goal is to “create” something.

Being able to get an idea of what the science culture is like through my boyfriend and sitting in the Chemistry computer lab every week, it has opened my eyes to see more than just the culture of art. Just like Brockman suggests, I believe that this “Third culture” can prevail in our society when we can understand not simply just the realm of life that we find ourselves in, but also extending ourselves to another culture.  

Sources:

 

1. Snow, C.P. “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution” Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1959.   

2. Wilson, Stephen. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology”.  http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~swilson/

3. Bohm, David. “On Creativity”. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0024-094X%28196804%291%3A2%3C137%3AOC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S

4. Graham-Rowe, Duncan. “John Brockman: Matchmaking with science and Art”. www.Wired.co.uk

5. Professor Vesna Part II- Stereotypes Part II.  https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/wiki/unit-1 view?moduleitem_id=970419

Images:

maps.ucla.edu

http://gogetfunding.com/project/building-a-computer

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-m-eger/right-brain-left-brain-thinking_b_2631704.html

http://www.tracygallagher.com/tag/ucla-sculpture-gardens/