Event 1: LASER

One of the speakers who was an artist

For my first event, I attended the LASER lecture on UCLA's campus. The event included about 7 speakers, each of whom spoke for about 5-7 minutes regarding their research/ artwork. What I found to be most interesting was the mixture of artists and scientists present. Scientists showcased their works about solar panel technology and robotics, and many of the artists there utilized technology (mostly lights, video recordings, sound, and simple robotics) to create their works.

Dr. Vesna introducing one of the speakers

Specifically, I want to focus on one of the lectures I saw concerning solar panels titled "The Future of our Energy Landscape: Could Plastic Solar Cells Meet our Energy Needs?". I am choosing to focus on this lecture as I understood its scientific implications the best and could see how heavily this product could influence the artistic world, as well as the general public. This heavily relates to the robotics/technology and art lectures we have studied so far.The lecture, as its title says, focused on creating plastic solar cells. The lecturer briefly described how electricity is generated through solar cells, then delved into plastic solar cells, specifically.

When she began describing the implications for this technology in the future, I became very excited. The genius behind plastic solar cells are that they are flexible and can be rolled out. What does this mean? Imagine every surface, sidewalks, bus stations, traffic lights, and buildings covered in solar panels. With an artistic eye, these solar panels can decorate our streets and make them truly beautiful while providing us with an endless supply of energy. The technology also has implications for wearable electronics, electronic clothing. and can push the boundaries of kinetic/electronic art. Artists can utilize this technology to power their robotics artworks and in collaboration with scientists can create designs that beautify the world we live in.

Overall, the lecture series was very interesting. However, to be honest, I did not enjoy most of the works of art I saw from the artists who presented. The majority of their art was too abstract and random for my taste, and seemed to simply pile a bunch of technology onto each other (videos, lighting in a room) and call it 'art.' It's important to note, however, that everyone has different tastes in art.

Me taking a horrible quality selfie outside the gallery

Link to the event, and link to Art|Sci Gallery at UCLA: http://artsci.ucla.edu/?q=laser-leonardo-art-science-evening-rendezvous

References:

 Pupols, Melody. "UCLA Chemists Devise Technology That Could Transform Solar Energy Storage." UCLA Newsroom. 18 June 2015. Web. 03 May 2016. 

<http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-chemists-devise-technology-that-could-transform-solar-energy-storage>

 "Polymer Solar Cells." Polymer Solar Cells. Web. 03 May 2016.

<http://plasticphotovoltaics.org/lc/lc-polymersolarcells.html>

"UCLA Art|Sci Center: LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous)." YouTube. Computing Technologies Research Lab Streaming, 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 May 2016.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCJcAFGckQg>

Merchant, Brian. "We're One Panel Closer to Printing Cheap, Plastic Solar Like Newspapers." Motherboard. 7 July 2014. Web. 03 May 2016.

Akst, Daniel. "Could Japanese Paper Art Help Solar Cells Follow the Sun?" WSJ. 18 Sept. 2015. Web. 03 May 2016. 

Week 5 Midterm Project: Empathy Unleashed:Understanding the Other

Week 4: Medicine, Technology, and Art

Growing up with an ultrasound technician for a mother, I was always awed by how science and technology could be used to look into a human's body. What was especially amazing was that the ultrasound machine that my mother so non-chalantly dealt with was emitting high frequency sound that was capable of breaking into a person's body to reveal what was going on inside. It sounded like something straight out of science fiction to me.

12 week old fetus in the womb
<https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/CRL_Crown_rump_lengh_12_weeks_ecografia_Dr._Wolfgang_Moroder.jpg>

After this week's lecture, I began to think more about how medical technologies could be and have been used for artistic expression, specifically focusing on X-Ray technology.

Around this time last year in Santa Monica, the Ad Council created an interactive piece using X-Rays to portray the different types of love that are present in society, to reinforce the concept in people's minds that we are all the same on the inside. People, regardless of age, size, gender, nationality stepped behind an X-Ray screen. The audience watching the screen could only see the X-Ray images of the individuals, and not any other factors. For me, this was an incredibly powerful ad that seamlessly melded the spheres of science and art to effectively encourage critical thought. It created an experience that deeply moved the viewers.

X-Ray art, I surprisingly learned, is not something new, but has been around for almost 100 years. Artists today still utilize this relatively simple technology to create their works. What strikes me as the most interesting are the philosophical conversations that can emerge as a result of this type of artwork. Through X-Rays, you can transcend the outer appearance of the body or an object to literally look inside it. 

X-Ray skulls overlapped with different images
<http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zreiSB4dUgo/Te_91ZEEWLI/AAAAAAABfAU/ITe4vyOA8ZM/s720/y4.jpg>

X-Ray of gun with rose
<https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8684/17192967419_7063f18eb6_b.jpg>

I doubt that Roentgen ever imagined that the medical technology he developed in 1895 would be applied in the manner it is being applied today. Roentgen's X-Ray technology not only opened doors in the medical profession, but created an entirely new medium through which artists could create visually astounding works of art.

References:

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine, Technology, and Art." UCLA. Los Angeles, CA. 21 April 2016. Lecture.

Ad Council. "Love Has No Labels." Online video clip. Youtube. 10 Mar 2015. Web. 21 Apr 2016.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnDgZuGIhHs>

Keady, Cameron. Huffingtonpost.com. "Giant X-Ray Screen Erases Gender, Age, Race to Prove 'We Are All Human.' " Huffington Post. 5 Mar 2015. Web. 21 Apr 2016

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/04/psa-love-has-no-labels-skeletons_n_6801038.html>

Veasey, Nick. Nickveasey.com. Personal Website/Blog. Web. 21 Apr 2016.

<http://www.nickveasey.com/home/4570152827>

Unknown. "History of X-ray Art and Artists." Xraypics.wordpress.com. 28 April 2013. Web. 21 April 2016.

<https://xraypics.wordpress.com/history-of-x-ray-art-and-artists/>

Meyers, Steven N. "Innervisions." x-rayart.com. 14 Nov 2009. Web. 21 Apr 2016.

<http://www.xray-art.com/index.htm>

Week 3: Robotics and Art

 Machines enabled art to be mass produced for the first time, which for philosophers such as Walter Benjamin, took the authenticity, uniqueness, and originality out of art. Benjamin stated that its [the artwork's] 'presence is depreciated.' To an extent, I agree with Benjamin's outlook. Important and classical works of art, such as Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower, and Dali's The Persistence of Memory have been reprinted and photographed so often that the viewer has lost that sense of awe when looking at these works of art. To be honest, I have seen images of these artworks so frequently throughout my life that they have lost their artistic significance for me.

The mass production of the Mona Lisa, this iconic image today is reprinted on T-shirts, bags, mugs, and a variety of objects.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nqWavGPCcyLSOjL06B66uHX3zgnMCZf1PK5dGvCSgwRj7RN8G1B4PJgATTM1ad0a6SvCXCYVOOok98B-nCQhJk0T2JXuufDC0cM6v18SIMTh-ayTgU6UWN4CwvBLCYspJyZiKUl67noR/s1600/6.png

Though I agree with Benjamin's assertion, I believe that the concept of mass production forced and encouraged artists to create artwork that could not be replicated. Furthermore, it is important to note that the 'aura' of the artwork is a feeling manufactured by the viewer, not the object. So though for me viewing the Mona Lisa elicits no emotional response, for someone who feels a connection to the painting itself, the essence of that painting is maintained, regardless of how many times it has been reproduced or seen by the individual.

The face of the Prague Astronomical Clock (1462)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_timekeeping_devices

This balance between machines and art is most evident, to me, in the form of clocks. Clocks represent the ultimate convergence of machinations and art. Though there are bland clocks, there are also those that push the boundaries between art and science. And it is these clocks that, regardless of how many times they have been reproduced, still instill in me a sort of wonder, curiosity, and intrigue. Beginning in the early 15th century, clocks expertly meshed the boundaries between machines, astronomy, physics, and art.





A kinematic clock created by the artist Gordon Brandt
http://www.gordonbradt.com/clocks.htm

A modern clock that is both functional timepiece
and work of art

In modern times, though clocks are mass produced, the unique one's maintain their originality regardless of how many times they are reproduced. In my opinion, these clocks maintain the 'essence' that Benjamin argued is lost when products are mass produced. In the clock, we see a perfect and ancient example of  art, science, and robotics blending together to create something more beautiful, a feat that has stood the test of time.





References:

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics and Art." UCLA. Los Angeles, CA. 10 April 2016. Lecture.

Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

"History of Timekeeping Devices." Wikipedia: The Free Encylopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 25 Feb, 2016. Web. 10 Apr, 2016.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_timekeeping_devices#Mechanical_clocks>

Marie, Niclas. "Managing Ancient Schedules: A Look at Ancient Timepieces." Web blog post. Timecenter. 12 Jan 2016. Web. 10 Apr 2016.
<https://www.timecenter.com/articles/managing-ancient-schedules-a-look-at-ancient-timepieces/>

Tom. "25 Cool and Unusual Clocks." Web blog post. Boredpanda.com. 12 Feb 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2016. 

<http://www.boredpanda.com/cool-and-creative-clocks/>

Bradt, Gordon. "Kinetic Art and the Desk Top Clock." Web blog post. Gordonbradt.com. 10 Mar 2010. Web. 10 Apr 2016.
<http://www.gordonbradt.com/clocks>

Week 2: Math and Art

This week's lecture and notes were amusing since I have always considered a basic understanding of mathematics (specifically geometry) essential in creating realistic artwork. It was interesting to see the strength of the divide that has been created between these two disciplines when in fact, art would not be what it is today without advances in mathematical understanding.

A pre-Renaissance art piece with disproportionate dimensions and no perspective.
My early art pieces looked similar to this one.

The link between math and art became obvious for me as a teenager, when I first began drawing. My early artwork resembled those of the pre-Renaissance era, namely, they were flat, had a one point perspective, and were proportionally off.











Eventually, I learned about linear perspective, optics, and geometry by studying Renaissance era art, which to me as an amateur artist looked incredibly realistic and proportionally sound.

Masolino's 'St. Peter Healing a Cripple and the Rising of Tabitha' with perspective lines.

Creating proportionally accurate drawings is very time consuming and difficult, and I am still not very good at it. The above painting has almost perfect perspective lines, and I have yet to wrap my mind around how exactly this works. Without a deep understanding of optics, I find it very difficult for me to create realistic artwork, and this just reinforces in my mind the concept that mathematics and art are intricately linked.

  We can even see the relationship between math and art in contemporary artworks. This is evident at UCLA where 2 mathematics professors were hired by Disney studios to help Disney create an algorithm for snow, in order to make the snow in the movie Frozen look more realistic (http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/math-wizards-create-snow-for-disney-263913). The video to illustrates the technique that the math professors created.





 The clip on the left shows how the techniques the professors developed were applied in the movie.














From M.C. Escher's art, to intricate mathematical origami, to UCLA mathematics professors studying snow, mathematics continues to build and create new avenues for artists to shape their worlds. Like many things that are portrayed as black and white in society, an incorrect juxtaposition exists between mathematics and art that clearly defies reality.

References:

Vesna, Victoria. "Math + Art." UCLA. Los Angeles, CA. 4 April 2016.  Lecture.

Haikudeck.com. One-Point Perspective. Unknown. 18 November 2015. Web. 1 April 2016.
<https://www.haikudeck.com/1-pt-perspective-art-and-design-presentation-YGZfnRpH47#slide0>

Frantz, Mark. Mathaware.org. Drawing with Awareness. Indiana University, April 2003. Web. 1 April 2016. < http://www.mathaware.org/mam/03/essay6.html>

Walt Disney Animation Studios. Disney's Frozen: A Material Point Method for Snow Stimulation. Online video clip. YouTube. 13 November 2013. Web. 1 April 2016.
 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H1gRQ6S7gg>

Walt Disney Animation Studios. Disney's Frozen: Wolf Chase Clip. Online video clip. YouTube. 28 October 2013. Web. 1 April 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF7AfwMzrpc>

Da Panicale, Masolino. St. Peter Healing a Cripple and the Rising of Tabitha. 1400.  Fresco. Brancacci Chapel, Florence.