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Week 9 Blog

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Space & Art Much art, especially in popular culture, has been inspired by space, particularly the exploration of space and intergalactic travels and planets. The part of this week’s lectures that interested me the most was the Space Race between Russia and the United States, and the evolution of space travel from satellites to sending humans up to the moon, and the impact it had on culture and education in America. Many movies have been inspired by space, for example, the huge Star Trek and Star Wars series, or award winning movies like Interstellar or Gravity . This shows how popular space travel seems, and just how much people are interested in what goes on outside of this planet. Star Wars Gravity (2013) There are many other art exhibitions and forms other than movies and popular culture that are intertwined with space. For example, The Mars Patent is a project that allows people to experience Mars in their own homes. Arthur Woods created the ...
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Event 3 Blog

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Griffith Observatory I attended the “Centered in the Universe” show in the planetarium at the Griffith Observatory, where we learned about the stars and the astrologists throughout the years that discovered our place in the universe and its vastness. The show itself was an incredible experience, where we were surrounded by the visual across the top of the planetarium and the sound of the speaker, and we were transported into a different time and place in the galaxy. I felt that it perfectly connected with the intersection of both technology and art, as well as space and art.   The planetarium shows at the Griffith, especially Centered in the Universe, exemplify the way that technology and art can combine to create an extraordinary experience for the public. While learning about space, the stars, and the universe, the viewers are engrossed in the visual experience, with stunning graphics and movements that make science and the stars as beautiful as if you s...
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Week 8 Blog

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Nanotech & Art The connection between nanotechnology and art is seemingly unconventional. However, nanotechnology can be used to make deep scientific discoveries, as well as create incredible works of art. The exhibition “Art in the Age of Nanotechnology,” a John Curtin gallery, shows how art through nanotechnology lies at the very intersection of art and science, and how nanotech pushes both artists and viewers to look at the world from a different, much closer perspective. Art can appear at a microscopic level, and it helps us connect with subjects and matter that we never would be able to see otherwise. Paul Thoma's Nanoessence, 2009 Ray Kurzweil’s TED talk announcing Singularity University shows how nanotechnology, and information technology in general, can impact the world on a large scale. In his talk, Kurzweil notes that the goal of the university is to apply these technologies to solving global human issues. The exponential growth of information ...
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Event 2 Blog

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Manu Garcia Exhibition I attended Manu Garcia’s exhibition in the Wight Gallery at the Broad Art Center. He had two different pieces on display: Vacuoles and Vacuoles II. Vacuoles consisted of 29 ceramic pieces that held lead-contaminated soil from southeast Los Angeles, all spread out on the ground, while black and white video projections of Los Angeles were shown on the walls. Vacuoles II was a clear container that also held lead-contaminated soil from southeast Los Angeles, along with webcams and a microscope. These two pieces relate to the course in the intersection between technology and art, particularly in the webcam technology as well as plant life & living organisms in the creation of art. Vacuoles Vacuoles II I enjoyed this gallery in how much it combines technology to create art. The video projections on the wall added an extra element to the ceramic pieces on the floor, and Vacuoles II contrasted with these pieces due to its more organic fo...
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Week 7 Blog

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Neuroscience & Art The functions of the brain and its connectivity to our subconscious, dreams, and body functions all intersect with art in this week’s lectures. The brain is one of the most complicated organs in the human body, containing our subconscious, conscious memories, our deepest thoughts, creativity, and commanding our bodies on a daily basis. It is only natural that the brain, so abstract and difficult to understand and control, can be used in art. One of the projects that emulate this is Suzanne Anker and Giovanni Frazzetto’s Neuroculture Project, which is used to show the intersection between neuroscience and popular culture. This can also be seen in Brainbow, which distinguishes individual neurons in the brain through fluorescent coloring and creates striking photographic images. Brainbow Brainstorm , 1983 Professor Vesna’s lectures on Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung showed how our subconscious and conscious mind play a critical role in our ...
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Week 6 Blog

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BioTech & Art The intersection of BioTech and art, resulting in BioArt, is an art medium that results in much controversy within the scientific and art worlds, as well as in the eye of the public. It raises the question of what the limits to human creativity and art should be, and what the ethical implications are of using biological technology to create life forms, hybrids, experimenting on life, to make a form of art.   Stelarc's Third Ear One of the projects that interested me the most was Orlan’s Harlequin Coat. I thought it was fascinating how she wanted to observe the implications and possibilities of different skin types and colors in petri dishes, all coming together in an abstract art form. The concepts of hybridization and body modification, like Stelarc’s Third Ear, make me think of the purpose of this kind of biological art. Body implants, especially something as unnecessary as a third ear, make me wonder if some artists take the abilities ...
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Event 1 Blog

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UCLA Meteorite Gallery Looking at the variety of meteorites at the UCLA meteorite gallery helped me better understand the idea of two cultures, and how science and art can be intertwined in every aspect of sciences, even in geology. It showed me how art can be found in the elements, in space, and even in sciences we may not be familiar with. The first picture shows me with a complete, individual 357 pound iron meteorite.  The second picture shows the Old Woman iron meteorite, which is the second largest meteorite from the United States. I  I found it interesting how these geological artifacts appear like sculptures or pieces in an art museum, with so much history and meaning behind it and its discovery. Old Woman Iron Meteorite Me with a 357 pound meteorite! One of my favorite parts of the gallery came from the area that focused on the differences in the inclusions of pieces of iron meteorites, which are insoluble substances in the metal that crea...
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