Week 6 Art + Biotechnology

Professor Vesna introduced many artists who did controversial research and project. I was shocked how advanced technology have enlarged the possibility and creativity of modern artists. At the same time as I was watching the visual images of these art forms, I became unsure if they can be called art or not. First of all, what is the definition of art? According to Oxford Dictionary of English,

Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, 

typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be

appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

I believe that various art forms introduced in lecture videos such as Alba, the fluorescent bunny which Edward Kac created, and the art created in science lab by Symbiotica do fit in this definition of art.

However, in art class at school, students are not exposed to these types of art. Students usually learn how to sketch, paint, and maybe create a sculpture, which are traditional art forms. For majority of people, what they see in art class and at art museum are traditional art. The rose below is art for majority of people, however, the fluorescent bunny may not be. When I first watched this week’s lecture video, I was one of the majority of people who only knew traditional art. The problem is that more and more students have less chance to be exposed to the traditional arts. According to The Huffington Post.com, the nationwide school budget cuts have been eliminating art classes at schools. Does this mean that art is not an important subject? Fran Smith says in Edutopia that involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. In other words, art is related not just to creative skill and imagination, it stimulates other types of abilities which artists need to create non-traditional art works.

I would like to emphasize that the definition of art says that art is producing works to be appreciated not just for their beauty but also emotional power. Beauty is not easy to define because every person has a different perspective toward beauty. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to know how or toward what people feel emotional power. Edward Kac’s Fluorescent Bunny created a debate whether it should be called art or not, however, I believe it is each individual who views Alba should decide if it is art or not.

References

Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson. Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. Print.

"5 Bioart Pt1 1280x720." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.

"5 BioArt Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.

Zhao, Emmeline. "School Budget Cuts: How Students Say Slashes Are Affecting Them." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 05 May 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/la-youth_n_1277182.html>.

"Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best." Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015. <http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development>.

"Green Fluorescent Protein - Cool Uses - Alba." Green Fluorescent Protein. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015. <http://www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/cooluses8.html>.

"Body / Art / Bioethics." Body / Art / Bioethics. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015. <http://www.bodyartbioethics.symbiotica.uwa.edu.au/>.

"Rose Art, Roses in Fine Art, How to Paint Roses, Draw a Rose, Rose History."Easy-oil-painting-techniques.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015. <http://www.easy-oil-painting-techniques.org/rose-art.html>.

Event Blog 2 / The Getty

I visited The Getty Museum for my second even blog. After I parked, I took a tram to go up the hill and arrived at the entrance of the museum. I picked up a copy of the map and started walking around. The Getty does not charge an admission fee. Parking is $15 so I recommend carpooling.

First, I went down to the Central Garden. The central garden which was filled with red

flower looked like a maze.

I believe these flower hanging racks are made with some type of metal, but they looked like trees with blooming flowers.

According to getty.edu, the garden was created by artist Robert Irwin. New plants are constantly added and Irwin describes the garden, "Always changing, never twice the same" . I would love to visit there again to see the change.

The museum is divided into four buildings, North, South, East, and West Pavilions. These distinctions are based on the years when the exhibits were created. Second floor of the West Pavilion where the world famous paintings are exhibited were especially crowded.

The curator told me that this painting behind us is their newest collection. He told me that they paid 65 million dollars to purchase this piece, “Spring”. It is painted by a French artist, Edouard Manet, who was a profoundly important figure to the development of Impressionism and to the course of art into the twentieth century, according to getty.edu. 89.3KPCC reports that “Spring” was intended to be one of the “Four Seasons” by this late-19th century French artist but the series was never completed. I would have liked to see all four paintings next to each other.

I stopped by at the children’s shop and I found a drawing book and a volcano making kit displayed next to each other. It reminded me of our week 1 theme, two cultures. For children, there is no clear separation between art and science. However, as Charles Percy Snow says “the intellectual life of the whole of western society is increasingly being split into two polar groups”, children start to draw in art class and they start to learn about volcano in science class. Unfortunately that is how they start separating art and science so I was happy to find these two books together.

I would like to conclude my blog with the beautiful view from the West Pavilion. According to Map & Guide to the Getty Center, the round shaped garden at the edge of the white wall in the picture below is Cactus Garden and the garden is a re-creation of a desert landscape. By employing efficient irrigation techniques and introducing more drought-tolerant plants, the Getty has been able to cut water use by more than 30 percent. It is very important to have such a water-saving irrigation technique especially in California where we have been facing a serious drought.

References

"Gardens | Getty Center." The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <http://www.getty.edu/visit/center/gardens.html>.

"Édouard Manet (Getty Museum)." The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/2911/douard-manet-french-1832-1883/>.

"The Getty's New $65M Manet: 'Spring' from an Artist in the Autumn of His Life." Southern California Public Radio. N.p., 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 04 May 2015. <http://www.scpr.org/blogs/offramp/2014/11/26/17614/the-getty-s-65m-new-manet-spring-from-an-artist-in/>.

Snow, C. P. "1 The Two Culture." The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. 4. PDF. 4 May 2015.

Map & Guide to the Getty Center. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2014. Print.

Week 4 Medicine + Technology + Art

In week 1, we learned about our tendency to divide art and science and place them in different categories. This week Professor Vesna introduced many artists, scientists and medical doctors who merged and use them for the development of medical and scientific technology and also to express their artistic instinct. I was amazed by watching people who were willing to use their body for the experiment. X-rays, MRI, and CAT scan all became essential device to modern medicine. Without those people’s motivation and passion for an invention and new technology, none of these technologies have been invented.

I was fascinated by the story of ancient Egyptian which was introduced in the lecture video. They left records which show that the Egyptian physicians and Greek anatomists were involved in the origin of the anatomical science. Ancient Egyptian Medicine states that the Edwin Smith Papyrus below documents ancient Egyptian medicine, including the diagnosis and treatment of injuries. While some papyrus are medical texts based in magic, the Edwin Smith Papyrus is valuable for documenting a rational and scientific approach to medicine in Ancient Egypt.

People in the Renaissance did not have a camera to leave the image they saw. Having a good artists right by physicians who dissect must have been very important. At the same time, for artists, it was necessary to have a knowledge of anatomy to create paintings and sculpture which express real human figure. According to Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Michelangelo, an Italian sculptor in the Renaissance period, who is considered as the greatest artist of all time is known to have undertaken anatomical dissections in his careers.

Studies for the Libyan Sibyl

With his anatomical experiences, he was able to create a sculpture such as “Crouching Boy” which expresses inner force of the man by its bulging muscle and bones. I believe that his works were made it happen by the anatomical experience and it reassures that art, science and medicine are inseparable.

Crouching Boy

"Clinical AnatomyVolume 24, Issue 4, Article First Published Online: 20 APR 2011." Clinical Anatomy as Practiced by Ancient Egyptians. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ca.21155/pdf>.

"Turning The Pages Online: Smith Papyrus Gallery." Turning The Pages Online: Smith Papyrus Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/proj/ttp/smith_home.html>.

"Ancient Egyptian Medicine - Smith Papyrus - Ebers Papyrus." Ancient Egyptian Medicine - Smith Papyrus - Ebers Papyrus. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptmedicine.html>.

"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Anatomy in the Renaissance. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/anat/hd_anat.htm>.

"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Michelangelo Buonarroti: Studies for the Libyan Sibyl (recto); Studies for the Libyan Sibyl and a Small Sketch for a Seated Figure (verso) (24.197.2). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/24.197.2>.

The State Heritage Museum. The State Heritage Museum, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/search-results?search=michelangelo>.

"Crouching Boy." Renaissance Art. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <https://tonynarducci.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/crouching-boy/>.

"Michelangelo Buonarroti A Crouching Boy." The State Heritage Museum. The State Heritage Museum, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/digital-collection/06.+sculpture/50447/?lng=>.

Week 3 Art and Robotics

When I heard the word “Robotics”, the first image that came to my mind was ASIMO. ASIMO, Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is considered one of the world most advanced humanoid robot designed and developed by Honda and it was introduced in 2000.

About 5 years ago, I saw ASIMO show at Disneyland in Anaheim and I remember that I was amazed by its flexible movement. Asimo ran, waved, walked up steps almost like human. Because of its human-friendly design and its natural movement, ASIMO did not look like those robots which attack people in the movies as Machiko Kusahara, a professor of Waseda University mentioned in the video presentation. Kusahara used Astro Boy as an example to explain that Japanese have always had a lovely mechanical doll image to robots. I feel that type of inspiration among Japanese engineers toward robots made it possible to create a human-friendly looking robot such as ASIMO.

ASIMO Runs at Disneyland

Robots are manipulated by human and the computer system controls their movement. The innovation in robotics does not stop, and Emi Tamaki, a Ph.D.at Tokyo University introduces PossessedHand which controls not robots but the human hand by applying electrical stimulus to the muscles around user’s forearm. By sending information from computer to the muscle, PossessedHand controls the finger movement.

PossessedHand:Techniques for controlling human hands using electrical muscles stimuli

Tamaki believes that Possessedhand can be a useful tool for a rehabilitation purpose and I agree with her. It will be a great aid for those patients who have suffered a stroke or other types of injury that impairs muscle control. As Kusahara mentioned, Japanese robots have been created not just to be used as machinery but also to take care of elderly people and to help people at disaster. I hope for the advancement of technology in robotics and they will be used the areas where they are needed.  

Tamaki's innovation on Possessedhad made me recall Benjamin Walter's article where he used the example of magician and surgeon. He said that magicians keep the distance between the human body while surgeons cuts into patient's body. In both situations, a hand is a tool that has a strong power to change something. A human's hand creates an invention and that invention is copied and reproduced by using machinery. However, after all, the origin of both art and technology is our hand.

"Inside Asimo." Inside ASIMO Robotics by Honda. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://asimo.honda.com/inside-asimo/>.

"ASIMO." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASIMO>.

"Asimo Runs! at Disneyland." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5g1PkEBxA0>.

"Product." H2L Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://h2l.jp/en/products/>.

"PossessedHand: Techniques for Controlling Human Hands Using Electrical Muscles Stimuli." Vimeo. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <https://vimeo.com/27044937>.

"Hand-hacking Lets You Pluck Strings like a Musical Pro." - Tech. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028186.100-handhacking-lets-you-pluck-strings-like-a-musical-pro.html#.VS6psTTLfK8>.

"Robear Robot Care Bear Designed to Serve Japan's Aging Population."Robear Robot Care Bear Designed to Serve Japan's Aging Population. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.gizmag.com/robear-riken/36219/>.

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

"European Style Counting Hands." European Style Counting Hands. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/37100/37122/euro-10_37122.htm>.

Event Blog 1 / Griffith Ovservatory

I went to Griffith Observatory on Saturday night during the spring break so it was very crowded even though I got there a few hours before they close.

The first thing which caught my eyes when I entered the building was the mural on the ceiling. According to Hugo Ballin Murals Griffith Observatory, it was produced by Hugo Ballin who was a writer and a producer in the film industry in early 20th century. He left film industry when Hollywood started making talking movies and returned to his first career as classically trained artist. Workers carefully restored Ballin’s murals so they would appear as Ballin first painted in 1934.

Randy, a curator, told me what each person drawn in the mural represent. They represent classical celestial mythology, Atlas, the four winds, the planets as gods, and the twelve constellations of the zodiac.

In week 2 lecture, Professor Vesna mentioned Nikola Tesla, an inventor and an engineer, who contributed to the development of the alternating-current electrical system that is widely used today and discovered the rotating magnetic field.

Nicola Tesla

Tesla Coil Griffith Observatory states that Tesla was born in now Croatia and came to the United States in 1884. According to Nikola Tesla, Wikipedia, he worked with Thomas Edison briefly. His 1891 invention, the “Tesla Coil,” is still used in radio technology today.

Here is the demonstration of Tesla coil.

Tesla Coil produces lightning-like discharges. Even though I saw it through the glass window, I heard the sound of discharges and the light was very bright. Tesla Coil converts low-voltage alternating current electricity to very high voltage and increases the frequency.

This telescope was displayed at “The Hall of Eye.” This gallery exhibits the progress of human observation of the sky and the tools which are used for that exploration.

This looks like an instrument but this is also a telescope.

I recommend everyone, adults and children, scientists and artists, students from north and south campus to visit Griffith Observatory and enjoy both science and art. Looking at the exhibits will awaken your imagination toward the space.

"Hugo Ballin." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ballin>.

"Hugo Ballin Murals." Griffith Observatory -. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.griffithobs.org/exhibits/centralrotunda_hugoballinmurals.html>.

"Nikola Tesla." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla>.

"Hall of the Eye." Griffith Observatory -. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/halloftheeye.html>.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/nikola-tesla-9504443>.

"Tesla Coil." Griffith Observatory -. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.griffithobs.org/exhibits/halloftheeye_teslacoil.html>.

Week 2 Art + Mathematics

In last week’s blog, I mentioned Leonardo Da Vinci and how his scientific knowledge may have influenced him creating his art pieces. I also introduced some of his pieces such as Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. In this week’s lecture film, I learned how Da Vinci calculated the angles mathematically to make those paintings stand out among other art pieces. Professor Vesna’s lecture made my obscure understanding of the mathematical aspect of Mona Lisa and The Last Supper very clear.

I was very interested in the term “Golden Ratio” and “Golden Rectangle” which were introduced in the lecture presentation. The pyramid in Egypt which "Golden Ration" was used never stops attracting people’s attention.So what is the effect of using golden ratio? According to McVeigh's article in The Guardian, the reason why it pleases the eye is because the human eye is capable of interpreting an image featuring the golden ratio faster than any other images.

Sunflowers are the example of plants which have a Golden Ratio seed arrangements. Computer Scientist, Alan Turning, introduced the theory about the occurrence of mathematical patterns in nature before his death in 1954 and his theory has recently been proven. This ratio maximizes the number of seeds that can be packed into a seed head. The golden ratio does not just please people's eyes but they are also an effective tool for ecosystem in nature.

While I was researching on different architectures and art pieces which use "Golden Ratio" and "Golden Rectangle", I found that there are some other types of ratio and one of them is “Golden Spiral”. Samuel Obara, a professor of Georgia University, says that the “Golden Spiral” is created by making adjacent squares of Fibonacci dimensions and is based on the pattern of squares that can be constructed with the golden rectangle.

Here is an example of using “Golden Spiral”.

This is The Great Wave, a woodblock print by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. It was published in the early 19th century. The record does not show that he studied either math or science, however, The Great Wave looks as if  it was drawn using the golden spiral ratio. That is probably why Hokusai became to be known as one of the best artists in Japan and he has influenced many western artists.

1) Freeborn, Amy. "Alan Turing's Final Experiment Completed and Theory Proven in Centenary Tribute." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://news.yahoo.com/alan-turings-final-experiment-completed-theory-proven-centenary-110500414.html>.

2)"Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture." Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015. <http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emt668/EMAT6680.2000/Obara/Emat6690/Golden%20Ratio/golden.html>.

3) McVeigh, Karen. "Why Golden Ratio Pleases the Eye: US Academic Says He Knows Art Secret." The Guardian. The Guardian, 28 Dec. 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/dec/28/golden-ratio-us-academic>.

4) Nikhat, Parveen. "Fibonacci in Nature." Fibonacci in Nature. University of Georgia, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emat6680/parveen/fib_nature.htm>.

5) "The Golden Ratio 2 - in the Life." MY ARTWORKS GALLERY. N.p., 10 Aug. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2015. <https://s719244.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/the-golden-ratio-2-in-the-life/>.

6) "The Great Wave off Kanagawa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa>.