Extra Credit Event Blog 1 / MAKING STRANGE

I went to “Making Strange” one of the exhibitions at Fowler Museum at UCLA. According to Fowler Museum, Delhi-based artist Vivan Sundaram have merged art and medicine by creating clothings which are made from recycled materials and medical supplies. If seen from a distance, I could not tell that the dresses and suits are made from materials such as surgical caps, X-ray film, and foil medicine wrappers.

Vivan Sundaram is a painter, sculptor, installator, who is a key figure in a group of contemporary artists. During the interview on artforum.com, Sundaram says that the phrase  “Making Strange” is a quote from Bertolt Brecht. Bertolt Brecht is one of the most prominent figures in the 20th-century theater. Sundaram says he uses ordinary, everyday materials such as plastic cups, sanitary napkins, bras to make unusual garments by making the familiar strange.  

Vivan Sundaram

Sundaram also says that notions of recycling has always interested him. His 2008 mixed-media installation “Trash” represents such notions. I think it is great that he uses recycled materials for art projects. It raises the awareness of the importance of recycling and also it inspires young children to create something with what they have. It teaches them that they do not need expensive materials but they can use whatever they have or ever trash. People often dump furniture and electronic appliances on the street. They could be the materials for an art project.

“Trash” by Vivan Sundaram 2008

Here are the exhibits at “Making Strange”. The clothings are all made with materials which are familiar to us but something that we do not see very often in art forms.

This black dress is made of X-ray film. Shiney and smooth texture of the film is matched well with the avant-garde design of the dress.

This green dress is called “Poisoned Robe” and it is made of surgical caps.

“Immunity Cover” is made of surgical masks.

Vivan can create a dress with any materials. This dress is made of tampons.

This tops is made of men’s silk tie.

A suit made of foil medicine wrappers.

The colorful little pieces inside the suit are pills.

This dress which is made of red bras was my favorite.

This unique art work I found on everydaytrash.com while researching on Vivan is called “Fly”. From his works, I feel his interest toward trash and recycle. India has a serious trash problems caused by growing population and the lack of administrative support. I feel that Vivan has been trying to express his concern by using his creativity.

"Fly" by Vivan Sundaram 2008

"Vivan Sundaram." Saffronart. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.saffronart.com/artists/vivan-sundaram>.

"Art Couture." The Hindu. N.p., 24 Dec. 2011. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/art-couture/article2744476.ece>.

"Bertolt Brecht." Bertolt Brecht. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.theatredatabase.com/20th_century/bertolt_brecht_001.html>.

"Photoink - Asian Photography Blog." Asian Photography Blog. N.p., 15 Mar. 2009. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://chngyaohong.com/blog/galleries/photoink/>.

"Vivan Sundaram Talks about GAGAWAKA." Artforum.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://artforum.com/words/id=29889>.

"Vivan Sundaram." Everydaytrash. N.p., 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://everydaytrash.com/2008/10/13/vivan-sundaram/>.

"MAKING STRANGE." The Fowler Museum. 1400 S. 308 Charles E Young Dr N, Los Angeles, CA 90024 .8 May 2015.

Week 9 Art and Space

There are great scientists and astronomers who contributed the development of understanding about the space. As introduced in lecture video, Nicolaus Copernicus formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at its center. His idea completely changed the notion of the space. Without his revolutionary discovery, science history could have been completely different. According to World Public Library, The phrase “Copernican Revolution”  is now widely used, particularly in the humanities, for a simple change of perspective, connoting a progressive shift.

The change of perspective makes impossible possible. Many new inventions that most people thought impossible came true. As we have learned throughout this course, various technologies such as robotics, medicine, biotechnology and nanotechnology which did not exist in the past came true because of the change of perspective and the passion of the professionals. Professor Vesna introduced us the TV shows which influenced people thinking about space. One of them is Star Trek.

Foxnews.com says that Astronauts, movie makers, scientists, engineers and others from all walks of life cite "Star Trek's" science and technology as an influence on their lives and worldview. Telescope made it possible for human to look at the space closely. Satellite sends clear images of the earth and the space. These inventions influenced the creation of  TV shows such as Star Trek. As a result, these TV shows made it possible for us to broaden our imagination toward the space. What interests me is that scientists and engineers actually made the items such as cell phones and telecommunication device they saw in Star Trek into real products.

The Top 10 Real-Life Star Trek Inventions

It is exciting to think that what we see in the TV shows and the movies such as Star Wars may become real in near future. We may be flying from earth to the moon and other planets by the flight squad which appeared in Star Wars.

"8 Space Intro 1280x720." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dPAmpBiVHY>.

"Copernican Revolution (metaphor)." Copernican Revolution (metaphor). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://netlibrary.net/articles/copernican_revolution_(metaphor)>.

"Copernicus." Copernicus. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://ircamera.as.arizona.edu/NatSci102/NatSci102/lectures/copernicus.htm>.

"Star Trek: Starbase 2016." - TBD. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://teebeedee.ning.com/group/starbase2016>.

"Space Pt6." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYmOtFjIj0M>.

"Clone Flight Squad Seven." Wookieepedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Clone_Flight_Squad_Seven>.

Event Blog 3 / Fowler Museum

I visited one of the exhibits at Fowler Museum at UCLA, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.  This exhibit is one of our nation’s most important collections of art from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americans, according to fowler.ucla.edu. It was my first visit to Fowler museum. It is a beautiful museum and the admission is free to UCLA students. There are multiple exhibits going on so I highly recommend everyone to stop by to be exposed to art and have some quiet time.

This is a shoulder cloth which was produced in South Sumatra, Indonesia in the late 19th century or early 20th century. The bright color caught my eyes and I looked at it closer. The pattern is very complicated and it is beautifully designed. The rectangular trim which looks like a straight line is made with hundreds of small white dots and the oblique lines inside the trim are made with different colored patterns. I can see that these patterns are designed after careful calculation. When I looked even closer, I was able to see that this big cloth is made by patching two cloths together at the middle. The patterns at the joint part is perfectly matched so I first thought that it was one big cloth. Until I take this course, I did not realize how math concept is related to almost every process of creating some type of art.

This is a Priest's Robe made in Kyoto, Japan in the late 18th century. The fabric is made with silk cloth and metallic yawn. This is another example of production by precise calculation. Many small pieces of cloths are patched together to make the robe but the white bird looks perfectly in one piece.

I especially liked this Wedding robe which was made in Japan in late 19th or early 20th century. The embroidered crane looks beautiful on gold silk textile. According to sinology.org, in Japan, cranes is a symbol of a thousand years of happiness and prosperity, which is a perfect symbol for a wedding gown.  

These are Indonesian Rod Puppets which were made early to mid-20th century. They are made of curved and painted wood. The puppets has roles such as kings, knights, princesses, and others and a distinct personality of each puppet is expressed by elaborately curving. These puppets reminded me of robotics we learned. These puppets are similar to mechanical dolls called "karakuri dolls" which Tokyo University Professor, Machiko Kusahara, introduced as child friendly dolls which originates Japanese robotics. These puppets tell us that it is human nature to feel the motivation to move the dolls and have them copy what humans do.

I was interested in how these puppets are manipulated. In this video, Professor at UC Santa Cruz, a puppet master, Kathy Foley tells us how. The movement of puppets are much more dynamic than I expected. As explained in the video, the puppet shows are performed for a large audience from dusk to dawn so it makes sense that puppets' movements are dynamic to keep the audience from falling asleep.

What I felt after the visit to this exhibition is that I paid more attention to the details of each exhibit. Before I took this course, the cloth was just a beautiful cloth, but now I imagine the process of making these fabrics and think of the passion of people who made these items.

"Fowler Museum. Fowler Museum at UCLA." Fowler Museum. Fowler Museum at UCLA. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2015.

"Crane Symbol." Signology.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2015.

"Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives." The Fowler Museum. 1400 S. 308 Charles E Young Dr N, Los Angeles, CA 90024 .8 May 2015.

"Robotics MachikoKusahara 1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 26 May 2015.

"Indonesian Puppets Wayang Golek." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 26 May 2015.

Week 8 Art and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is something I knew little about beside the terminology until I watched this week’s lecture video, however, a few points became clear to me. One is that nanotechnology is a fairy new technology and it is a rapid-growing field. As Gimzewski mentioned in the lecture video, Nobel physicist, Richard Feynman, first pointed out the concept of nanotechnology. Jill Dixon says that Feynman delivered the concept “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” in which he described “a technological vision of extreme miniaturization” and challenged scientists to explores this new scientific field. 15 years later in 1974, the term “nanotechnology” was first used by Norio Taniguchi, Tokyo  University of Science Professor. 40 years later in 2014, according to nanotechnology-now.com, more than 100  events and conferences related to nanotechnology are held around the world.  

The other thing I came to understand is that consumers have a difficulty knowing what products are being produced by using nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is used in variety of products such as beer bottles, tennis balls, and power tools. There are no similarities among these products and it is very hard for consumers to relate them to nanotechnology. Discovermagazin.com states that consumer activists are concerened that nanoparticles in food packaging such as beer bottles and food containers could be a safety concern.

According to National Center For Biology Information, currently, there is no mandatory labeling for products containing nanoparticle and the data suggests that labeling of products may reduce consumers’ benefit perception and increase risk perception. Mandatory labeling can be a risk for companies which produce nanotech products, however, should we continue buying these products without knowing both benefits and the possible harm?

References 

"Nanotech Jim Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7jM6-iqzzE>.

Dixon, Jill. "Science and Technology Resources on the Internet." Guide to Nanotechnology Internet Resources. Binghamton University Libraries, 2011. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://www.istl.org/11-winter/internet1.html>.

"Nanotechnology Now." 2014 Nanotechnology Events & Conferences. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://www.nanotech-now.com/events-2014.htm>.

"NANOTECH MEET Tunisia 2014 Joint International Conferences."Nanotech Tunisia 2014 and MEET Tunisia 2014 Joint International Conferences and Exhibitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://www.setcor.org/conferences/nanotech-meet-tunisia-2014>.

"Nano MatEn 2015 International Conference & Exhibition." SECTOR Conference and Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://www.setcor.org/conferences/NANO-MATEN-2015>.

"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22084863>

"June 2015." Discover Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://discovermagazine.com/galleries/zen-photo/n/nanotech-products>.

"6 Unconventional Uses for the Tennis Ball." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://mentalfloss.com/article/51496/6-unconventional-uses-tennis-ball>.

Week 7 Art + Neuroscience

Brain is one of the most important parts of the human body. It is the hub of our nervous system. According to sciencemuseum.org.uk, our brain is made up of 100 billion nerve cells, which is about the same as the number of trees in the Amazon rainforest. Each cell is connected to around 10,000 others so the total number of connections in your brain is the same as the number of leaves in the rainforest, about 1,000 trillion.

Among the different feeling which is controlled by some of our billion nerve cells, I did some research on the fear that we feel. In the music video of Fearing by Amygdaloids, the lyrics says that our body reacts to fear automatically such as faster heartbeat and strengthening of muscle. It is our body’s natural reaction. Ole Asli, a postdoc in the department of Psychology at The Arctic University of Norway says,” Our reaction to fear is almost as quick as a reflex.” Because human’s ancestors learned to fear danger to survive, we are predisposed to being afraid. That is why our body reacts to fear instantly and being sensitive to fear is extremely important for survival.

I found an interesting research on our brain and how it processes art. The research suggests that people feel fear and our body react just by seeing an image in which the person is feeling fear. In Michelangelo’s Expulsion from Paradise, the the tip of the sharp sword is right on the neck of the man in the left. According to Smithsonian.com, neuroscientists and art historians observed what happened to people who look at this drawing.

David Freedberg, the Columbia University professor, reports that just the sight of the raised wrist causes an activation of muscle. It means that our brain reacts the action we see without actually experiencing it. Our brain may reacts to  what we see while walking on the street and what we see on TV screen without knowing it. It made me think that it is important that we are not just exposed to the images but to choose the image that we want to view.  

References

"Who Am I?" How Does Your Brain Work? N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2015.

"Fearing - The Amygdaloids." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 15 May 2015.

"Your Fear Reaction Is Lightning Quick." Sciencenordic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2015.

"How Does the Brain Process Art?" Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2015.

"Masterpieces of Deception." Masterpieces of Deception. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2015.

"7 Things Fear Has Stolen from You." Marc and Angel Hack Life RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2015.

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>.