Week 5: Space+Art

       From ancient time, people could only "explore" the space with their imaginations. Many people had created beautiful and artistic fantasy of the universe, about its shape, its color and spiritual meanings. The stories about heaven and divinity were often associated with the sky. Although not scientifically correct, these myths were truly some treasure of minds from the past. 

In ancient North America, earth was belief to be on the back of the Great Turtle

       Even in later era, when science was more developed and scientists were more equipped for space exploration, the imagination still played an important role. As Prof. Vesna said in lecture, that "the science fiction writers have offered 'visions' for scientists to follow." Indeed, just like how a building is constructed out of the envision of the architects and the calculations of the engineers, space projects rely deeply on the "crazy" thoughts to be realized. 

The space elevator envision

       It was surprising to me that the nanoscience is so frequently brought up in the discussion of space explorations. In the video "Powers of Ten," we were able to visualize the difference from the scale of space - 10 to the 24 meters, to the scale of nano space - 10 to the negative 16 meters. However, these two extremes, yet both extremely high-tech fields, cooperate well in the course of unfolding the mysterious space. The unique nano structures of substances enables the matching of extraterrestrial substance to meteoric trace on the earth, and provides possible material for the construction of space projects, etc. 

       To me, the most intriguing envision about the space are the aliens. Since I was a child, I loved to see movies about aliens. Sometimes the aliens are highly intelligent and sometimes not so clever, sometimes they are malicious and sometimes friendly... I do hope these fiction will someday come true like those covered in the lecture. In the meantime, I will keep on enjoying the unbounded imaginations of the artists.

Bibliography

Sources

Ebishirl. "Ancient Cosmology: Theories on the Origin of the Universe." Web.
<http://www.brighthub.com/science/space/articles/11499.aspx#imgn_0>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space + Art | Lectures." Web.
<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=9092425>.

Office of Charles and Ray Eames. "Powers of Ten." IBM. Web. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=9092425>.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech + Art | Lectures" Web.
<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-8-view?module_item_id=9092419>.

The Telegraph. "Top 20 aliens in the movies." Web.
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/07/18/top-aliens-in-the-movies>.


Images

Ebishirl. "Ancient Cosmology: Theories on the Origin of the Universe." Web.
<http://www.brighthub.com/science/space/articles/11499.aspx#imgn_0>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space + Art | Lectures." Web.
<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=9092425>.

UKParamountPictures. "Star Trek Beyond | Final Trailer | Paramount Pictures UK." YouTube. YouTube, 2016. Web. 25 July 2016.

Week 5: Nanotech + Art

       In the lecture, Dr. Gimzewski talked about a very interesting topic: the different structures of carbon making up totally different substances. This might sounds surprising, but as one knows more about the invisible level of how the world around us is formed, it becomes more reasonable. As Prof. Vesna says, the study of nanoscience is opening a new door for people to view and understand our world. Although interpreting nanoscience is quite counterintuitive, it is inevitable and necessary.

       I think the technology of scanning tunneling microscope introduced in this class is really amazing. First, it can detect the visualize the nano structures that were once unknown to scientists, enabling them to interpret our world at such a small scale, and to look so close at the substance that are either vital to life or scarce in nature. For example, using nano technology, scientists found new life forms in an undersea vent north of Iceland  More amazingly, this technology enables creations on the nano level, which has a important meaning in both science and art. As is said in "The Nanomeme Syndrome", "both nanotechnology and media arts, by their very nature, have a common ground in addressing the issues of manipulation, particularly sensory perception, questioning our reaction, changing the way we think." In other words, the development of nanoscience can not only test the limit of science, but also arts.

       One more important thing nanoscience can achieve is serving medical use. Dr. Gimzewski talked about its contribution in treating cancer. In the Ted Talk "DNA folding, in detail" by Paul Rothemund, he talked about scientists' understanding of the "computation" of the DNA structures and the possible ways to manipulate them. This can also be a promising field of medical study as technology gets more advance. It might become the cure of the genetic diseases one day.

Bibliography

Sources
Vesna, Victoria. "Nanotech + Art | Lectures." Web.
<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-8-view?module_item_id=9092419>.


Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech + Art | Lectures" Web.
<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-8-view?module_item_id=9092419>.


Rothemund, Paul . "DNA folding, in detail." Ted2008. Web. <http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_rothemund_details_dna_folding/transcript?language=en#t-20180>.


U.S. National Library of Medicine. "Down syndrome." Web.
<https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/down-syndrome>.




Images


Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech + Art | Lectures" Web.
<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-8-view?module_item_id=9092419>.


Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech + Art | Lectures" Web.
<https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-8-view?module_item_id=9092419>.


U.S. National Library of Medicine. "Down syndrome." Web.
<https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/down-syndrome>.

Event 2: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

       When I was in New York with my family, we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art together. The Met has the largest collection of arts from all over the world in the US. I think it is worthy to spend some time in this museum if you visit NYC.

My grandparents and I were relaxing in front of the Met.

       In the museum, we saw a great deal of historical and contemporary exhibits from Egypt, Europe, Asia, etc. There were paintings, sculptures, historical relics and many forms of presentation. I was most interested in the bronze wine vessels, the Altar Set, from China. Back when I was studying in China, we learned about the wine culture in Shang Dynasty. The emergence of wine culture also pushed forward the development of bronze wares. Just like the arts inspired by and integrated with culture and technology at their time that we discussed throughout the course, the bronze ware culture was greatly affected by the wine culture.

       The guide introduced to us that the Altar Set is the only complete set of bronze wine vessels in the museums all over the world. This not only makes it special, but also provide a comprehensive view of the wine culture and the associating rituals and technology. For example, some of the bronze wares can not only be used to contain wine, but can also be used as the sacrificial vessels in the royal fetes. Moreover, some of these vessels were designed as warmer and freezer for the wine. What is interesting is that there were designs that prevent people from getting too drunk by making it hard to pour a lot of wine from the cup, which was both aesthetic and functional.  

       Another exhibit I want to talk about is the wall painting of the Buddha of Medicine. This wall painting was collected earlier by purchasing from the abbot of the temple where the wall painting was originally from. Since the temple was about to be teared down, the abbot wanted to preserve this wall painting and decided to sell it. Later, this painting has been constantly restored to get back to the appearance which we can see today. This story brings up a very controversial question: whether to keep the art works where they were originally from but let them fade away, or to collect them and provide careful preservation and restoration? I think this can be a really interesting topic to discuss.

       Finally, for those of you who enjoys painting. Another famous attraction in The Met is the self portrait of Vincent van Gogh. The Met is very large, don't miss this if you ever visit.

Event 1: LACMA

       In this summer, I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA. It was the first time I ever visited there and I had a great time appreciating the art works and immersing in the atmosphere of the museum. 

       I was especially attracted to one of the sculpture called "Metropolis II" by Chris Burden. I think this modern art work is an miniature envision of a future city of the artist. From the busy traffic and numerous skyscrapers, I can tell it is a highly developed and prosperous city. The structure of the city is unlike the common "metropolis" in our real world. Instead, the city makes great used of the three dimensional space. This reminded me of the materials we went through in week 1. The artist integrated math concepts into his design of a city, which added a sense of depth to both the appearance of the sculpture and the concept of "metropolis." 

       Many styles of architecture can be found on the miniature buildings in the sculpture. It brings the audience to attention that technology is linking the world and making it smaller. Although the city is expanding, but the distance of people is getting closer in the "Metropolis II." I also notice some details in the sculpture. For example, the gears and belts which form the tilted highway remind me of the assembly line in the factory. In the course, we learnt about how Ford developed the cars' production process and pioneered the mass production. Actually, the modern world is greatly benefitted and advanced by mass production. I think this detail also acknowledges the important role of robotics in the course of social development.

       There are many other art works in LACMA that stem from our daily life and the nature. For example, the work about lights and colors that looks like a huge commercial barcode to me, and the wall of photographs of trees with sculptures and lights made of steel "hidden" in the various tree... To me, these express the great balance between the artistic and the real world. I recommend going to LACMA and try to interpret the art works in your own ways.

Week 4: BioTech+Art

       “What is life and what does it mean when we manipulate life?” In the lecture, Professor Vesna brought up this question that the Bio artists like Joe Davis were trying to draw attention and answer to. I strongly agree with that this question is critical to the highly technologically advanced human society nowadays. Just like what Ellen K. Levy talked about in her article “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications”, “The artistic probing of what judgments underlie acts of categorization and basic philosophic questions about kinship relations and property come at a time when new kinds of life-forms are being fashioned.”

       In the lectures and course materials, many artists who make such artistic approaches to shed lights on the current technology. I was impressed with Eduardo Kac and his work GFP Bunny. In his report, he said that “above all, with a commitment to respect, nurture, and love the life thus created“ could the transgenic art be successful. To him, the GFP Bunny is not merely a lab result but more like the art work which he gave birth to. 

       However, artists and scientists are aware that the development of biotechnology is a double-edged sword: while it can be used to cure diseases and create unique artworks, it can also be “hacked” and misused. Artists like Paul Vanouse try to promote the concept and knowledge about biotech to the mass in order to push the entire society forward to catch the pace of the biotech development. After all, only by understanding and being able to rationally considering a thing can people utilize it in the right way. And I think this is why the bio artists are driven to do whatever they are doing: to help the scientist, to “decode” the complicated science in their own ways. 

Bibliography

Sources

Vesna, Victoria. "BioTech+Art | Lectures." Web.
     <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-6-view?module_item_id=9092406>.

Levy, Ellen K. "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications." Web.

     <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-6-agenda?module_item_id=9092405>.

Dobrila, Peter T. and Kostic, Aleksandra. "GFP Bunny." Telepresence, Biotelematics, and Transgenic 

     Art. Eduardo Kac. 2000. Web. <http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor>.

Kelty, Chris. "Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?" Web.

     <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-6-agenda?module_item_id=9092405>.

Vanouse, Paul. "Suspect Inversion Center (SIC)." Web.

     <http://www.paulvanouse.com/sic.html>.

Images

Vesna, Victoria. "BioTech+Art | Lectures." Web.
     <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-6-view?module_item_id=9092406>.

Dobrila, Peter T. and Kostic, Aleksandra. "GFP Bunny." Telepresence, Biotelematics, and Transgenic 

     Art. Eduardo Kac. 2000. Web. <http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor>.

Vanouse, Paul. "Suspect Inversion Center (SIC)." Web.

     <http://www.paulvanouse.com/sic.html>.

Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

       This week’s materials make me think beyond med, tech or art, to how today’s popular culture along with the advancing technology is changing people’s definition of beauty in Asia. 

       Plastic surgery is more and more common in today’s world. In essence, it enables people to alter their appearance by will. And many people undergo these surgeries to become “more beautiful” in their own standards. This is good for people who regard physical beauty as a great deal in their life. However, I feel like today’s popular culture is making people lose their unique taste in beauty. In China, teenage girls are taking too much plastic surgeries only to become famous on the social media. I saw a Japanese movie called “Helter-Skelter” that depicts the tragic conflict going on inside a famous model between the fancy modeling career and the painful and harmful plastic surgeries to maintain such career.

HELTER SKELTER ヘルタースケルター Trailer

       In Korea, it is no secret that almost every woman does plastic surgery, and when they walk into the clinic, they always ask for the same face of some movie stars. My point is, the immature popular culture is fueling the formation of blind worship of appearance in a woman’s career, and the dangerous singular standard of beauty in the society. 

Korean girls who look alike

       In lecture, Prof. Vesna talked about Orlan, the artist who took plastic surgeries to mimic famous images from art works. In an interview of Stuart Jeffries with Orlan, the artist revealed that one of the objectives of her work is about changing the convention of the inferiority and limits to females. In the recent movie "The Danish Girl," the main character also sought to break through the limit of sex through transgender plastic surgery. 

The Danish Girl - Trailer

       Last but not least, there are still much to discuss about the pros and cons towards psychological wellbeing of plastic surgeries. But the first principle to remember in mind is to always think twice before actually making the decision.

Bibliography

Sources

15-year-old Girl Who Has Undergone Extreme Plastic Surgery Cause an Online Furore. Daily Mail, 

     12 Apr. 2015. Web.

Wengie. "Why Korean Girls All Look the Same – a Closer Look at Korean Beauty and Make up 

     Standards and the Miss Korea and Daegu Pagent Contestants." The Wonderful World of Wengie 

     RSS. N.p., 1 Jan. 2014. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine + Technology + Art | Lectures." Web.
       <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=9092396>.

Jeffries, Stuart. "Orlan's Art of Sex and Surgery." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2009. 

     Web.

Dittmann, Melissa. "Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast?" Monitor Vol.36 (Sep. 2005): Page 30. 

     American Psychological Association. Web.

     <http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery.aspx>.



Images/Videos

Wengie. "Why Korean Girls All Look the Same – a Closer Look at Korean Beauty and Make up 

     Standards and the Miss Korea and Daegu Pagent Contestants." The Wonderful World of Wengie 

     RSS. N.p., 1 Jan. 2014. Web.

Filmlincdotcom. "NYAFF: HELTER SKELTER ヘルタースケルター Trailer." YouTube, 2013.

MovieclipsTRAILERS. "The Danish Girl Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Eddie Redmayne, Alicia 

     Vikander Drama HD." YouTube, 2015. Web.

Week 2: Robotics + Art

       In the lecture, Prof. Vesna talked about how the industrialization and mass production have enabled people to communicate arts and knowledge. She mentioned how Walter Benjamin discussed in his work “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” that the reproduction of art work diminishes its uniqueness, or “aura”, and yet “emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual” (Benjamin Part IV). 

       Living in the modern world, I deeply feel the advantages brought by the reproduction in the intellectual, artistic worlds, and even entertainment in human society. In the Anime Expo 2016 which is happening right now in LA, anime fans can enjoy themselves. Only by the popularity of anime culture could this kind of commercial art event take place. And this popularity counted on the the reproduction of anime works, which got rid of the limit of time and space to deliver message to its fans.

Photo taken at the Anime Expo 2016, LA

       Nevertheless, robotics are used to create “uniqueness” in the anime world, as the virtual idols were introduced to fans. This is exactly what Prof. Vesna talked about in the later part of the lecture—how computer science shifted people’s focus away from robot’s mechanism. Take the Vocaloid idols for example: the computer software enables users to “create vocal parts” to the virtual idols. These idols were given personalities and styles in this way. The creative song works along with the robotic figures attract thousands of fans for Vocaloid idols like Hatsune Miku. Similarly, the "Artbots" are also a form of art expression through physically incarnated robots.

Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku's concert

       Last but not least, the hottest ongoing topic about robots lies in artificial intelligence. The famous "Turing test" is to test for the machine intelligence, in which a artificially intelligent robot is expected to interact with real persons without letting them distinguish whether they are interacting with human or robot. Many films also touches with this topic. I saw the movie "Bicentennial Man," in which a artificially intelligent robot sought to become a real human physically and emotionally. In my point of view, this movie hinted on the humanity and ethnical issues about A.I. that human race might actually need to contemplate on in the future. 

Bicentennial Man movie trailer

Bibliography

Sources

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics + Art | Lecture." Web.

     <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-3-view?module_item_id=9092390>.

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." (1936): n. pag. Web. 

     <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/510391/pages/unit-3-agenda?module_item_id=9092389>.

An, Chris. "The Virtual Idol: The Vocaloid." Post Bubble Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 

     <http://postbubbleculture.blogs.wm.edu/2011/04/04/the-virtual-idol-the-vocaloid/>.

"ArtBots Gent, the Robot Talent Show 2011." ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 

     July 2016.

"Artificial Intelligence | The Turing Test." Artificial Intelligence | The Turing Test. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 July 2016.

Images/Videos

Anime Expo, LA Convention Center. Personal photograph by author. 02 July 2016.

Xtokashx. "Miku Expo 2016 Live Concert In Toronto - Ten Thousand Stars by CircusP - 1080 HD."YouTube. YouTube, 2016. Web. 03 July 2016.

Vision3001. "Bicentennial Man Movie Trailer (1999)." YouTube. YouTube, 2006. Web. 03 July 2016.