Week 4 | MedTech + Art

Week 4 | MedTech + Art
Nicole Chuhak

The room of the 4th ventricle of the brain

     This week's lesson focused on medical technologies and their relationships with art. One project that I found after watching the lessons was by Dr. Kai-hung Fung. In his project Dr. Fung discovered that not only did adding color to CT scans add to their medical value, but they also made some very "psychedelic" pieces of art (Herman).  Another project that uses CAT scans, by Satre Stuelke, scans everyday items using the medical technology (Stuelke). These are instances of medical technologies being used to develop art, however some artists use medical technologies more actively in their projects.
     The French artist Orlan has adapted medical technologies into her Carnal Art. She defines

An example of Stuelke's project

Carnal Art as, "self-portraiture in the classical sense but made by means of today's technology." (Ornal) Ornal has taken the technologies of today's medical practices and used her own being as a canvas for her art. Not only does Orlan use her body in this manner, but she makes her decisions on what she wants from the surgeries for meaningful reasons (Vesna). She chooses, "not for the canons of beauty they represent... but rather on account of the stories associated with them." (Dusinberre) While I think it is a bit extreme to undergo actual surgery in the name of art, I do think that Orlan's expression of respect for the women in her art is admirable. It is the most upfront example of the relationship between art and medical technologies, but in my opinion, pieces like those by Stuelke and Dr. Fung  are not only like the art I would prefer to see, but also more respectful to the idea behind medical technologies. In my opinion, Orlan going under the knife in the name 

A screenshot of Orlan's work

of art is a bit disrespectful to the medical practices, almost as if she is making a mockery of doctors and their medical practices. It is for this reason that I am torn about her work, because it is a meaningful piece, but I think some more thought should have been put into its execution. 








Sources:

Dusinberre, Deke. "Orlan: [carnal Art] ; following the Exhibition "Eléments Favoris" (November 28, 2002 - February 16, 2003) and ... to Coincide with the Exhibition "Orlan, Méthodes De L'artiste (March 31 - June 28, 2004)." Paris: Flammarion, 2004. Print.

Herman, Judith. "Psychedelic Images From Inside Your Body." Behold. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. 

Orlan. "ORLAN OFFICIAL WEBSITE / SITE OFFICIEL D'ORLAN." Carnal Art / Art Charnel. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Stuelke, Satre. "Radiology Art: X-ray Art." Radiology Art: X-ray Art. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Unit Four: MedTech + Art." Lecture. 2012

Week 3 | Robotics + Art

WEEK 3 | Robotics + Art
Nicole Chuhak

Raising the Flag at Ground Zero

            This week’s lesson was all about how art and technology influence one another. Technology has influenced all different types of art, but robotics have played their own unique part. Mass production of art has been one of the most prominent ways that robotics have touched the art world, and not necessarily in the best ways. Not only does mass producing a piece of art devalue it fiscally, but also artistically (Murray).

 As Walter Benjamin argues, the mass production of pieces of art affects the aura of the work, and I agree with that sentiment in some regards (Benjamin). Take for example, the photo on the right taken in September 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. The photo has been mass produced many times, including as a stamp, but the aura of the photo will never carry that of the original photograph taken that day in 2001 (Stamp). Yes, people will feel the wide range of emotions associated with the September 11^th events, but any reproduction of that photograph will not carry the weight of the original photograph that came from the piece of film present that day.  

Disney's Baymax

            There are a number of other robotic and art interactions but the most obvious is the robots we all think of, with a general human shape made out of metal boxes and tubes, and their interactions in our art in the form of movies. Robots have been a part of cinematic history since the 1920s (“Movie Robots”). They are an artistic tool used to symbolize the technology, and what can be done with it in the future; in short they are a plot device most of the time. However, it has been presented in this unit that the use of robotic in art has influenced the robotic technology we have grown to know (Vesna). For example, we can see in the comics, and more recent film, Big Hero 6 the use of a robot to treat the ill. These thoughts have defiantly been used by scientists to carry out their goals of health care robots. Other uses of robots in cinematic arts can be seen in the video below.

           

Sources:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1936. Print.

"Movie Robots - Illustrated History of Film Robots." Movie Robots - Illustrated History of Film Robots. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

Murray, Roberta. "Uncommon Depth." Uncommon Depth. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

"Stamp to Honor 9/11 Heroes." ABC News. ABC News Network. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics+Art." DESMA 9, Apr. 2015. Lecture

Week 2 | Math + Art

WEEK 2 | Math + Art
Nicole Chuhak

       

Example of vanishing points

At first thought, art and math are polar opposites; art is all about being free to express things however you see fit, whereas math is full of strict rules and principles. But, as we saw in this week’s lesson, art and math have been closely linked for hundreds of years. Math is used in art techniques such as the vanishing point described by Frantz, spatial art as described by Escher, and the book/film Flatland originally constructed by Abbott.

The Garvagh Madonna

One example can be seen at the right, where the golden rectangle can be seen in this famous piece by Raphael, which was painted in the first decade of the 16^th century. The golden triangle, and its corresponding Fibonacci circle, is used by artists to draw the eyes, as well as play to the idea that the golden ratio is extremely pleasing to the eye of the observer.

Flatland film poster

            This week I have learned just how important math is to art and how it has played such a large role in art over the centuries. I found it most insightful when mathematics was described as its own language, thus it has its own unique influences on art. The Da Vinci Code is one example of how the language of math was used literally as its own language to influence the story of the work.

            Art and Science can be described as the visual representations of mathematics. Without mathematics, art and science would not be what they are today. Congruently, without art and science, mathematics would just be equations and theorems with no applications. The two need each other, to be relevant.

Sources:

Abbott, Edwin. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. 1884. Print.

Escher. "The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher." The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher. Web. 12                                                          Apr. 2015.

Frantz, Marc. "Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art." 2000.

Reich, Dan. "THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE, SPIRALS AND THE GOLDEN MEAN." THE                                                                  FIBONACCI SEQUENCE, SPIRALS AND THE GOLDEN MEAN. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Art+Math." DESMA 9, Apr. 2015. Lecture.

WEEK 1 | Two Cultures
Nicole Chuhak


       I am one of the scientists that Bohm describes as liking to solve puzzles. As an engineer at UCLA, the two cultures are blindingly obvious not only in my class content, but also geographically on our campus. In my four years at UCLA, I have been required to take only four "North Campus" classes. I have only been required to crossover the diving line that is Bruinwalk, for one class, for one quarter a year; it is only then that my education allows me to interact with non-engineers and non-science majors. It is during these brief interactions, in which it is plain to see the two distinct cultures as described by Snow, and to see the university's attempt to bridge the gap like he predicted.

UCLA Bruinwalk

       The stereotypes associated with the North and South Campus majors are too numerous to list and almost always inaccurate. Some of the most artistic people I know have a scientific major, and most of my North Campus friends are more knowledgeable about technology. I think this can all be attributed to the third culture described by Brockman. Information and knowledge is being disseminated to the general public allowing anyone who wants the information the ability to have it.

The evolution of art and technology harmonization

      I think that is important to remember that the two cultures exist, but I think it is more important to see how important it is for the two to work together. The majority of entertainment in our lives now are the results of how art and technology work together. That is why it is so important to promote both cultures, because without either, growth cannot continue. 
      Reading about the two cultures really puts everything into perspective. It is easy to forget that without some of the earliest art, such as cave paintings, we would not know some of what we know about our earliest ancestors. In the same light, we must remember that without scientists we would not have things like penicillin, bridges, and computers. These two cultures have to work together in a balanced harmony to continue the progression of our society, and in the end that is why I appreciate my four classes that allow me to cross into the other culture; they make me a more rounded member of society and reading about the two cultures reminds me of that.

An example of art that wouldn't be possible without technology and science

Sources:
Bohm, D. "On Creativity." 1968. Paper.

Graham-Rowe, D. "John Brockman: Matchmaking with Science and Art." 2011. Interview.

Kelly, K. "The Third Culture." 1998. Interview

Snow, C.P. "Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution." 1959. New York: Camridge UP. 1961. Print.

Wilson, S. "Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology." 2000. Interview.