Week 9 | Space + Art

Week 9 | Space + Art
Nicole Chuhak

An artistic rendering of the constellations

     This week's lesson on space and art was a very good way to round out the class. Space really serves as a blanket for all the topics we've discussed this year, including robotics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology (Vesna). I find this topic extremely interesting because I feel like it can mean a variety of different thing, all of which are very interesting.

Poster for the film Gravity

     For example, when we talk about space and art we could be
referring to how art has influenced the space race. The mystery of space has been depicted in art for centuries in many forms; Art has been used to explain the stars in the stories of the constellations, the seasons, and to speculate whether or not we are alone (Smith). This constant curiosity expressed in our art manifests itself in our technological advancements in the space field. We can now send people into space, send drones even further into space, and take telescope photos even further still, all because science has the desire to answer these questions that have been expressed through art.

     We could also talk about how space has influenced art, especially in television and cinema. Films
such as Interstellar, Avengers, and Gravity are all some of the biggest films of the last 5 years that center on space and its technology (Rotten). I think that this omnipresent space theme has really enhanced cinematography over the last 30 or so years and that the world would be quite different without our Sci-Fi movies.

Pillars of Creation

     Finally we can discuss how art and science work together in a way the results in some of the most breathtaking images I have ever seen. The most obvious example is the Hubble Telescope, which has been taking these amazing photos for the last 25 years (Hubble). I am particularly fond of Pillars of Creation shown at right, not only for their beauty, but also for what they represent to the world of science (NASA). In the end that's why I took this class; I wanted to see the marriage of technology and art working to create something together that wouldn't be possible without the other.



Sources:

Hubble Site. "Hubble Telescope". Web. 2015

NASA. NASA. Web. 27 May 2015.  

Rotten Tomatoes. Web. May 2015.

Smith, Roberta. "‘Mind Is Outer Space’." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 July 2013. Web. 27 May 2015.  

Vesna, Victoria. "Unit 9: Space + Art". Lecture. 2012

Week 8 | Nanotech + Art

Week 8 | Nanotech + Art
Nicole Chuhak

Visual scale of what nano is

      This week's topic on nanotech and its corresponding relationship to art was extremely interesting because nanotech is such a prominent field here at UCLA (CNSI). As Professor Gimzewski mentioned,
UCLA houses one of the most prominent nanotech labs in the world and as an engineer I frequently am updated on what they are doing via flyers, emails, and other professors (Gimzewski). However, I have always found nanotech a very abstract science because you can't see it (part of the reason I am a civil engineering major is because I can see my science); this is why I am so intrigued by its relationship with art.

Nano

    Like with all of the other technologies we've studied this quarter, art makes nanotechnology easier to understand and as a visual learner I love that art can do that (Vesna).
Obviously, some of the most prominent projects in this spectrum are those done by Professors Gimzewski and Vesna. Their "Nano" project that held residence at LACMA in 2003 is a prime example of making nanotech a visually understandable topic (Lovgren). As an interactive exhibit, it encourages people to manipulate the science and "get their hands dirty" with the science. I especially enjoyed hearing about the buckyball portion of the exhibit, shown at right.

Some of Richard Feynman's nanotech work

     I think it is an interesting path the nanotech and art are currently walking along together. We were first using art to help spark an interest and understanding in nanotech, but as time goes on nanotech will/has effected art. With so many different applications nanotech is working its way into every facet of our lives and that includes art. Not only does nanotech provide improved new and advance faculties by which to make art but it also gives a new
spectrum to in-vision our art in with the nano scale. This concept was first brought forth by Richard Feynman who said, "there is plenty of room at the bottom," a phrase that I truly sums up art and nanotech.




Sources:

"California NanoSystems Institute." Welcome to the. Web. 22 May 2015.  

Feynman, Richard. "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom." Lecture. 1959

Gimzewski, J. "NanoTech for Artists." Lecture. 2015.

Lovgren, Stephen. "Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society. Web. 21 May 2015.  

Vesna, V. "Nanotech Intro." Lecture. 2015.

Week 7 | Neuroscience + Art

Week 7 | Neuroscience + Art
Nicole Chuhak

     It is important to realize that as we start our conversation about art and neuroscience that neuroscience is an extremely young topic. The field is only about a hundred years old (Vesna). It is important to note this while we discuss because of the contrast between neuroscience's youth and art's long standing place in history.

Example of Cajal's work

     We cannot truly discuss art and neuroscience without first discussing Santiago Ramón y Cajal. He was really the first person to accurately grasps neuroscience in an accurate capacity.His artistic renderings are still relevant and used in neuroscience today. Llinás has gone as far as to say that Cajal is "arguably the most accomplished anatomist in the history of neuroscience." I find this really remarkable that the work done close to a century ago is still has an impact today.

Brainbow

     However, in my opinion, one of the most interesting intersections between art and neuroscience can be seen in brainbows. Brainbows are the result of a florescent marker marking different proteins in the brain. In terms of neuroscience, these images show where the different paths and components of the brain are and where they travel. In terms of art, these images have one numerous science art contests (Cai). I find the brainbows not only beautiful, but also very mind bending. Seeing the numerous paths, so easily due to the different colors, shows easily how intricate the brain really is. Even more interesting in my opinion, is the 3D rendering below, illustrating how much the art of brainbows can teach us about neuroscience.

Sources:

Cai, Dawen, Kimberly B Cohen, Tuanlian Luo, Jeff W Lichtman, and Joshua R Sanes. "Improved Tools for the Brainbow Toolbox." Nat Meth Nature Methods (2013): 540-47. Print.  

Llinás, Rodolfo R. "The Contribution of Santiago Ramon Y Cajal to Functional Neuroscience." Nature Reviews Neuroscience Nat Rev Neurosci: 77-80. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. "Unit 7: Neuroscience + Art." Lecture. 2012.

Week 6 | BioTech + Art

WEEK 6 | BioTech + Art
Nicole Chuhak

Last week we discussed art as it related to Medical Technologies, and this week we took a similar look at how art works hand in hand with Biotechnology. The use of biotech in art

Bioart: Melding Biotech and Art

takes many different forms. One example is using genealogy within art, as is being done by artists Heather Dewey-Hagborg and Karen Ingram. In their project Bioart: Melding Biotech and Art these two artists collaborate with biotech researcher Wythe Marcshall to use art in order to express a biological shift in the world in place of the societal shift art usually shines a light on (Dewey).

Doll composed of mouse cells

Another example of artists using biotech can be seen when artists use live tissue in their works. Two artists that have been doing this for over 20 years are Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr. The two have produced a number of different bioart projects, where they use living cells to do anything from making miniature dolls out of mouse cells to making wings out of pig cells (Miranda). These artists produce these projects in order to shine a light on the “nature of life,” and after more reading, I really enjoyed not only what the artists are trying to say, but also the respect they have for the living cells they are using.

Stelarc's famous third ear

There are many other bioartists, such as Stelarc who grew a third ear on his arm, that also use art to make an artistic statement (Vesna). When I think of bioart, I think there is a line that needs to be drawn that limits how much biological manipulation can happen in the name of art. For example, using cells from a creature to start a project that requires regenerating cells that is acceptable. I think the line should be drawn when the use of living creatures begins to affect the creature’s quality of life; at that point, bioart is really unacceptable.

Sources:

Dewey, Heather. "Bioart: Melding Biotech and Art." SXSW Schedule 2015. Web. 10 May 2015.

Miranda, Carolina. "Weird Science: Biotechnology as Art Form." ARTnews. Web. 10 May 2015.

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