Event 2 | This Mortal Plastik | Juan Larson

For my second event this quarter, I attended Jess Irish's viewing and discussion of her documentary "This Mortal Plastik." The presentation included a viewing of the documentary followed by a questions and answers section in which Irish explained a lot of her inspiration and reasoning behind her documentary. 

The documentary was focused on the use of plastic and its damage to the environment. One of the main types of plastics discussed was single-use plastics, whose use has dramatically and drastically increased over the past few decades. The documentary emphasized the lack of disposal of plastics which has resulted in an accumulation of plastic waste and the negative consequences this has had on the environment and ecology.

The documentary and supplemental discussion of it provided me with a lot of insight into how we have exploited the earth's resources and have created one of our own biggest problems. In exchange for greater convenience, we have sacrificed the environment and caused major damage to ecosystems, wildlife, and even other humans. 

One of the things that I found the most interesting was how Irish's main inspiration for investigating more about plastics and making her documentary was her daughter's interest in whales. It really demonstrated to me how just about anyone can get involved in issues like these as long as they are willing to put in the necessary work and effort. 

Works Cited

Jung, Carl. “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man.” Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 10: Civilization in Transition, 2014, pp. 74–94., https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850976.74. 

Albu, Christina. “Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming.” Cristina Albu - CMA Journal - Simon Fraser University, Simon Fraser University, https://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54. 

Varela, Francisco J., et al. The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience. MIT Press, 2017. 

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. “Neuroculture.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 10, no. 11, 2009, pp. 815–821., https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2736. 

Bateson, Gregory. Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity. Bantam, 1988. 

 

Week 7 | Neuroscience + Art | Juan Larson

One thing that really caught my attention from this week's material was Frazzetto and Anker's "Neuroculture." I found it very interesting and insightful to learn and read about neuroculture and how it plays a major role in emotions, decision-making, and general psychology. The idea of neuroculture is what intertwines and connects the concepts of neuroscience and art and helps develop a sense of social and ethical awareness of the implications of neuroscience.

(https://www.ppd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/neuroscience-shutterstock_1700148913-1200x600.jpg)

Another thing that I found to be really interesting was how neuroculture is not only a conceptual idea but can be implemented into products and problem-solving metrology. This gives neuroculture a broader and larger impact and potential as it is able to influence the world in a wider variety of ways. The wide array of possibilities really highlights the broad application of art and how art is capable of influencing a wide scope of scientific ideas.

(https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/assets/Image/2020/AoN/EP3.jpeg)

Previously, I have taken a neuroscience seminar that focused on the depictions of neuroscience in science fiction movies and art. One of the things we learned about what how both science fiction was based on real technology and how real technology has taken inspiration from works of science fiction. I feel like this expands on what we have been learning this week as we have been going over the relationship and connectedness between neuroscience and art. I would be interested to learn more about this in the future as neuroscience plays a large role in human behavior and psychology so seeing the influences that art has on neuroscience could help shed a lot of light on how the human mind works in general.

(http://www.laurabundesen.com/uploads/3/7/3/7/37370125/s481020927774789797_p166_i30_w640.jpeg)

Work Cited

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. “Neuroculture.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 10, no. 11, 2009, pp. 815–821., https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2736. 

Jung, Carl. “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man.” Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 10: Civilization in Transition, 2014, pp. 74–94., https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850976.74. 

Albu, Christina. “Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming.” Cristina Albu - CMA Journal - Simon Fraser University, Simon Fraser University, https://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54. 

Varela, Francisco J., et al. The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience. MIT Press, 2017. 

Bateson, Gregory. Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity. Bantam, 1988. 

Week 6 | Biotechnology + Art | Juan Larson

(https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Biotechnology-Salaries.jpg)

This week during lectures and reading assignments we focused on the relationship between biotechnology and art. Personally, I found this to be the most interesting topic that we have discussed this quarter. As a Human Biology and Society major, a big focus of my major is biotechnology and its roles and implications in society so learning about biotechnology while maintaining an open mind to learn about the influence of art was both very insightful and awakening. 

(https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/blue-chromosome-dna-and-gradually-glowing-flicker-light-matter-when-picture-id1297146235?b=1&k=20&m=1297146235&s=170667a&w=0&h=vUyHfisjnfzyhzeZvYzt23iaHSEl6UkpoiFctK4BMbc=)

One specific thing I found very interesting was taking a look and Joe Davis and his work. I was fascinated with how he would take inspiration and influence from art to construct biotechnology designed to solve issues in the medical and scientific fields. While studying and learning for the Human Biology and Society major, I have learned a lot about various types of forms of biotechnology and how they cover a broad range of designs and purposes. Despite that, I still find it very amazing to learn about how art can be incorporated into the use and creation of biotechnology.

(https://www.cusd80.com/cms/lib/AZ01001175/Centricity/Domain/10499/A-Representational-Image-Biotechnology_jpg.gif)

I also found this week's focus on the microscale to be very interesting. A lot of biotechnology is focused on tackling issues that arise on a very small scale and as such, we took a lot of looks at various connections between art and biotechnology all the ways down to a molecular level. I felt like this subject was also the most relatable to my other classes and the material that I have been and am still learning. This made the subject more personal and interesting to me.

Work Cited

Davis, Joe. “Scientist? Artist. Pirate! Who Is Joe Davis? - Youtube.” YouTube, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GkZt00Qics.

Chin, Mel. “Revival Field.” Revival Field – Mel Chin, http://melchin.org/oeuvre/revival-field/.

Vanouse, Paul. “Suspect Inversion Center.” Suspect Inversion Center (Sic), http://www.paulvanouse.com/sic.html.

Zaretsky, Adam. “Emutagen.” Electronic Mutagenesis, http://emutagen.com/index.html.

Kac, Eduardo. “GFP Bunny.” GFP Bunny, http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor.

Week 4 | Medicine + Technology + Art | Juan Larson

This week's lectures were focused on the interconnectedness and integration between art and medicine. I found this specific topic very interesting as I am interested in pursuing a career in medicine which made learning about the connection between medicine and art more interesting and applicable. 

Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man)

What I found most interesting was reading Peter Tyson's "The Hippocratic Oath Today." I found his analysis on the meanings and implications of the oath very insightful. He took a good look at a lot of the deeper moral implications associated with the Hippocratic Oath and broke down a lot of the shortcomings of the oath. 

Robert Hooke's First Drawing of Cells (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Micrographia)

I also enjoyed reading about how much we have left to learn about both medicine and art. I was fascinated to read about how much of medicine we were able to learn about through art. Visual depictions are fundamental to helping doctors and scientists understand anatomy while they are learning and this knowledge is directly translated into their practice. 

Images of Cat Scan From MRI (https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Brain-magnetic-resonance-imaging-MRI-for-subjects-S1-S2-and-S4-Brain-magnetic_fig4_336148130)

Art and other forms of visual depictions are crucial for doctors and scientists because it allows them to visualize their work and see problems that would otherwise be nearly impossible to express verbally. It is through the integration of art with medicine that knowledge of the medical field is able to grow.

Works Cited

“Artist + Digital Technologist Transforming Human Health.” Virgil Wong, 3 Apr. 2022, https://www.virgilwong.com/.

Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts.” Configurations, vol. 19, no. 1, 2011, pp. 73–99., https://doi.org/10.1353/con.2011.0008.

“Emily Watson: Metal & Enamel Jewelry: Home Page.” Emily Watson | Metal & Enamel Jewelry | Home Page, http://www.metalemily.com/.

Ingber, Donald E. The Architecture of Life. 1998.

Tyson, Peter. “The Hippocratic Oath Today.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Mar. 2001, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/hippocratic-oath-today/.

Event 1 | Hox Zodiac: Snake | Juan Larson

Hox Zodiac Calendar (https://mailchi.mp/ucla/ucla-sciart-lab-studio-2552385?e=28317bdb5b)

For my first event this quarter, I attended the Hox Zodiac: Honoring the Snake event hosted by professor Victoria Vesna and Siddharth Ramakrishnan. The presentation featured three guest speakers: Lucie Strecker, Carolyn CC Hart, and Amir Baradaran. This was the sixth event in their Monthly Animal Gatherings series and was specifically focused on the snake.

Ouroboros or Snake Consuming its Own Tail (https://www.quora.com/What-s-the-name-of-the-snake-pictured-eating-itself)

The presentation was specifically focused on the snake and its symbolism. During the event, the speakers explained the symbolism of the Ouroboros and how it thematically relates to concepts in life. I was particularly interested in guest speaker Amir Baradaran's work on artificial intelligence and augmented reality. I felt like his work was a great example of the merging of art and technology as he was capable of developing technology that drew heavily from ideas of art. 

From this event, I learned a lot about how a singular idea can be understood and demonstrated in a variety of unique and meaningful ways that each slightly alter the meaning of  the idea to be more personalized. I liked learning about the variety of research being done on snakes and their venom and the potential technological developments that could be made from that research.

Venom Being Extracted from a Snake (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/01/how-make-snake-venom-without-any-snakes/605347/)

Overall, I thought the event did a great job of highlighting the connection between culture and technology and how the two ideas can be intertwined. I would recommend attending these events in the future because it was very interesting and helped provide a contextual example of how the things we are learning in lecture relate to the world around us on a broader scale.

Works Cited

Wilson, Stephen. New York City, New York, 2000, Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology. 

Graham-Rowe, Duncan. “John Brockman: Matching with Science and Art.” Wired, 3 Feb. 2011. 

Bohm, D. “On Creativity.” Leonardo, The MIT Press, Apr. 1968, https://www.jstor.org/stable/i270886. 

Snow, C P. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, 1961, The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, The MIT Press, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1577014. 

Week 3 | Robotics + Art | Juan Larson

As mentioned by Walter Benjamin in “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” art is intrinsically interwoven with aspects of tradition and culture. Because of this, art, science, and technology, which as we discussed in the last two weeks are all interconnected, reflect the changes in culture and tradition caused by industrialization. This is reflected by the evolution of art and how as technology and science developed, art evolved alongside them. The development of science and technology led to the innovation of digital art and other new forms of modern technological art. 

Picture of an Automaton from Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabaret_Mechanical_Theatre)

An example of the adaptation of art to fill new niches created by the development of technology caused by industrialization would be the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (presented in the image above). The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is an organization that uses robotic automata as a form of contemporary art.

Video Showcasing Electric Circus Animatronics (https://youtu.be/szCgiNOx-LE)

Another similar example would be Fred Abels and Mirjam Langemeijer's creation and use of animatronics to create puppet shows that mimic real humans and animals. This is a form of art that could never have been possible without the advancement of technology caused by industrialization.

Photo of Ken Feingold's Piece "Hell" (http://www.kenfeingold.com/hell_thumbnail_cu.jpg)

Besides using robotics and technology to create shows and animatronics, some artists like Ken Feingold use science and robotics to create pieces of contemporary art which layers of meaning that are highlighted and accentuated by the use of robotics. Rather than creating a show, artists are able to use robotics to bring life to an otherwise still piece. This adds new levels to pieces of art and allows the artists to add deeper levels of expression and creativity by allowing the art to have an opportunity to express itself.

Works Cited

Benjamin, Walter, and Harry Zohn. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: An Influential Essay of Cultural Criticism; the History and Theory of Art. Adansonia Press, 1936. 

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction: An Evolving Thesis: 1991–1995: Semantic Scholar.” JSTOR, 1 Jan. 1995, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Work-of-Art-in-the-Age-of-Digital-Reproduction%3A-Davis/8ffd34ef8fc4bfcd7496a25662142639557f27e1. 

Sarah, et al. “Automata Tinkering Global Workshop - May 2022.” Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, 8 Feb. 2022, https://cabaret.co.uk/automata-tinkering-global-workshop-may-2022/. 

“Electric Circus Dresseur Der Automaten.” Electric Circus Dresseur Der Automaten, http://www.electriccircus.nl/.

Feingold, Ken. “Ken Feingold: Artworks and Documentation.” Ken Feingold: Artworks and Documentation, http://www.kenfeingold.com/.

Week 2 | Math + Art | Juan Larson

Prior to taking this class I already viewed math as a part of art because I have taken computer science classes where we used programs to create repeating patterns that would create unique pieces of art. Even with this prior notion, I still found it very interesting to learn more about the connection between art and mathematics. Through this week's assigned readings and viewings, I learned about the use of fractals and other similar mathematical concepts that can be used to create visually appealing works of art that many might not even recognize as having been influenced by math.

Video Describing and Discussing the use of Fractals in Art (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivRQDbAduoM)

Through the required readings and viewings, such as the one above, I have learned about the use of fractals which can use mathematical concepts to create aesthetic repeating patterns that can easily be seen as just art and not math. This serves as an example of how artists are able to use mathematics to express creativity and create their own unique forms of art that are based upon ideas from math. 

Example of the Fibonacci Sequence Creating Visually Appealing Art (https://clevelanddesign.com/insights/the-nature-of-design-the-fibonacci-sequence-and-the-golden-ratio/)

Another example would be how we learned about the Fibonacci sequence which is a mathematical concept that produced a repeating pattern that can be used to create visually pleasing art. One unique thing about this is that it is not only found in art but also in nature.

Example of Geometric Art Incorporating Math into Art (https://unsplash.com/s/photos/geometric-art)

One final example of mathematics influencing art would be the simple example of using geometric shapes and patterns to create works of art like the one above. While relatively simple, this form of art utilizes a lot of mathematical concepts and ideas to create unique works of art that allow artists to express creativity in their own ways.

Works Cited

Abbott, Edwin Abbott. “Flatland.” Flatland, by E. A. Abbott, 1884, Ibiblio, 1884, http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/eaa/FL.HTM.

Crochet Coral Reef, https://crochetcoralreef.org/about/theproject/.

“Fractals - Mandelbrot - Youtube.” Youtube, Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivRQDbAduoM.

Socionomic Institute. “Fibonacci, Fractals and Financial Markets - Socionomics.net.” Youtube, Youtube, 31 May 2007, Fibonacci, Fractals and Financial Markets - Socionomics.net.

Wertheim, Margaret. “Things That Think: An Interview With Computer Collector Nicholas Gessler.” The Institute for Figuring // Where the Wild Things Are, The Institute for Figuring, 2006, https://www.theiff.org/publications/cab21-gessler.html.