Unit 9: Space + Art

Outer space is something that has always frightened me, so this weeks lecture was a little daunting, and watching the "Powers of Ten" video did not help my skepticism. However, as a history major I was excited about how important the exploration of outer space was to the development of the society that we now live in. The competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was an event that impacted the entire world, especially when it came to the technological and arms races. Trying to get to outer space and most importantly to the moon is something that caused a lot of tension in the world, atomic bombs had been developed and threats had been exchanged. The tensions created through this competition allowed there to be an explosion (no pun intended) and array of different art to be put out into the world. More specifically in the United States, futuristic cartoons such as The Jetsons and television shows, like Star Trek were becoming more prominent and the possibility of being able to explore and live in outer space seemed to be closer than ever before.

That being said, in lecture Professor Vesna mentioned a video called "The Pale Blue Dot" made by Carl Sagan. Within the video, it shows the furthest picture of Earth that has ever been taken. Mr. Sagan talks about how everything that has occurred on Earth is basically insignificant to the entire Universe. He says that "...the earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena..." But one of the points that resonated with me the most can be related to the arms race during the cold war. The United States and the Soviet Union were pursuing "...glory and triumph so they can become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot..." This really shows how insignificant is retrospect, but how important our Earth really is to us as its inhabitants. It puts into perspective the amazing capabilities that human beings have, and how quickly everything that we love can be taken away from us.

The way that this video is made can also be related to the Leonardo Space Art reading. Within the reading, it is said that "...discovering the history of space art, I came to understand that artists have been the fuel of space exploration, embodying in their art the dreams of humankind, making these dreams desirable for engineers to achieve." Obviously without the developments made and being made in science, technology, and math the exploration of space would not be possible. But I am a firm believer that without the wonder, curiosity and desire of artists, the motivation to explore the vast and infinite unknown would not be done with the same passion.

Works Cited

“A Pale Blue Dot.” A Pale Blue Dot. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.bigskyastroclub.org/pale_blue_dot.html>.

 Malina, Roger, Arthur Woods, Annick Bureaud, and B.E. Johnson. "Leonardo Space Art Project Visioneers." Leonardo Space Art Project Visioneers. MIT Press, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.

Peljhan, Marko. "CODED UTOPIA." Continental Drift. N.p., 27 Mar. 2007. Web. 31 May 2015.

UWM Graphic Design Capstone 2010. “Based on Soviet space propaganda.” UMW Graphic Design Capstone 2010. Blogger, 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 27 May 2015.

Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 1. 2015. Film. 31 May 2015.
Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 3. 2015. Film. 31 May 2015.
Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 4. 2015. Film. 31 May 2015.
Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 5. 2015. Film. 31 May 2015.

Pictures

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/return-to-the-pale-blue-dot/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-retro-future-of-the-jetsons/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon

https://www.pinterest.com/sherrystjohn/renaissance-art/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starry_Night

Unit 8: Nanotech +Art

After listening to the lectures and doing the assigned reading for nanotechnology this week, I was completely fascinated. I never knew how much nanotechnology impacted not just the study of science in the world, but also the immediate world that I live in. From energy, food, agriculture, and most importantly electronics, nanotechnology seems to make the world go around. The concept of changing the world from "the bottom up" is something that is pretty daunting. Imagining that within our lifetime things that we have come so accustomed to could be completely different because of things that we can't even see. 

Nano particles can even be viewed in ancient materials. For example, from part 3 of the lecture, he talked about nano-sized gold particles found in a cup known as Lycurgus cup. The cup looks green to the naked eye, but then when they were illuminated from the inside, the cup would turn red. I think that this aspect of nanotechnology was the closest thing that relates to "art" in a way that was easy for me to understand. Even though nanotechnology was not a hot topic of discussion during the time period that this cup was constructed. The fact that they have now been able to identify why the cup changes colors through the advancements of nanotechnology says a lot about how fast the

One of the most relatable aspects about nanotechnology that was mentioned was how zinc-oxide can be broken down into nano-particles and essentially be "invisible." Zinc-oxide is known to be a main "ingredient" of sunscreen and is often associated with being white and hard to rub in. However, with advancements being made through the scientific research of nanotechnology, it is now possible for sunscreen to have the same power of protection, but not be visibly white on the surface of someone's skin. 

In this picture, there is sunscreen on both sides of this guys face. One side is white from the zinc oxide and the other is also covered in zinc oxide, but it is not visible because nanotechnology made it possible for the sunscreen to have the same SPF power without leaving white marks behind. 

Works Cited 

          Gimzewski, Jim. The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact and Fiction in the Construction of a New Science. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print

        Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech for Artists." Nanotechnology and Art Lecture. UCLA, Los Angeles. 22 May 2015. Lecture.

           “Introduction to Nanotechnology.” Introduction to Nanotechnology RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://nanogloss.com/>.

         Lilley, Maiken. “The Art of Nanotech”. NOVA. WGBH, 18 Nov 2010. Web. 22 May 2015.

         "What Is Nanotechnology?" What Is Nanotechnology? N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

Pictures

http://ssv.com.sa/ssv/index.php/en/news/showitems/3/Nanotechnology-&-MEMS

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/history/this-1600-year-old-goblet-shows-that-the-romans-were-nanotechnology-pioneers-787224/

http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2009/08/17/is-nanotechnology-in-sunscreen-good-or-bad/

http://www.nanoandme.org/nano-products/cosmetics-and-sunscreen/

Unit 7: Neuroscience + Art

The brain is the second closest thing, next to outer space, that scares me. How is it that I am able to process these thoughts and be able to write about how? The ability of my brain to process information and send signals to by body to type and be present in the moment is a phenomenon that I struggle to understand. However, it was made clear that the process of being able to understand how the brain functions is something that can be linked to influences in the world of art. The earliest ideas of the brain as introduced by Gall indicate that the brain is "phrenological," which was a very creative theory that the brain was broken up into particular sections that had their own functions. This idea, while not scientifically accurate, can still be related to how we view the brain today.

Cognitive revolution allowed there to be an acknowledgement of consciousness and unconsciousness. Even more so, as it was briefly mentioned in the first lecture, it has been found that the Left and Right sides of the brain serve their own functions. Left Brain vs. Right Brain is something that has always interested me because they can be categorized into an "artistic" side and a "structured" side. The ability of the brain to function in these ways can be loosely related to the idea of a phrenology brain because specific parts of the brain are designated or associated with different actions.

In the Penrose reading, he states that "A lot of what the brain does you could do on a computer. I'm not saying that all the brain's action is completely different from what you do on a computer...I'm saying that it's beyond the physics we know now" (Penrose).  The capability that the brain has in relation to a computer is so similar, yet we know how to use the function of a machine better than we can control our own minds. Viewing the brain in this context shows just how amazing it is that we are able to create the works of art and the possibility of the art that we will be able to make in the future.

Works Cited 

Bateson, Gregory. Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity. New York: Dutton, 1979. Print.

Gardner, Howard. Art, Mind, and Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity. New York: Basic, 

1982. Print.

Melina, Remy. "What's the Difference Between the Right Brain and Left Brain?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 12 Jan. 2011. Web. 17 May 2015.

Penrose, Roger. "Consciousness Involves Noncomputable Ingredients." The Third Culture: Beyond the Scientific Revolution. N.p.: Simon & Schuster, 1995. N. pag. Print.

   Vesna, Victoria. "Consciousness/Memory." Neuroscience and Art Lecture. UCLA, Los Angeles. 11 May 2015. Lecture.

Pictures

Phrenology: http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Phrenology.jpg

Artistic Brain: https://www.pinterest.com/katelynrichelle/the-creative-cranium/

Computer Brain: http://controlmind.info/human-brain/brain-and-computer

Unit 6 BioTech + Art

I found the segment on Joe Davis to be extremely fascinating this week. I never knew that there was such thing as "Bio Artist." One of his projects that caught my attention was briefly mentioned in the first lecture. Professor Vesna mentioned that he conducted an experiment that involved measuring the growth of E coli bacteria in regards to the music that was being played for the bacteria. He played a variety of different genres for the bacteria and measured its growth based on that. As someone who is passionate about music, it was nice to make an artistic connection to a scientific experiment.

That being said, I looked into other experiments that could have been conducted with the same guidelines. I discovered an experiment conducted by NASA back in 2004 and what I found was it is not necessarily the musical and lyrics instruments that affect the bacteria growth, but rather it is the sound waves and vibrations that speed up or slow down the growing process. Viewing this as an art form is something that would not have been made possible without people like Joe Davis. The information and insight that has been found out because of him thinking outside of the box is something that can even benefit the world of medicine.

While the topic of Biotech and art experiments is very controversial, it is both inspiring and eye opening to see how many endless possibilities there are when it comes to regarding something as art, and when it comes to regarding something as inhumane. I found this experiment to be something that can be regarded as an art form because it involves music as an art form and it can be viewed as  something that can be beneficial to the medical world, because being able to better understand bacterial growth can only benefit us from contracting diseases. 

Works Cited 

Levy, Ellen. “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications.”Context Providers: Conditions of Meaning in Media Arts. Eds. Margot Lovejoy, Christiane Paul, and Victoria Vesna. University of Chicago Press: 2011.

Vesna, Victoria, narr. “BioTech Art Lectures I-V.” N.p., . web. 5 May 2015. 

http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w03/davis_joe.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Davis_%28artist%29

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20040152083.pdf

Bacteria Images: 
http://www.thermapure.com/environmental-services/bacteria/
http://www.playbuzz.com/maryfs10/which-pathogenic-bacteria-are-you