Week 9: Space and Art

Ever since the space race began around the time of the Cold War, space has been increasingly common as a subject of art and movies. Due to the United State’s efforts to compete with the Soviet Union for dominance in space, an emphasis was put on math and science in schools and space travel was a huge focus at the time. The entire country was a captive audience for anything involving the previously out of reach realms of the universe. Huge amounts of publicity were given to each new attempt to reach the new frontier. Both the Soviet Union and the US sent animals into space and publicized each step of the journey. 

The Cosmic Dancer is a sculpture made by Arthur Woods that was taken into space to study the  effects of weightlessness on it. It was left to float around the living quarters in the Russian Mir space station and was photographed and videoed. This is an interesting example of space art because a simple sculpture taken into space became mesmerizing due to the way it reacted to the absence of gravity. The cosmonauts in the space station were able to experience a typically immobile sculpture moving and dancing in the air. 

Our advancements in space allow for new types of creativity in art and scientific design because of the recent accessibility of a new environment. Without the restraint of gravity, and the creative limits of the earth, possibilities for future inventions and creations are limitless.

First Animals in Space. N.d. Photograph. Amy Shira Teitel. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://vintagespace.files.wordpress.com/>.

First Dog in Space. N.d. Photograph. Rocket City Space Pioneers. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.rocketcityspacepioneers.com/>.
Garlick, Mark. "Space Art." Mark A. Garlick's Space Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Woods, Arthur. "Cosmic Dancer - a Space Art Intervention by Arthur Woods." The Cosmic Dancer Project : Cosmic Dancer Introduction : Arthur Woods. N.p., 1993. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cosmicdancer.com/cosmic_dancer_introduction.php>.

Week 8: NanoTech and Art

Nanotechnology is much more present in our lives than we are aware of and its presence is increasing rapidly into the future. Many of our clothes, cosmetics, and even food contain some variety of nanoparticles. They are typically modeled based on something in nature that has a particular quality we want to replicate. For example, the water repellence of a lotus leaf inspired technology to create self-cleaning glass, concrete, and fabric.

This isn’t a new concept; nanoparticles can be found in ancient art and were used to achieve qualities that cannot be formed from basic pigments. The Lycurgus Cup from the Roman era of 400 AD contains a glowing red color when seen in the dark that comes from nanoparticles of gold. When particles are resized, their properties often change which can be both dangerous and beneficial. For example, gold on a nanoscale becomes a catalyst. This is why there is some debate over using nanoparticles in food or items that we regularly interact with. It is difficult to determine what unsolicited effects these particles will have on humans when their chemical properties are completely altered.  

Quantum dots are one example of the progression of nanotechnology. They are created in different colors corresponding to their size. Currently they are used to tag diseases because they are small enough to enter cells and can be sent to target specific ones. However, in the future they will be used even more commonly to replace chemicals in cosmetics. They offer similar benefits to other, larger chemicals but with the advantage of a smaller size. They can potentially increase the strength, texture, shelf life, and UV protection of common cosmetics.  

Lotus Leaf. N.d. Photograph. Ask Nature - the Biomimicry Design Portal: Biomimetics, Architecture, Biology, Innovation Inspired by Nature, Industrial Design - Ask Nature - the Biomimicry Design Portal: Biomimetics, Architecture, Biology, Innovation Inspired by Nature, Industrial Design. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Lycurgus Cup. N.d. Photograph. Nicola Ginzler Design. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
"Nanotechnology." Cosmetics Info. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Quantum Dots. N.d. Photograph. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://lamp.tu-graz.ac.at/~hadley/nanoscience/week2/>.

Week 7: Neuroscience and Art

Reading about the Global Conscious Project was fascinating to me because it is so interesting to think that there could be some factor that causes humans to collectively react to events in the same way.  The GCP emphasizes its focus on engaging global events and studies patterns in brain activity in the universal collective consciousness. Researchers study these patterns in relation to random event generators and have noticed that during particularly captivating events there is a collective deviation from the expected pattern. This represents a collective shift in consciousness. This idea reminded me of Jung's concept of the collective unconscious of which everyone is supposedly subconsciously aware of. While it seems unlikely that all human minds are somehow linked, despite our differences, humans do all share similar reactions and thought processes to certain stimuli. However it is hard to conclude whether this is a result of nature or nurture.

As researchers begin to study the patterns of neurons in the brain, they not only discover more about their functions, but also create beautiful pictures. With a technique originally used to make mouse brain cells glow, scientists have developed images of the brainbow- which shows neurons distinguished by color based on fluorescent proteins.

"Brainbow." Center for Brain Science. Center for Brain Science, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
"Collective Unconscious." Carl Jung - Collective Unconscious. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
"Global Consciousness Project." Global Consciousness Project Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Piepmeyer, Anna. "Collective Consciousness." The Chicago School of Media Theory RSS. N.p., Jan. 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
"The Global Consciousness Project." Frist Wall Display of GCP. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

Getty Museum

I visited the Getty Museum when my parents were here for parents weekend, and I was really impressed by its design and how pretty the grounds are. The whole atmosphere of the museum made it easy to appreciate the art and enjoy the scenery. I definitely think the Getty is worth visiting because there is so much to do there and you end up learning so much about art and history just by looking at all the exhibits. The outside area is also really nice to walk around and see the amazing views of the city.

One of my favorite parts was the exhibit on French art and furniture, especially those belonging to Louis XIV. When I took AP European history in high school, Louis XIV was my favorite person to learn about so it was really interesting to see furniture and paintings that actually belonged to The Sun King. His style was very over the top and was done in the French Baroque style. The exhibit showed rooms set up to recreate scenes from Versailles which really embodied the culture of the time. 

There was also a really interesting photography exhibit where the artist, Abelardo Morell, used a tent to project an image of the sky onto the ground and then took a picture of the ground with whatever was outside projected on it. They didn't allow pictures in the exhibit, so I was only able to get a portion of one of the pieces. But I thought it was really cool how this is an actual photograph that hasn't been altered, but it looks like an outline of the bridge was photoshopped on a picture of grass. 

Here's a picture of the entire piece from the website. 

http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/morell/creativity.html

Week 6: BioTech and Art

Many artists have altered animal genes because they are curious of the outcome, but it is often to make a statement and not necessarily with the intention of useful research. One artist even genetically engineered mice with Elvis Presley's DNA. Using a piece of the his hair purchased on eBay, Koby Barhad created 3 mice and even had them live in special cages to simulate important parts of Elvis's life. 

The pieces discussed in the lecture videos usually involved a practice similar to those used in animal testing but without a product to test or a reason for the procedure. Modifying nature to create an artistic statement is an interesting concept because it goes against many moral laws, but it can also be beneficial to gain a better understanding of the natural world.

In one example, an artist modified the genes controlling the patterns on butterfly wings. However, this resulted in holes growing in the wings, which left the butterflies handicapped. Kathy High did a project called Blood Wars using human white blood cells to test which traits create the most dominant cells. Different people’s cells were placed in one dish and the cells that survived went on to compete against other cells. This is an example of bio art that isn’t harmful to nature and can actually be useful in practical applications to gain understanding.

 Organizations attempting to stop this research like ELF are being counterproductive by using violence to display their beliefs. Destroying research is only going to waste money and all the efforts that are already in progress. It is important for humans to take personal responsibility for the future and make sure genetically modified food and animals are safe and a necessary progression, but not in a violent or harmful way. These advancements involve human creativity, but when living creatures are involved, art that serves no scientific purpose should not be considered ethical. 

"Kathy High: Visual/media Artist, Independent Curator, Educator." Kathy High: Projects: Blood Wars. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.

"Koby Barhad Clones Mice with Elvis Presley's DNA." Designboom Architecture Design Magazine Koby Barhad Clones Mice with Elvis Presleys DNA Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.

"New Green Eyes: First Butterfly That's Genetically Modified: Science News Online, March 13, 2004." New Green Eyes: First Butterfly That's Genetically Modified: Science News Online, March 13, 2004. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.

Steadman, Ian. "Artist Genetically Engineers Mice with the DNA of Elvis Presley."Wired UK. N.p., 10 July 2012. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.