DESMA Week 4

            This week’s theme really caught my attention on how interesting technology can be used in various ways for medical related purposes. There are many machines and different types of technology used for human benefits. X-rays and MRI’s are perfect examples to display their usefulness and how they are important to our world. In my experience, I had to get multiple MRI screenings for my knee because of an injury that occurred during a game. If it wasn’t for this technology, doctors or myself would not have known that I had a torn Anterior Crucial Ligament (ACL) and meniscus. In this case, having developed this machine along with many others has become an important factor in the medical field.

            In relation to art with medicine and technology, Professor Vesna mentions, in lecture one, that artists took interest within the human body. By taking interest in the human anatomy, artists back then dissected cadavers to take a closer look into the structure of the human body. Although there were different cultural ways of dissecting a human body, this allowed not only artists, but doctors and the entire medical field to study the human anatomy and gain knowledge of the details of the inside of a human being. Artists played an important role during this process because technology was not as developed back then like today. So what artists would do, is they would help those people in the medical field study the human anatomy by drawing and illustrating it for them. Andreas Vesalius was one of the authors who created a book that goes in depth with the human structure.

MRI scan on the knee.

https://www.healthcare.siemens.com/magnetic-resonance-imaging/options-and-upgrades/coils/tx-rx-15-channel-knee-coil

Andreas Vesalius anatomical drawing of the human structure.

http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/images/masters/vesalius.html 

Human dissections used to draw the human structure.

http://quintopilar.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

Citations:

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.

Todorovic, Zoran. "Culturebase.net - a Unique Online Source on Contemporary International Artists." Zoran Todorovic Artist Portrait. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?188>.

"HOME." Christophe Luxereau Website : Home. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <http://www.luxereau.com/>.

Week 3

DESMA Week 3

            Industrialization has shaped the artistic world tremendously. Throughout the years, technology has developed and will continue to flourish. The first printing press, as mentioned in professor Vesna’s lecture videos, changed their society by creating blocks with words and letters to use as their “printer”. As years progressed, the printing press improved from the typewriter, and now to modern day printers where it is now easier to print your work from a computer.

Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the printing press

http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s15-01-technological-advances-from-th.html

            Cameras are another factor that industrialization has been improving as well. By capturing beautiful scenery, historical monuments or places, and simply capturing everyday people, these can turn out to be magnificent photographs to capture memories. However, there can be some issues regarding printing photographs that you have taken from your camera. In his book, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Walter Benjamin argues that taking an image of an image lacks “aura” or as he defines it, originality. Taking a picture of something lacks originality because it was already there beforehand and can be reproduced. A painting, for example, is the direct opposite as Benjamin claims. A painting is hand created and can be produced to fulfill whatever the artist tends to create themselves, which is obviously an original piece and does not strip away iconic artworks of their aesthetic authority.

The evolution of cameras

https://evansotchere1.wordpress.com/

etsy.com

  An painting depicting originality.

Citations:

"Summary: The Work of Art in The Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Introducing the Frankfurt School. 2008. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <https://frankfurtschool.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/summary-the-work-of-art-in-the-age-of-mechanical-reproduction/>.

Uconlineprogram. "Robotics Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew>.

Uconlineprogram. "Robotics Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAZ8bo9T_Pk>.

Uconlineprogram. "Robotics Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkP7oSZVkbg>.

"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." - Modernism Lab Essays. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <https://modernism.research.yale.edu/wiki/index.php/The_Work_of_Art_in_the_Age_of_Mechanical_Reproduction>.

Week 2

DESMA Week 2

            For this week’s theme, I had a better understanding on the comparisons between math and art, than with science and art. Professor Vesna’s second lecture video helped me grasp the idea of how math is involved with art. Both math and art correlate with each other very well and is actually important for art to create a piece that is accurate with angles, shapes, and sizes.

             Angles are important for artists so they can create a piece that looks interesting to our eyes. For example, Marc Frantz provides us with pictures and explanations about a vanishing point. In order to create a vanishing point, math is involved because you have to find the right distance, areas, and other measurements needed. Another example would be origami. From Lang’s website, he provides many pictures of different types of things you can make from paper. This involves much folding which requires math to obtain the right amount of paper to fold to create your piece.

This image shows vanishing points and measurements needed to start an art piece

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/382031980864176203/

         Origami made by Robert Lang.

http://www.langorigami.com/

In this art piece, you can see ovals for the face, and rectangles for the fence.

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/contributor/alexa-lawrence

Angles are not the only math related thing towards art, however, but shapes. Shapes originate from math and it so happens to be utilized into art. Whether artists intend to use shapes or not, somehow shapes seem to fall upon someone’s eye when looking at an art piece. In my opinion, shapes give art pieces’ character and I find them as bases or a starting point for creating their work.

Citations:

"Alexa Lawrence Bio, Latest News and Articles | Architectural Digest." Architectural Digest. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.< http://www.architecturaldigest.com/contributor/alexa-lawrence>.

Frantz, Marc, and Annalisa Crannell. Viewpoints: Mathematical Perspective and Fractal Geometry in Art. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2011. Web.

"Robert J. Lang Origami." Robert J. Lang Origami. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.langorigami.com/>.

 "The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher." The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.< http://platonicrealms.com/minitexts/Mathematical-Art-Of-M-C-Escher/>.

Uconlineprogram. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg>.

DESMA 9 Week 1

            In the concept of two cultures and as we were learning about the differences between science and art, I as well had always held the opinion that the two were so different. Just as said in one of the lecture video and C.P. Snow’s book, I agreed upon the stereotype of the mad scientists holding dangerous experiments and artists being oblivious to technology because they enjoy being in front of a blank canvas and paint.

            In relation to two cultures, personally, an example would be my ethnicity. Being Samoan and American are two different aspects traditionally and by location. The island of Samoa is some ways from American land which separates the two from each other. Just like professor Vesna states in the lectures, our campus of UCLA is separated between science and art. Stereotypes distinguishing Samoa and America would be opinionated to be such examples like luaus and the beautiful scenery and waters from the sun, beaches, and shopping. This compares to the idea of two cultures.

            However, in professor Vesna’s article discussing a “third culture” I was inspired by the statement of being in between both science and art. In my perspective I can see artists and scientists collaborating to create something great. Artists can use science as another resource to get inspiration for different types of shapes or anything to get ideas and expand their creativity. Scientists can also use inspirations from artists to utilize their creativity and put it to use in a way to impact their experiments.

           

http://www.fijiairways.com/flight-information/route-map/

Separation between the islands and America.

http://www.triathlon.ucla.edu/ironbruin/course-for-ironbruin-classic/

North campus upper right hand corner, south campus bottom left corner.

http://www.svfblogs.com/aunger/

Separation between art and science.

Citations:

A Dangerous Divide: The Two Cultures in the 21st Century (Links to an external site.)

Kevin Kelly - The Third Culture
 (Links to an external site.)

Snow, C.P. 'The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution

Vesna, V. Third Culture: Being in Between

Wilson, Stephen.'Myths and Confusion in Thinking About Art/Science/Technology