Week 9: Space + Art

Space is the place where nanotechnology, biotechnology, mathematics and robotics all come together. The discovery of Space relates to all elements of arts and to the consciousness of people. In the process of discovering space, we have expanded our horizon. 

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Nicolaus Copernicus is the first individual who came up with the idea and drew a scientifically accurate image of the solar system. By combining the knowledge of art, math and astronomy, he demonstrated that the sun is in the center of the solar system. Copernicus's theory has had a long-lasting influence to people's lives nowadays; it is the foundation of astronomy and space science. ( Figure 1, 2) 
In the 17th century, telescope was invented and it launched a new era in the discoveries of our universe. Such invention allows people to observe the universe from a completely new perspective. (Figure 3) 

From a scientific analysis, human gained a deeper understanding of micro and macro, we discovered that nanotechnology also plays role in space exploration. Budbury buckyballs was discovered in the process. The buckyballs hold the helium and deliver the molecules to the surface of the earth. Recently, NASA Spitzer Space Telescope further proved the solidify form of existence of buckyballs in  space. (Figure 4, 5)

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Contemporary space exploration started after World War II. The invention of the Atomic Bomb and the Hydrogen bomb sparked the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.  In 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik, the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet officially begin. (Figure 6) The race accelerated the exploration of space. Beginning with imagination, people combine science, technology, math and art in discovering the outer space. (Figure 7)

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The discovery of space inspired humans to explore the unknown. Such desire pushes us to constantly make progress in mathematics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and robotics. Our discovery in the process also inspired artist to create amazing artworks. Space, therefore, links all aspects of art and science together and motivate us to continue to expand our horizon. 

1. Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Intro. 2012. Film. 30 Nov 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zzN08A6UBoo#t=0>

2. Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 2.  2012. Film. 30 Nov 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLZMDpoP-u0#t=452

3. "The Space Race." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

4. "Space and Art." - NASA Watch. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

5. "Wallcoo.net." Space Art : Space and Astronomical Art : Galaxies, Stars & Nebulae 1280x1024 NO.6 Desktop Wallpaper. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

Event 2 : Griffith Observatory

On November 9th, I went to the Griffith Observatory with my friend. With a bit of luck, we were joined by a group of LA Astronomers in setting up their telescopes for visitors like us to take a look at the moon. For the first time in my life, I could see what the surface of the moon looks like and how beautiful it was with my own eyes. There was also a picture indicating what we were looking at  (Figure 1). It is through this technology of telescope can I have the chance to see this piece of artwork (sight of moon) provided by nature. With the abundance of people and limited telescope, we had to get in lines before taking a look (Figure 2). One of the astronomers was also friendly in giving us a few of his old magazine to learn more about the moon. 

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Inside the observatory, the first item we encounter was a huge pendulum. The pendulum proves that Earth rotate on its axis. Since without Earth rotating on its own axis, the pendulum will continue to move back and forth in the same direction.There were a line of blocks, after a while, the pendulum will run into the blocks. In the picture below, the blocks has already been knocked over. The second picture provides a detailed description of this concept. (Figure 3, 4)

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Next we came upon the descriptions of how the moon rotates, and how do solar and lunar eclipses come to being. It is through these knowledge acquired by technology, can we understand the beauty and reasons behind the eclipses as well as different shapes of the moonlight. The pictures below shows two of the panels indicating the relative position of the moon and the earth during different time of the year and various phases of the eclipses. ( On the background of figure 6, 7 the lecturer is explaining the theory of eclipses.) 

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By the end of the visit, my friend and I took a walk on the upper level of the observatory and enjoyed a great view of the city of Los Angeles. With the technological advancement of the camera, I can still keep a hold of the beauty I saw that night.

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Overall, the event was very enjoyable and I gained a deeper understanding of the connection between art and technology. Technologies enable us to see the moon, understand the eclipses, and capture the beauty of Los Angeles at night.

1."Eclipse Anular (En Construcción )." Eclipse Anular:Historia De Los Eclipses. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://asaaf.fis.ucm.es/eclipseanular/historia-in.htm>.

2. "Official Site: Griffith Observatory Los Angeles, CA." Official Site: Griffith Observatory Los Angeles, CA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.griffithobs.org/>.

3. "Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon." Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/>.

4. "The Moon - Facts About The Moon For Kids." The Moon - Facts About The Moon For Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.planetsforkids.org/moon-moon.html>.

5. "Eclipse." Eclipse. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://eofdreams.com/photo/eclipse/03/>.

Week 8: Nanotech + Art

Nanotechnology is currently considered as a new area to both our lives and arts. Nanotechnology introduces a new methodology to help people better understand the nano-science and to create new art works. The collaboration between artists and nonscientists and the combination of nanotechnology and arts are pushing the paradigm shifts to the edge. 

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According to the UCLA professor Jim Gimzewski, who has 35 years of experience in nano-tech, the development of nano-tech is not only influencing art but also gradually changing the world, in terms of societal and economic aspects. Figure 1, which is explained in the introduction video, demonstrates the scale used in Nanotechnology. Scale is one of the most important concepts in the nano-tech world; it shows the accuracy of the measurement and builds the foundation for all the development of the nano art works. The emerging microelectronics revolution, computers and etc. are gradually changing the world. 

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Various types of Nano-particles are implemented in the products we use everyday, even when we do not realize it. Nano-particles have been in existence for a long time; the Lycurgus Cup displaying in the British Museum is a great example. The cup appears green under daylight but becomes red when light comes from inside the cup. The red color is an effect of the glazed nano-sized gold. (Figure 2)

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In 15th century, people used copper and silver nano-particles to create bright and beautiful colors on the Pottery of Deruta. Same effect was used in stained glasses, which was used widely by churches. Depending on the form and size of the particles, whole hosts of colors appears. Such amazing art works cannot be created using solely the regular pigments. From ancient time to current days, nano-tech plays a big role in the creation of arts. ( Figure 3, 4)

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Another field that influenced a lot by nanotechnology is medicine. Nano-tech is used to create a new forms of treatment to help cure diseases. It is consider to be a medicinal revolution and this field is called "nano medicine". Quantum dots are discovered in the process. Scientists found out that if we reduce black coloring to nanosize, the color will no longer be black. It shows various bright colors. Even though it is the same material, differences in size cause the particles to display different colors. Scientists use this technology to create arts. In addition, the invented treatment was proved to reduce the pain in the process of curing cancer and tumor.  (Figure 5)





1. Victoria Vesna. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dZ3y6TkXJ6Y#t=15>

2. Gimzewski, Jim. and Victoria Vesna. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q7jM6-iqzzE#t=614>

3. “Introduction to Nanotechnology.” Introduction to Nanotechnology RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://nanogloss.com/>.

4. Gimzewski, Jim. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X0HCNiU_108#t=10>

5. “What Is Nanotechnology?” What Is Nanotechnology? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://crnano.org/whatis.htm>.

6. Gimzewski, Jim. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yHCuZetAIhk#t=26>

Event 1: Dow Jones Tabloid

On Halloween, I went to an event hosted in the Art and Science Gallery of the CNSI. Gareth Walsh, the artist, allowed us to enjoy his video before introducing the concepts and mindset behind it. Watching a video with performers singing only oooo's and laaaa's can be very confusing at first, but I was able to understand the meaning and intentions of the video after his presentation.

The video shows connections between art, business economics and technology. Mr.Welsh inspires us to look at business from a new perspective, the perspective of visual and performing art. Such combination makes business and technology much easier to understand for people who do not have knowledge in these area. The video also presents information about the market performance of that day for each company.

As Mr. Walsh has explained, CEO's of the 30 Dow Jones companies in the United States are invited to be the performers of the video show. Before recording the show, Mr. Walsh recorded the market price and changes to the stock value of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. CEOs, who are invited to participated, were asked to sing one of the 7 tunes: do, re, mi, fa, (0), so, la, ti. The song reflects the stock trend and the price changes of the companies. There is a cutoff between "fa" and "so" as indicated in the preceding sentence. If the stock price drops, which means an increase below zero and with regards to the magnitude, they sing out a designated note. The tone of their sound can also indicate whether the stock prices of their respective companies have risen or dropped for that day. The code at the bottom of the screen is the market symbol for each company the CEO is representing as shown on the screen. 

Gareth Walsh, the artist was really friendly to take a picture with me after his presentation. His inspiration for the art piece comes from listening to NPR everyday. He had no interest in the stock value of companies in the Dow Jones in the past; he just knew they were constantly changing. It was not until the year of 2008 when our economic downturn caused the stock market to drop significantly did it began to drew his attention. He said, "This was when the idea was born".

This was a guest invited by the artist to attend the event. He gave comments on the presentation after Mr. Welsh gave an explanation of the video. After the presentation, he gave his own understandings about the video from a new perspective. He believed, not only the sound of the music sang by the CEO's reflects the changes of the stock market, the facial expression of the CEO also suggests the company's own stock trend within the day. For example, when it drops significantly, at the day the video was recorded, the CEO's show a unhappy facial expression.

With all the people moving around, I finally got to take a picture of just me and the artwork.

By attending this event, I realized that art can also connect with our business world, aside from its connections with technology, math and etc.

1. Wall Street Tabloid: Murdoch/Dow Jones Teasing To End Today." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 31 July 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

2. "Dow Jones' Journalists' Dilemma: Cool Business Demeanor Or Hot Tabloid News?"MediaPost Publications 06/18/2007. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

3. "Dow Jones." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

4. "Dow Jones Industrial Average: INDEXDJX:.DJI Quotes & News - Google Finance."Dow Jones Industrial Average: INDEXDJX:.DJI Quotes & News - Google Finance. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

5. Press, The Associated. "How the Dow Jones Industrial Average Did Wednesday." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

Week 7: Neurosci + Art

In this week, we discussed how artists have always been fascinated with the concept of body, mind, the mind body separation and consciousness. In addition, we learned more about how artists respond to the incredible field of neuroscience.

Aristotle first believed that the brain's function was to merely cools the blood and the heart actually do all the thinkings (Figure 1). He also thought that brain was the cause of sleep. Later on, with the invention of microscope and the discovery of electricity, researching the brain become possible and we are able to demonstrate his statement through neuroscience. 

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Two great individuals, Franz Joseph Gall and Santiago Ramon y Cajal, were critical in showing us how the brain looks and how it works. Gall introduced the idea of phrenology. Based on the idea of phrenology, attempts have been made to look at the individual intellect and personality from an examination of the skull shape (Figure 2).

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Gall was convinced that mental functions are located at specific regions of the brain, and the human behaviors are dependent on these functions. There are a total of 27 separate organs in the brain, 19 of which are common among animals and humans, 8 were specifically for humans (Figure 3). The sense of metaphysics, satire, compassion are just 3 of the 8 organs existed only in human brains.

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Santiago Ramon y Cajal is known to be the founder of neuro-anatomy. Cajal's major contributions were the Neuro Theory, the investigation of the transmission of nervous signals. Camillo Golgi and Cajal were jointly awards the Nobel price for physiology or medicine in 1906 for their contributions towards the structure of the nervous system. Cajal was originally interested in arts but pursued a career in science. In the end, he was able to find his aesthetic fulfillment through science. One of his drawing is still used in textbooks (Figure 4). He was the greatest example of artist and scientist coming together.

                                        














(Figure 4)



Suzanne Anker and Giovanni Frazetto applied Cajal's belief that neurons were the butterflies of the soul, in presenting their art work - FMRI Butterfly (Figure 5). They were able to create a optical illusion, using brain scans, butterflies and a roar shpe inclot, that even though the brain scans were identical, they seem different from one another.

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Through these three great personalities, I was able to understand in a great depth of how artists and scientists can work together to better interpret the brain. In addition, with the availability of more technologies and concepts, more art works were able to be created to help better understand the brain. Below are a few of the recent art works created by various scientists from the Harvard Medical School presenting a new concept called the Brainbow. They used different composition of blue, green and red to represent different neurons. These three pictures below show examples of what they had accomplished.

1."Science Magazines Cover Art Gallery." Nature Neuroscience Cover Art Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
2."Brain." The Neurology of Kinetic Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
3."Art Therapy, Neurology and Society by Tomartist | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
4.Vesna, Victoria. "https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RF0Qt7L2-kM" Lecture 7.  23 Spet 2013, 09. Nov. 2013.
5. Vesna, Victoria. "https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TzXjNbKDkYI" Lecture 7. May 2013, 09.Nov. 2013.