Event 3: The Getty Center

For my third and final event, I visited the Getty Center Museum. I was amazed at the view from the museum. There is a beautiful view overlooking LA, as well as the ocean. The museum features different events, exhibitions, and collections of art that are available to anyone to visit and appreciate.

One of the most intriguing exhibitions that I saw in the museum was called "Light, Paper, Process: Reinventing Photography". The exhibition featured the work of seven different artists: Matthew Brandt, Marco Breuer, John Chiara, Chris McCaw, Lisa Oppenheim, Alison Rossitier, and James Welling. Each of the photographers focus on the light sensitivity and chemical processing of photographic papers, which allows us to see the medium of the photograph in a new way.

Although the museum does not allow you to take photos of the artwork, below is a photograph by Marco Bruer titled "Spin." This artist shows us a unique form of chemical technology that is used to change photographs. The unique part about this photograph is that he uses a heating element from an old frying pan across an unexposed sheet of gelatin paper to process the photograph, scratching it and creating a science fiction wormhole effect. The photo is on chromogenic paper, exposed, embossed, and abraded.

After visiting the Getty Center, my eyes have been opened to a new technique that is used in photography that I was not aware of before. The manipulation of these photographs is just another form of proof that new techniques and technology are being used combination with art to create new forms and art and portray different feelings.


Sources:

"The Getty Museum." Getty Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. <http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/process/>.

Andrews, Brian. "Marco Breuer: Line of Sight | Art Practical." Art Practical. N.p., 28 June 2011. Web. 04 June 2015. <http://www.artpractical.com/review/marco_breuer_line_of_sight/>.

Lucas, Francis. "The Art of Photo Manipulation. Techniques and Examples." Ourtuts. N.p., 25 Oct. 2011. Web. 04 June 2015. <http://www.ourtuts.com/the-art-of-photo-manipulation-techniques-and-examples/>.

"Marco Breuer: Line of Sight." De Young. N.p., 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 June 2015. <http://deyoung.famsf.org/deyoung/exhibitions/marco-breuer-line-sight>.

"Getty Museum Endowed." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/getty-museum-endowed>.

Photos: 

Bruer, Marco. Spin. Digital image. Art Practical. N.p., 28 June 2011. Web. 4 June 2015. <http://www.artpractical.com/review/marco_breuer_line_of_sight/>.

Light Paper Process, The Getty Center. Personal photograph by Jordyn Wieber. 2015

The Getty Center, The Getty Center. Personal photograph by Jordyn Wieber. 2015

Event 2: LASER Symposium

Upon arriving at the California Nanosystems Institute, I realized that I had never approached this building in my two years of attending UCLA. I didn't even know it existed. My friend and I attended the LASER event, which stands for the Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous. The event featured a series of presentations and lectures on art, science, and technology. Each artist or scientist had five minutes to describe the art and science projects they have been working on or worked on in the past.

One of the projects that stood out to me was called Collective Tuning via Pink Noise. The speakers on this topic were Caitlin Foley and Mischa Robabinovich and they discussed their project of a Pink Noise Salon. The salon is a place where people are invited to lounge and listen to the ocean while wearing Shellphones and tune into a pink noise pirate radio station. The afternoon salon is meant to have rejuvenation effects and it travels from city to city, allowing people to form a positive bond with each other in the sauna. This really opened up my imagination to the ways in which art and science are connected in the form of sound and a place where people can go to rejuvenate. 

After reading about the pink noise salon, I was curious as to what the specific effects of pink noise were on the brain. In an article about the effects on brain activity by 6 doctors, they found that pink noise improves sleep stability. They carried out a study of 6 subjects, feeding them with 10 minutes of quiet followed by 10 minutes of noise. After, the subjects EEG signals in the brain were studied as they took a nap. It was found that those who were exposed to the noise showed significant enhancement in the percentage of stable sleep in comparison to the group who was not exposed to any noise. 

Sources:

Pure Pink Noise. N.p., Sept. 2012. Web. 30 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ9Go1PnAVA>.

Rabinovich, Misch. "Pink Noise Salon." Portfolio of Mischa Rabinovich. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://misharabinovich.com/pink_noise_salon.html>.

"EXHIBITION: Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces by Robert Gero | UCLA Art | Sci Center + Lab." EXHIBITION: Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces by Robert Gero | UCLA Art | Sci Center + Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://artsci.ucla.edu/?q=events%2Fexhibition-infinity-structures-paradoxical-spaces-robert-gero>.

Zhou, J., D. Liu, X. Ma, J. Zhang, and J. Fang. "Pink Noise: Effect on Complexity Synchronization of Brain Activity and Sleep Consolidation." Diss. N.d. Abstract. (2012): n. pag. PubMed. Web. 30 May 2015.

Pink Noise Salon. Vimeo, Aug. 2014. Web. 30 May 2015. <https://vimeo.com/101967515>.

Week 9: Space + Art

Astronomical elements and planets have been the source for works of art for a long time. It gives us the ability to look off into the world and imagine what we would see out there. Space exploration is used by artists through photography, illustration, and paintings, but it also expands to the arts and humanities and into cultural expression. An artists with one of the World's Best Collection of Outer Space Photographs is Don Pettit. He has spent over half of his life in outer space, taking photographs fro NASA, but he has realized that although most of the photos he takes are technical photos, Pettit states, "I want to let people understand that you can take pictures in space that you consider art. And I want tot try and share the joys of this environment for people who don't get the chance to go there" (New Republic). Pettit explains how some aspects of his photography are technical, they are parts of the world and works of art that most people will never be able to see, which makes it even more rare and special. A few of Pettit's photos are below:

It seems that one of the main goals of artists who explore space is to create an experience of outer space in unique, artistic ways. Another way that the beauty of space is being used for art is by an organization called KSEVT. Also known as the Cultural Space Programme, KSEVT is an eponymous institute that promotes research in the fields or space culturalization. All of the events at the institute are designed to intertwine art and science, stressing the importance of humanistic science and modern art in space exploration. One of the most interesting events that I found was the KSEVT Hotel, located in the tiny Slovanian village of Vitanje. This hotel allows you to spend the night in a a zero-gravity levitation suit, simulating what it would be like to sleep in space. The system doesn't use any high-tech gear to replicate this experience, but it relies on the levitation suit to create the feeling of natural movement, as shown below.

Sources:

Booker, Maia. "Meet the Astronaut with the World's Best Collection of Outer Space Photographs." New Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116606/astronaut-space-photography-don-petits-amazing-art>.

"Articles by Don Pettit." Articles by Don Pettit. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.airspacemag.com/author/don-pettit/?no-ist>.

"Institute." KSEVT. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.ksevt.eu/2015/?page_id=391>.

MailOnline, Katie Amey for. "Perfect for a Light Sleeper! Tourists Invited to Find out What It Feels like to Fall Asleep in Zero-gravity (as Long as They Don't Mind Hanging from the Ceiling)." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 14 May 2015. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3081446/KSEVT-hotel-allows-guests-experience-like-fall-asleep-outer-space.html>.

"Sleep in Zero-Gravity at the KSEVT Hotel." PSFK Sleep in ZeroGravity Slumber Without Leaving Earth Comments. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.psfk.com/2015/05/sleep-in-zero-gravity-ksevt-hotel-aa-visiting-school-slovenia-3d-sleeping.html>.

Photos:

Pettit, Don. Star Trails. Digital image. New Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116606/astronaut-space-photography-don-petits-amazing-art>.

Pettit, Don. Aurora Borealis. Digital image. New Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116606/astronaut-space-photography-don-petits-amazing-art>.

Pettit, Don. City at Night. Digital image. New Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116606/astronaut-space-photography-don-petits-amazing-art>.

Brack, Jeb. Sleep in Zero-Gravity. Digital image. Psfk. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 27 May 2015. <http://www.psfk.com/2015/05/sleep-in-zero-gravity-ksevt-hotel-aa-visiting-school-slovenia-3d-sleeping.html>.

Week 8: Nanotechnology + Art

According to the National Nanotechnology Initiative, "Nanotechnology is the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all other science fields.." (Nano.gov). What some people may not be aware of, is that nanotechnology can not only be used in other fields of science, but it can be used in combination with art as well. By studying the way different forms of elements have different structures, artists and scientists can engineer new ways of seeing, sensing, and connecting with matter that is minuscule and abstract.

One invention that interested me was Boo Chapple's bone speakers. This invention clearly combines nanotechnology and art in the form of sound. Chapple discovered that by applying an electric charge to a piezoelectric material, you can change its shape. Rather than bone's piezoelectric properties coming from its primary material, it appears to derive from the collagen that holds the bone together. As described in the article titled "Bone-Rattling Sound: New speakers that are made from bone" on Fast Company, "Chapple realized that applying a current to bone at just the right frequency should make it vibrate like the diaphragm in an audio speaker." The bone responds and vibrates at the nanoscale.

Even more interestingly, Chapple is an artist, not a scientist. The goal of her project was to accomplish what all good art can, "make strange" otherwise familiar objects. In other words, music being produced through an audio speaker is something that is known, but process of creating an audio speaker with a bone takes something familiar, combines it with nanotechnology, and makes it something unfamiliar and innovative. Although this is a compelling argument, I also believe that this invention is somewhat of a paradox, because in order to utilize the bone for this new nanotechnological invention, it must be removed from its living context and used for something non-living.

Sources:

"What Is Nanotechnology?" What Is Nanotechnology? N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2015.

"Bone-Rattling Sound: New Speakers That Are Made From Bone." Fast Company. N.p., 02 Aug. 2012. Web. 19 May 2015.

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.base. N.p., 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 May 2015.

Gimzewski, James K. "Nanotechnology and Art, Lecture 1." Web. 19 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7jM6-iqzzE>.

Chapple, Boo. "Boo Chapple: The Post Modern Approach." BOO CHAPPLE (n.d.): 130-39. Web. 19 May 2015. <http://corpuseclectica.net/booimages/chapple.pdf>.

Photos:

Nanotechnology. Digital image. Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science. DUJS Online, Jan. 2009. Web. 19 May 2015.

John Curtin. Transjuicer, detail. Digital image. Real Time Arts. N.p., 2009. Web. 19 May 2015.

John Curtin. Transjuicer, installation view. Digital image. Real Time Arts. N.p., 2009. Web. 19 May 2015.

Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

Being a psychology major, I am often exposed to many topics that involve neuroscience, consciousness, unconsciousness, dream analysis, and many other topics that are involved in this week's topic of the convergence of Neuroscience and Art. One aspect of art, which includes imaging of the brain through high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging, is being used by scientists to make connections to the behaviors of humans. For example, researchers at UCLA have found connections between increasing brain size and meditation through the use of brain scanning and MRI's. Eileen Luders states, "We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behavior. The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities. This is just one way that neuroscience are being studied here at UCLA.

After reading parts of Gardner's "Art Mind and Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity", it is clear that there are many artists who have shaped the way art is viewed in terms of neuroscience and psychology. One person in particular, philosopher and cognitive scientist Noam Chomsky, had a large impact on the way we view art in terms of and in combination with the sciences. Gardner's essay describes the work of Chomsky and his complex idea systems, but what I found interesting is Chomsky's view on artists and scientists in an interview. Chomsky states, "Further progress in music or mathematics requires a scientist or artist with an unusual heredity" (Gliedman). Chomsky believes that there is a certain aspect of art that goes into any field of science, and it requires a person with a particular quirk of mind to understand certain artistic fields such as music or physics. I agree with Chomsky on this theory and I think it is an important part of how neuroscience and the brain works with the arts. 

Another interesting topic of neuroscience and art is the topic of art therapy. Incorporating the fields of art and psychotherapy, "art therapy" is being used by mental health institutions and many other settings as a way of using the transference process between the therapist and a client who makes art, allowing self expression and symbolic art to serve as a form of therapy for patients suffering from different mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, autism, or depression. According to Kukasz Konopka in an article titled "Where art meets neuroscience: a new horizon of art therapy", art therapy was originally recognozed as the process of art-making that allowed one to reframe experiences, but recently, "Art therapy has gained popularilty because it combines free artistic expression with the potential for significant intervention" (Konopka). Art therapy has helped patients with different disorders, whether they are developmental, medical, or psychiatric conditions.

Sources

"Things No Amount of Learning Can Teach." Interview by John Gliedman. Chomsky.info. N.p., Nov. 1983. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/198311--.htm>.

Gardner, Howard. "Art, Mind, And Brain: A Cognitive Approach To Creativity." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2015.

Konopka, Lukasz M. "Where Art Meets Neuroscience: A New Horizon of Art Therapy." Croatian Medical Journal. Croatian Medical Schools, Feb. 2015. Web. 16 May 2015.

Wheeler, Mark. "How to Build a Bigger Brain." How to Build a Bigger Brain. N.p., 12 May 2009. Web. 16 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience, Pt. 2" Lecture. Youtube. 17 May 2012. Web. 16 May. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFv4owX3MZo

Photos

Healing Traumatized Kids through Art Therapy. Digital image. Secure Teen. N.p., 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 May 2015.

Shetterly, Robert. Noam Chomsky. Digital image. Americans Who Tell The Truth. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2015.

Art Improves Health & Well Being. Digital image. Craftlantis. N.p., 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 May 2015.

Week 6: Biotech + Art

Talking about biotechnology and art this week, it is amazing to see that over the past decade, more and more artists are transitioning from the studio to the laboratory. As we learned in the lecture videos, beginning with the pioneer of biotechnology, Joe Davis, many different technologies such as tissue cultures, genetic modification of plants and foods, and prosthetics, biotechnology and art are converging to increase sustainability and the lives of many. 

One way that biotech presents itself as a valid expressive medium for life is through bionic body parts. Bionic eyes, exoskeletons to help people walk, and robotic limbs that can be controlled by the mind are just a few examples of how biotechnology, combined with extensive research of the nervous system, can help people regain normal functions. As told on smithsonian.com, Bertolt Meyer, a man born with only an inch or so of arm below his left elbow, has worn a prosthetic limb since he was 3 years old. Now, with the help of advanced technology and innovation in bionics, he wears a bionic hand called i-limb. Only weighing a couple of pounds and containing skeletal fingers, Meyer is now able to perform daily functions as if he had a real arm. 

Another way that biotech us used to create unique living art is through the use of fluorescent proteins and GFP filters in order to visualize the uptake of particles into cancer cells. The GFP Bunny, Alba, was used by Eduardo Kac to create a piece of art that can never be replicated. This technique is one-of-a-kind and takes another step towards forward thinking in the field of bioart, but the ethics are questionable because the bunny is harmed in the process. 

Sources:

Brumfiel, Geoff. "The Insane and Exciting Future of the Bionic Body." Smithsonian. N.p., Sept. 2013. Web. 09 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. “Bioart, Part 1” Lecture.. Youtube, 18 Sep. 2013. Web. 9 May. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaThVnA1kyg.

Philipkoski, Kristen. "RIP: Alba, the Glowing Bunny." WIRED. N.p., 12 Aug. 2002. Web. 10 May 2015.

"Green Fluorescent Protein - Cool Uses - Alba." Green Fluorescent Protein - Cool Uses - Alba. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.

"The Body Bionic." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.

Photos:

Bertolt Meyer, Who Is Fitted with a Sophisticated I-limb Bionic Hand. Digital image. The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2015.

Body Traversed by Biotechnology and Art. Digital image. Media Arts and Technology Graduate Program. University of California, Santa Barbara, 1 May 2012. Web. 9 May 2015.

GFB Bunny. Digital image. Rabbit Remix. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.

Event 1: LACMA

I arrived at the LA County Museum of Art with an open mind, eager to see what I would learn and experience on this Sunday afternoon. I attended the museum with my best friend, Jessy, and we walked to every exhibit and appreciated all that the art museum had to offer. Here is a photo of me at the Urban Lights sculpture, designed by Chris Burden. 

Our first stop and the featured exhibition that interested me the most was called “Haunted Screens: German Cinema in the 1920’s.” In this exhibit, I was able to see the connection between art and technology as we observed featured drawings, manuscripts, posters, and set models from German expressionist cinema. As described on the LACMA website, “Film is perhaps the most dominant art form of the last one hundred years” (LACMA Website). German expressionism refers to “a number of related creative moments beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin” (Wikipedia, German Expressionism). In this course, we have studied the connection between technology, medicine, robotics, and other things that converge with art, but to experience hands-on the connection between film and art was very interesting. We were even able to see clips of lost films of the expressionist era playing in the exhibit. Below is a photo called "M" by an unknown artist, and it is featured at LACMA in the Haunted Screens exhibit. 

I was also intrigued by the modern art exhibit. One artist that stood out to me was Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol pursued a career as a commercial artist and began to create paintings based on advertisement imagery, otherwise known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression and advertisement that flourished in the 1960's. What I found to be most interesting was Warhol's incorporation of technology in his works of art. He used many types of media, including hand drawing, painting, print-making, photography, film, and music. These are all related to the topics and connections we have been studying in this course. A couple Andy Warhol's paintings are below:

Many of the paintings in the modern art exhibits were accompanied by an explanation of the artist's vision or meaning of the painting or sculpture. I believe that although the artist may have had a specific idea of the meanings of their paintings, every individual can create their own meaning and assign their own themes, depending on how they perceive a work of art. 

Sources and Links:

"Art + Film Initiative." Art + Film Initiative. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

"German Expressionism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

"Haunted Screens: German Cinema in the 1920s." Haunted Screens: German Cinema in the 1920s. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

"Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987)." Andy Warhol Artworks – Andy Warhol on Artnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Andy Warhol." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Photos:

Wieber, Jordyn M. Ticket Stub. 2015. LACMA, Los Angeles. Taken with iPhone

Wieber, Jordyn M. Urban Lights. 2015. LACMA, Los Angeles. Taken with iPhone

Wieber, Jordyn M. Andy Warhol Painting. 2015. LACMA, Los Angeles. Taken with iPhone

Unknown. "M" Digital image. Lacma.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.