ClaireGDESMA9

Event 3: May 31, 2019 Fowler Museum at UCLA Today I went and visited the Fowler Museum of Cultural History to see artifacts and sights of other cultures. As I walked in, I saw things from Guatamalan masks, to art pieces across the world. One of the things I want to discuss in particular was the African culture and how they portrayed it as a visual art through video.  The exhibition of 'Inheritance: Recent Video Art from Africa' was one that featured video works by African artsits who contend with inherited political, social, and environmental realities in their respective countries. One of the sights I saw of this visual/video art was a woman, who seemed somewhat uncomfortable or uneasy. This was a visual of only one of the chapters they portrayed. She was sitting in a bed, and it was difficult to figure out what exactly was going on and perhaps what her story is, what she was feeling, what she was thinking about, and so on.  In another part of this video a...

Week 9: Space & Art Space is this vast never-ending space existing beyond the Earth, full of stars, galaxies, planets and much more that has been researched, studied, and explored for years. From Copernicus to Neil Armstrong, we have unveiled several things about space and it seems that that will always be the case. The thing I want to explore most is Space's relationship to art. Thinking about it with not much research under my belt, the relationship I would point out is the beauty in space that artists can be inspired from. In an article by Jeff Foust, he states that "understanding the role that art can play in enlightening and inspiring audiences well outside the narrow niche if the space field can go a long way towards building broader interest in and support for space ventures across the board." It seems to me that art can act as a bridge for further understanding or interest in the space field. During the Expedition 21, Laliberte stated how he was "...

Week 8: Nanotechnology & Art Previous to this blog post, I have been typically discussing how art is within Biotech for example, or the other topics we have been discussing. This time I am going to write about how art can be made from Nanotechnology, or significantly improved in small ways. Nanotech is a branch of technology that works with dimensions smaller than 100 nanometers, as well as the manipulation of atoms or other molecules. It has impacted several different fields and redirected ways of thinking in those areas. Nanoparticles are even in our food, soap, and other objects you would never have even thought that small about. In an article by Sustainable Nano, they discuss "oil-in-water nanodroplets" being used to "remove dirt and grime from wall and easel paintings", therefore preserving them in their beautiful original state. This is an example of art conservation, which applies to this weeks concept with nanotech and art. This process was use...

Week 7: Neuroscience & Art Having looked at the body, we now look into the mind, the brain, memory, and consciousness. What is consciousness? What is machines affect on us? To have a sense of what it means to be conscious, it is defined as a "state or condition of being conscious, a sense of ones personal or collective identity, including the attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities held by or considered characteristic of an individual or group." We notice one of the greatest examples of artists and scientists coming together through the founder of neuroanatomy, Santiago Ramon y Cajal. As I was reading an article called "The Interplay Between Science and Art", the authors state "science and art both seek to observe, record, and explain the world around us." Art and science are capable of collaborating in such a way that they can create new knowledge and ideas for both respective fields.  Suzanne Anker, a visual artist and theorist working at ...

Event 2: Noise Aquarium 5/14/19 The Noise Aquarium Event was by far my favorite event this quarter. The topic being introduced was something I was entirely unaware of and something that everyone in society should know. While it may seem so small of an issue, it is something that is actually quite large and affects the ocean and these particular plankton species quite a lot. While the ocean seems like just a large blue interface, there are vast amounts of diverse organisms living at the bottom of the ocean, which are being affected from our waste that ends up in the water and noise pollution. Noise pollution is the sounds made by human activities and machinery that interfere with animals ability to hear natural sounds in the ocean. Unfortunately, noise also travels far underwater. For example, sounds such as fracking, boats, sonar noises, and more not only are detrimental for the several species of plankton, but also for animals such as dolphins and whales.  ...

Week 6: BioTech and Art With biotechnology, genetics, and technology in general constantly expanding, it has reached a point of entry into work with our bodies, animals, and our environment. Artists have now entered into labs working with several different scientists delving into the body and what is life or art. What I cannot fully comprehend is how people working in labs on things such as butterflies or rats and changing their genes is considered art or them working as artists. By accessing the codes of DNA, scientists or artists have been able to insert another code and create something new, but "is life itself an expressive medium?" For example, to add a third ear to your body as Stelarc did, he considers this art on the human body. There are several theories or opinions on what art is, such as art as an expression or imitation or representation. But does that mean that experimenting with genes or animals is a way to express art in nature? Personally, I think not. ...