Week 4 : Medicine+Technology+Art

This week's material is mainly focus on the study of relationship among medicine, technology and arts.

Plastic surgery and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are two fields that connect medical technology and art tightly, and the connections make sense to me. As introduced by Professor Vesna, plastic surgery was really an ancient idea that first developed Indian people and then learned by western society. As medical technology advances, surgeons are more adept and have better resources in transforming ordinary faces to ideal beauty. Medical technology advances the art of transforming human body’s appearance.

Instead of changing human body’s appearance, the technology MRI provides valuable information on glands and organs within the human body, and accurate information about the structure of the joints, soft tissues, and bones. Usually, surgery can be deferred or more accurately directed after knowing the results of an MRI scan. The image and resolution produced by MRI is quite detailed and can detect tiny changes of structures within the body. The MRI technology gives people the possibilities of exploring the inner world of human body, which is fascinating and gives artists profound inspiration in depicting the beauty of human.

The combination of medical technology and arts is one of the best creations that human beings made. Medical techs provide people more opportunities for chasing their health and beauty. Meanwhile, arts bring more inspiration and developments to carry medicine and technology on. They make each other a better one, and make this world better as well.

Citations:

1.      Vesna, Victoria, dir. Medicine pt3. 2012. Web. 25 Oct 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4&feature=player_embedded>.

2.      Shiel, William C.. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging.”medicinenet. N.p.. Web. 25 Oct 2013. <http://www.medicinenet.com/mri_scan/article.htm>.

3.      Plastic surgery. N.d.. checkinthemirror.blogspot.comWeb. 25 Oct 2013. <http://checkinthemirror.blogspot.com/2012/11/plastic-surgery.html>.

4.      Todorovic, Zoran . N.d. www.culturebase.netWeb. 25 Oct 2013. <http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?188>.

5.      MRI. N.d. MedFriendlyWeb. 25 Oct 2013. <http://www.medfriendly.com/magneticresonance.html>.

Week 3: Robotics+Art

Through the lecture part 1 of Professor Vesna’s, Walter Benjamin’s idea that mechanical mass production destroys and puts an end to the uniqueness and authenticity of arts, is quite inspiring. The idea is so profound and crystal, even it was first brought up in an earlier period. One of the examples would be the digital paintings on sale in a lot of the supermarkets, which were unique when paintings could only be created by people’s hands before mechanical production came out.

 “Mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art”, actually in both positive and negative ways, in my perspective.

Take automobile industry as an example. Before Henry Ford introduced the pipeline production, which was an inchoate model of industrial robotics, people never imagine average middle class family could afford one or more cars, and cars are made by hands and they were each treated as an art project, because the bore more aesthetic value. Ford stream line destroyed some artistic values in cars. Yet as science and technology develops, people are no longer satisfied with a car can only serve the purpose of transportation, they want artistic value added back to their cars. Then different kinds of concept cars, super fast, fancy model, equipped with high-tech artificial intelligent control system, shows up and able to do much beyond transportation. Since this kind of nontraditional cars cannot be put into mass mechanical production, they can be treated as artistic works because of their uniqueness and artistic value. 

The art in my mind is not the beauty only lives in the libraries or on the papers, but the true happiness that everyone deserves to feel and enjoy. That is the advantage mechanical production brings. Meanwhile, what we can’t deny is the inevitable negative-influence during the fusing. However, I deem that advantage is more than disadvantage for sure. Mechanical reproduction of art makes arts getting greater ever. 

Citations:

1. Vesna, Victoria, Robotics pt1. Web. 18 Oct 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew&feature=player_embedded>

2. “Walter Benjamin.” . Wikipedia,. Web. 18 Oct 2013.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Benjamin>.

3. Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” . UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Web. 18 Oct 2013

<http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm>. 

4. Ford Assembly Line. 2012. n.p. Web. 18 Oct 2013. <http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Labor/L_Overview/Ford_Assembly_Lines.htm>.

5. Cool Concept Cars. 2011. n.p. Web. 18 Oct 2013. <http://xaxor.com/engine/23480-cool-concept-cars-part-3.html>.

Week 2: Math+Art

This week’s topic hits a resonance in me while I begin to watch the lecture video, since something about Leonardo Da Vinci, the virtuoso of forever, comes up to my mind. One of my favorite novels the DaVinci Code, pictures various connections in diverse fields. Mathematics is a sort of tool, but it really plays a momentous role in the arts. Meanwhile, its influence is profound and constructive.

What impresses me in Professor Vesna’s lecture is the Cartesian Coordinates from a French mathematician --- Rene Descartes, which provides a good basis to the future scientists and artists to build within a concise and efficient 3-D system.

In the novel the DaVinci Code, the curator of the Grand Gallery in Louvre Museum Master Uacques Saunière left a secret message, which is combined of a series of Fibonacci number, to his grand-daughter Sophie Neveu before died of an assassination. The pass word actually led to the Saint Grail, which is the crucial treasure with power. Even we cannot validate the authenticity of the novel, yet still the connection Dan Brown draws among mathematics, painting, symbology, religion and history are fascinating and enthralling.

Another production combined of mathematics and arts is very attractive to me, which is Golden Ratio, beautiful mathematics phenomena ubiquitous in the nature, was recognized by human beings long time ago, and applied to various art paintings, buildings and statues; it is an obvious example where mathematics stands at the center of art. From an article by Brett Dusek, I am pretty sure about the great influence mathematics inserts on art. Below are some visual examples of the Golden Ratio.

If you are looking for an improvement in your own aesthetics, Golden Ratio will be a great resource and tools.

Citations:

1.Vesna, Victoria, dir. Mathematics, perspectives, time, space. Web. 10 Oct 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>.

2.Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 2003. Print.

3.DUSEK, BRETT. “Golden Ratio – The Secret to Aesthetics?.” Creative Sagest. N.p., n.d. Web.10 Oct 2013. <http://creativesagest.blogspot.com/2009/03/golden-ratio-secret-to-aesthetics.html>.

4.Da Vinci, Leonardo. Vitruvian Man. N.d. Painting. n.p. Web. 10 Oct 2013. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTzGTgfESLHvTGounZzSNmInIDA34q5q9LIBf3TOV7KaevsMYZapOzFUTAaBe08sTUmN6F5fbRPxtbAbqpogrSvBgtW-fUyWFkuy5R07HcxHac4LIRXOYsV8cyZiacmwTyTYenXZN3Yk/s1600-h/davinci_vitruvianman.jpg>.

5.The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. N.d. Painting. n.p. Web.10 Oct 2013. 

<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUN-FYy0jLrCTCqWoGScn923XT6CxLktR1HkhkPkkp4uucdmAhvC0JcJtFHjILTVMzLSxQdkmytl7PskKwO_rry5zdyNkbbuYE0oaY0X4U5uZrf3IsAoz7IB4MDFnka0emfmP6AuRAVo/s1600-h/goldenratio_2.png>.

Week 1: Two Cultures

The materials of week 1 mostly centre how the “Two Cultures” divide and influence to each other. Although science and art are usually considered as two polar opposites, I still deem that they are somehow linked in various fields and forms.

As a UCLA student who majored in electrical engineering, I am deeply aware of the division between the cultures of south campus and north campus. Students in the south campus are passionate about technology. Science makes their sense and life. However, north campus students have the stereotype of being active and extroverted. It is like the left right brain theory, seems to be plausible, but does not work out in all the cases. All the students majored in engineering are required to take several courses besides their majors. Taking DESMA9 is for fulfilling my GE requirement, and this is my precious opportunity to learn more about arts.

That the disparity between rich and poor is the main cause of the wide gap between art and technology, which is mentioned in C.P. Snow’s famous lecture, impressed me a lot. The entire western society is supposed to fix the education to narrow the gap and draw connection. Over the past 50 years after Mr. Snow’s lecture, there was some chemistry reaction occurred. John Brockman spent most of his life on integrating arts and science, and created Edge Foundation. People have put a lot of effort into integration. As 3D, even 4D movies, HD cameras and any advanced forms of music players, they are all potent evidence of integration of the two cultures.

Things have been changed from 50 years ago. Our world has seen more overlap of the two cultures. Meanwhile, we begin to talk about the lately recognized third culture, which implies two cultures are now closely connected.

Citation:

Graham-Rowe, Duncan. “Magazine.”http://www.wired.co.uk. N.p., 03 February 2011. Web. 5 Oct 2013. <http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/03/start/matchmaking-with-science-and-art>.

Collins, Matt. An Update on C. P. Snow’s “Two Cultures”. 2009. Graphic. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=an-update-on-cp-snows-two-culturesWeb.

5 Oct 2013.

Top 100 3D Movies Post. 2010. Graphic. http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/vote_for_the_top_100_3d_movies_of_all_timeWeb. 5 Oct 2013.

Creative ads Awards Winner — Underwater Camera: BEACH. 2010. Graphic. http://www.coloribus.com/focus/waterproof-cameras-ads/13751855Web. 5 Oct 2013.

Fly Tulcan. 2009. Photograph.  http://pixelpastahome.blogspot.com/2010_08_22_archive.html Web. 5 Oct 2013.