Week 4: Medical Technology and Art

The subject I found particularly fascinating this week was the plasticized human bodies exhibit. I have been lucky enough to visit two of the exhibits so far, one in Los Angeles a few years ago and one in Las Vegas this past summer. What really struck me was not only the incredible detail in all of the specimens, but the way the bodies and organs were arranged. I have a pretty strong background in anatomy, so I wouldn't necessarily say that anything was completely new to me, but certain things were definitely surprising. For example, we talk about newborn development and many of us understand the steps involved between blastocyst and fetus, but seeing the actual difference in size was amazing. Also, the sheer quality of the specimens was amazing, likely due to the plastination process ("The Plastination Process").

A Chinese plant owner inspects plastinated specimens before shipment

In this sense, I feel that we often overlook the relationship between art and education. In many ways, being able to visualize a scientific process is incredibly important in learning that process. As Professor Vesna mentioned, her practice in drawing the numerous features of bones allowed her to understand anatomical concepts more clearly later on. Another example of this would be in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) pictures, many of which are used in an artistic fashion. Although the images themselves are used for medical and educational purposes, their use in artwork serves to teach many uninformed people about human anatomy, which was the case in Justine Cooper's RAPT 1 in 1998 (Casini, 2011). Below, we see an example of sculpture based on MRI scans (Jacobsen, 2012).

Resonance Punctuated, a tactile sculpture based on false-color MRI scans of the brain

On this same note, I was also interested in our discussion of different plastic surgeries, which have grown into an art form of their own. On the one hand, most of us think of plastic surgery as it is used for augmentation of appearances. For example, dimple creation is a common, though less controversial, cosmetic procedure. The paper by Lari and Panse outlines their method for creating dimples in patients that is less risky and highly effective (Lari & Panse, 2012). We are quick to dismiss this industry because we associate it with wealthy supermodels and housewives, but that ignores an important issue: reconstruction for patients suffering from burns, severe trauma, or cancer. As Barrett discusses in his review, "the basic concerns in burns reconstruction are for function, comfort, and appearance" (Barrett, 2004). Reconstructive surgery for these patients is a necessity in order to lead normal lives. As such, I think we can appreciate that, even though plastic surgery can be used for frivolous procedures, the art of cosmetic surgery is necessary for deserving individuals.

An example of facial reconstructive surgery for a burn patient from the
New York Center for Facial Plastic and Laser Surgery

References:

Barret, J. P. "Burns Reconstruction." BMJ 329.7460 (2004): 274-76. Print.

Casini, Silvia. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts." Configurations 19 (2011): 73-99. Print.

Jacobsen, Laura. "Brain Scapes I." Laura Jacobson Fine Art Galleries. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.laurajacobson.com/galleries/brainscapes_I.html>.

Lari, Ar, and Nikhil Panse. "Anatomical Basis of Dimple Creation - A New Technique: Our Experience of 100 Cases." Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery 45.1 (2012): 89-93. Print.

"The Plastination Process." Plastination. Institute for Plastination. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/plastination/plastination_process.html>.


Sheng, Li. Bio-Technique Company Founder. Digital image. TIME.com. 14 Sept. 2011. Web.

Burn Plastic Surgery Patient 1. Digital image. New York Center for Facial Plastic and Laser Surgery. Web.

Week 3: Robotics and Art

One of the most controversial aspects of industrialization, and robotics in general, is the concept of losing individuality. Industrialization aims primarily to make things more efficient. As such, an industrialized nation has concentrated areas of commerce and manufacturing as well as high population densities. Consumer goods are marketed as being part of a desirable lifestyle, aiming to make the population more homogenous.

What many people fear is that a great deal of industrialization will lead to a homogenous, boring existence. Like the picture below from the 2004 film I, Robot, we typically imagine the robotic products of industrialization to look alike, making them immediately identifiable, but indistinguishable.

Robots as seen in I, Robot (2004)

Walter Benjamin said, "Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be." As such, he points out that in any industrialized world, no matter the extent of the industry, originals will always be set apart. To continue with the example from I, Robot, Sonny may look like every robot, but acts entirely different. It is eventually what saves humanity.

In the image below, we see Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, The Terminator, from the science fiction film Terminator. The Terminator is a deadly killing machine designed to look like a human. This represents what is more likely in the future of robotics: uniquely imagined robots. Although many science fiction films point to a future wherein everyone will have the same model of robot, one probably said the same thing a century ago about today's automobiles. Though certain models and colors sell better than others, there is a great appreciation for vintage and unique vehicles.

The Terminator, a robot from the future, as seen in Terminator (1984)

Finally, I believe that we typically jump to doomsday scenario when looking at massive industrialization. This was hugely evident in Disney's film WALL-E. In the film, we immediately see the protagonist robot cleaning up an entire planet of mechanical junk. It has been designed for one purpose, but eventually learns others. It then visits the humans in space, where they have been reduced to little more than wheelchair-bound gelatinous blobs. It is tempting to think that our civilization is heading in the same direction, but I believe such doomsday scenarios are impossible. As Benjamin argues, there is something immutable and undeniable about originality. I cannot imagine a world in which every human willingly conforms to the same fate.

A protagonist robot from WALL-E (2008).

References:

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Zeitschrift Für Sozialforschung (1936). Print.

Blade Runner. Warner Brothers, 1982. Film.

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995)." Leonardo 28.5 (1995): 381-86. Print.

I, Robot. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 2004. Film.

WALL-E. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2008. Film.


I, Robot Wallpaper. Digital image. Http://www.leblogdefanaworld.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/i-robot-wallpaper.jpg. Web.

The Terminator. Digital image. Http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01525/Terminator_1525028c.jpg. Web.

WALL-E Desktop Wallpaper. Digital image. Http://hd.wallpaperswide.com/thumbs/wall_e_4-t2.jpg. Web.

Week 2: Math + Art

Mathematic's Influence on Art

Mathematics and art often seem to be polar opposites, but have truly influenced one another for ages. We can easily imagine a modern artist using a computer (which is nothing more than a sophisticated calculator), but this has been true since art began. For example, the pyramids of Giza, often revered as great feats of architecture, had to be engineered. The ratios of the pyramids mirror the golden ratio, which has been echoed in art throughout the ages. The same is true of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, an iconic sketch of the nude male form. The ratios are completely accurate and mathematically sound, again showing the amazing influence art has had.

Nowadays, when we are taught to draw from a young age, we learn about perspective. In fact, the only way to correctly represent depth in any image is through the use of perspective. Such is shown in Abbott's Flatland, in which he shows us many dimensions of the world and describes their importance. Regardless, we cannot ignore that mathematics clearly dictate how depth is displayed (and perceived, at least to a certain degree).

Music and Mathematics

Where math and art really intersect today is in music. For starters, music is nothing more than multiple sound waves, which are just waves of compressed air molecules. They compress and expand, creating waves that we can measure and record. From there, many musicians use computers to adjust the waves. They can simply alter volume, or amplitude, or they can adjust the frequency or pitch of the wave. Programs nowadays can generate sounds as well, further adding to the amazing ways mathematics influence music.

Sound waves as they exist in nature and mathematics

Below is an abstract art project from Leander Herzog, who used a computer program to perforate and cut plastic strips according to a specific sound pattern. As such, the resultant sculpture is a series of long and short loops, representing high and low pitches in the sound bite. We also see a complete disconnect from reality: this sculpture does not look like a familiar sound, despite being based on a piece of music. Here mathematics have allowed us to disconnect from and abstractly view sound, creating abstract art.

Sound waves imagined with laser-cut plastic ribbons

This week, I learned a lot about how mathematics, and specifically computers, can be used to alter and sample sounds. Much of the music we hear today has been altered in this way, but it is pretty odd to think that they are simply distorting sound waves. As such, I think that, despite that they are often mentioned as being very different, math and art are truly inseparable. They comprise not two sides of a coin, in which one has no bearing on the other, but a pair of siblings, where both feed of off and inspire one another.



References:

Abbott, Edwin A. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Champaign: Project Gutenberg, 1884. Print.

Burk, Phil, Larry Polanski, Douglas Repetto, Mary Roberts, and Dan Rockmore. "Music and Computers." Music and Computers. Columbia University, 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://music.columbia.edu/cmc/MusicAndComputers>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics: Zero, Perspective, Golden Mean." DESMA 9 Online Lecture. Online. 9 Apr. 2012. Lecture.

Loudspeaker Waveform. Digital image. Http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/images/loudspeaker-waveform.gif. Web.

Watz, Marius. "Abstrakt Abstrakt: Leander Herzog – Sound Object (data.matrix, Ryoji Ikeda)." Art from Code - Generator.x. 10 Dec. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://www.generatorx.no/20101201/abstrakt-abstrakt-leander-herzog-sound-object-data-matrix-ryoji-ikeda/>.

Week 1: Two Cultures

Both articles represent similar views on a well known dichotomy in our lives: the polarization of art and science. Snow's piece takes the perspective of a man that criticizes both sides for being shortsighted. Vesna instead takes a more academic and descriptive approach. She seems to be more focused on dissecting other's arguments, but does still offer her own opinion. They both echo the sentiment of compromise; that both sides must respect the other in order for bridges to be made.

Both sides must work together to move forward

The concept of two cultures is present at UCLA in many ways. We have the obvious intellectual distinction between South and North campus, respectively representing science and humanities. We have the separation between the dorms and campus itself, representing a chasm between social life and academics. We even have the division between fraternities and sororities, with each existing on opposite sides of the campus.

A typical North campus library

A typical South campus laboratory

This perspective, understanding that definite dichotomies exist, does affect my thinking in that I really question why the separation exists. I, like many students, decided long ago that I wanted to go into science. I really enjoyed the subjects in school and found that the field required creativity from me. More than anything, I loved the idea of learning throughout my life. Science, almost by definition, is always changing. At least, our perception of science is always changing.
Without thinking much, I am quick to say that art does not demand the same things of me. But when I really think about things, it becomes obvious that art and the humanities require their participants to be excellent learners and infinitely creative.
It is possible that I leaned toward science because I felt that it was more beneficial to the world, but even that seems largely untrue. Medicine may save people's lives, but art makes those lives worth living. Thus, I think the existence and, more importantly, my recognition of two cultures is actually beneficial. Because I know that the schism is present, I can do what I can to exist between both poles. I am already an avid reader and enjoy writing, but many times my academic pursuits prevent me from partaking in literary pleasures. As such, I feel that consciously understanding how my actions affect the polarization of art and science will guide me toward a better understanding and appreciation of both worlds.
It is more accurate to say that there is a gradient between art and science. We even refer to many scientific procedures, such as delicate surgeries or complicated molecular crystallizations, as art in their own right. I want to exist firmly in the grey area of this gradient.

If art exists at 0 and science at 10, I want to be as close to 5 as possible

Sources:

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.

Images:
Unknown. Image. <https://www.fcasv.org/sites/default/files/bridge.jpg>

UCLA Laboratory. Photograph. <http://www.syska.com/cms/photos/projects/UCLA_Lab.jpg>
Powell Library. Photograph. <http://www.library.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/styles/widescreen_large/public/powell%205.jpg?itok=B_g5J13g>

Value Scale. Image. <http://i.imgur.com/JV8s8.jpg>