Week 4

Professor Vesna discussed how medical technologies, such as surgery, are thousands of years old. While they don’t have the same tools and procedures we do now, early humans creatively mended injuries. As more and more medical procedures took place, the human body became more exposed and visually reproduced.

Body scans such as MRIs an x-rays inspired photographic art while plastic surgery became a way to beautify or re-beautify the human face (or body). Doctors who perform these surgeries have to have an artistic touch to help change a person’s outward image. Their craft is comparable to sculpting.

Medical cognition researcher Virgil Wong uses his scientific background to develop art and design centered around the human body. His work “generates personalized 3-D anatomical bodies to visualize health information in the past, present, and future.”

An example of Wong's digital body art.

Artists like Wong use some of the strategies Vesna described to create anatomy exhibits that come to various science museums. I remember a few years back going to “Body Worlds” at the California Science Center. It was really cool to see these layered, 3-D models of the human body in vivid detail. Down to each and every wrinkle and limb, these artists had an unbelievable attention to detail regarding medicine and the human body.

A human body model from "Body Worlds."

I also have been to many homes where people hang body art. It’s becoming a popular trend to purchase and display such body art in a home. I like seeing these pictures in homes because it shows tastes in medical technologies and arts all in one frame in a domestic setting.

Home art for sale.

References:

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine pt1"YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 21 April 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=778&v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine pt2"YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 21 April 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=387&v=psjnQarHOqQ. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine pt2"YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 22 April 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1013&v=FIX-9mXd3Y4. Web.

Wong, Virgil. "Bio-Virgil Wong." 2003-Present, http://virgilwong.com/bio/. Web.

"Human Anatomy Wall Art & Canvas Prints" 2019, https://www.greatbigcanvas.com/category/education/science/human-anatomy/. Web.

Event 1

Gerald Bast, the President of the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, delivered the keynote address at the symposium on “Arts based Research in times of Social and Climate Change” on campus on April 4^th.

Me with Keynote Speaker Gerald Bast on April 4th at the Symposium.

Bast’s presentation effectively proposed one of the main points of DESMA9 thus far, which is that science and art ought to be infused for the betterment of the world. Bast constantly quoted figures from a variety of disciplines such as performing arts, political science, and even sociology while broadly discussing global effects of technology, climate change, and urbanization. Grabbing wisdom from various disciplines perfectly exemplified Bast’s main point – that the worlds of art and science must be one.

Bast discusses challenging times in the world and the need for interconnectivity between art and science.

He discussed a contrast from Renaissance art where paintings reflected political and economy landscapes of society to post-Renaissance times where arts and science were in distinct spheres. More and more scientific knowledge is being produced, including research published every 20 seconds! 

Bast then got to his main point when he urged people to find the interconnections between the vast scientific knowledge and arts. I thought it was pretty cool that his university pushes for cutting-edge strategies to infuse science and art with interconnections and overlaps, so he’s actually putting his words into practice. He believes these connections can be achieved through 1) complex problem solving, 2) critical thinking, and 3) creativity.

We must find the intersections of Art and Science.

I found his need for holistic ways of thinking – in that science alone isn’t a solution – to be extremely valuable. Moreover, I really valued his proposal that arts can help build universal human identities in a world of Artificial Intelligence and Global Warming.

He quotes Fukuyama, a political scientist, about how one’s dignity and identity are scientifically split into various categories like race, religion, ethnicity but we need creativity in the arts to help us  form more complete, rounded human identities. Just like science and art shouldn’t exclude the other, humans cant be limited to a single role or identity.

I think this speech was a great introduction to the symposium and I would recommend attending it. Having this baseline in the world of art and science will be very helpful in understanding the greater importance of their interconnections both for the midterm project in this course and the progression of planet Earth.

Week 3

Robotics and mass production aren't a replacement for art and culture, but are often derived from them. Professor Vesna describes their relationship as a "two-way street" because culture influences scientists' ideas of innovation. She discusses how the earliest images of  robotic concepts reflected society and  contemporary culture.

Robots are based on artistic ideas but can be utilized to create more art and culture.

While innovation may encompass societal elements, people like Benjamin warn that mass reproduction may take away the authenticity of art and culture. With the same images being digitized and widespread, the quality and often emotional value goes down. While this isn't universal, even looking at a replica of a masterful painting pales in comparison to viewing the original.

The initial concept of robots was to assist with mass production and take some burden off of laboring  humans to increase efficiency. However, people like Benjamin are fearful of the consequences of eliminating the human component. The Pixar film Wall-E portrays a future reliant on artificial intelligence and mass production to the point that humans pollute the Earth and are forced to relocate. Upon their new home - a spaceship - humans sit in front of screens all day and are all obese and lazy.

People in the world of Wall-E are obese and sit in front of screens all day.

Industrialization has been extremely helpful for the growth of society. For example, Ford's car reproduction helped even the common citizen afford a more efficient lifestyle. And as Davis proposes, humans must remain responsive to new technology and robotics. We must use our creativity and ability to be reactive to avoid laziness and complacency while maintaining artistic and thought-provoking elements of life. Additionally, combining our intellect and abstract thinking can help conceptualize how robots can help society, with proper caution of course.

Ford Motors assemby line.

References:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Digital Age of Reproduction." Leonardo, Vol. 28, No. 5, Third Annual New York Digital Salon, 1995, pp. 381-386. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1576221?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt1"YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 15 April 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=871&v=cRw9_v6w0ew. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt2"YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 15 April 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=253&v=oAZ8bo9T_Pk. Web.

Glass Man. "Technology's role in Wall-E." Wordpress.com, 26 Nov. 2011. https://cbersin.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/technologys-role-in-wall-e/. Web

Week 2

I found the infusion of math in art to be initially obvious, but fascinating. Having a previous interest in  math, I always kind of assumed that you can break down anything into numeric or geometric terms. Many things have shapes and quantities. Professor Vesna validated this by saying that artists are "using mathematics whether you like it or not" in everything they create.

Vesna introduced the idea of linear perspective during lecture as projecting 3D images on 2D surfaces. This is a universal mathematical concept in art that my middle school math teacher taught me when showing me  how to extend lines diagonally to draw a box on graph paper. People like M.C. Escher used simple polyhedrons like cubes as the basis for central structures of his paintings.

A box drawn on graph paper using linear perspective.

The Renaissance artist Robert Campin extended this concept and used precise detail to depict 3D sculptures using oil paints. He brought to life church architecture and sculpture by using perspective in his paintings. 

The Nuptials of the Virgin - St. James the Great and St. Clare by Robert Campin (oil painting, NOT sculpture)

Marc Frantz discussed the geometric strategy of utilizng vanishing points to add to the perspectives  of paintings. A vanishing point could be anywhere on a piece of art, but it is the "intersection of this special line of sight with the picture plane" (Frantz).

Vanishing point visual of how art pieces can be designed around a singular geometric focus.

John Maeda's "Space Diagrams" demonstrate vanishing points and linear perspective blended with his creative shading patterns.

A Maeda Space Diagram

I find that when I look at an old painting or even the design of a football, the marriage of art and mathematics is evident. I hope the disciplines can be more explicitly mixed instead of the subtle yet evident interconnections they have. The ideas of vanishing points and linear perspectives elucidated my personal experiences drawing 3D shapes in my middle school math classes.

References:

"The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher." Platonic Realms, 2019.

http://platonicrealms.com/minitexts/Mathematical-Art-Of-M-C-Escher/. Web.

Frantz, Marc. "Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art," University of Central Florida, http://www.cs.ucf.edu/courses/cap6938-02/refs/VanishingPoints.pdf. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 9 April 2012.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Math Intro."YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 26 March 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHiL9iskUWM. Web.

Maeda, John. "Space Diagrams." MaedaStudio, 1995. https://maedastudio.com/space-diagrams-1995/. Web.