Space + Art

"The way for man is open!" 

(https://hyperallergic.com/71262/kill-the-fly-and-save-

the-child-and-other-propaganda-at-the-british-library/)

          I could not agree more with Professor Vesna's statement that space is where it all comes together. When I think about space, the first thing that comes to mind are the planets and stars. However, this past 9 weeks have shown that space is involved in almost everything - from math to robotics, to biotechnology and nanotechnology. 

          Throughout history, space has always been an area of great interest due to the fact that much of it is unknown. Starting with individuals like Nicolaus Copernicus, who constructed a mathematical based model of the universe that placed the Sun at the center, to developments during the height of the Cold War like the space race and related space age between the two great powers, space has been at the center of it all.

"Space race propaganda poster" 

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/525162006540331346/)

          It is fascinating how the space race entered into popular culture and allowed for what was once imagined in our minds to actually become reality (Space Exploration + Art Part II). As Roger Malina, an astronomer and member of the Leonardo Space Art Project Working Group stated, "one of the defining achievements of the twentieth century was the birth of the space age," which "was possible because for centuries the cultural imagination was fed by artists, writers and musicians who dreamed of human activities in space" (spaceart.org). Therefore, it was early 1950s sci-fi classics like Destination Moon, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Forbidden Planet that would trigger the space age with the launching of the first artificial Earth satellite (Sputnik 1) into space in 1957, the first human being (Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin) to travel into space in 1961, and the first person (Neil Armstrong) to walk on the Moon in 1969. 

"Destination Moon" 

(https://scifist.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/destination-moon/)

          The space age not only had an impact on filmmakers, artists, and writers alike, but also gave rise to agencies like NASA, which would allow for more scientists, astronomers, and artists to get involved in space exploration and research. For example, the Cosmic Dancer, the first 3D geometric artwork that was created by artist Arthur Woods to assess the integration of art into space, would be launched to the Russian Mir space station in 1993. On the Mir space station, the sculpture was freed from the force of gravity, as it freely floated and could be seen from any angle. The crew members were able to interact with the sculpture and noted the importance of having it included in their environment, as one cosmonaut indicated the joy the sculpture brought to him and his fellow cosmonauts, which danced "freely on its own" to music and "circled around us for some reason...that we can really call dancing!" (cosmicdancer.com). While Wood's space sculpture looks more like what you might expect to see in a museum, its launch marks a turning point for artworks in outer space by showing how art can provoke new ways of understanding the universe. 

"Cosmonaut Alexander Polischuk and the Cosmic Dancer" 

(https://www.cosmicdancer.com/cosmic_dancer_contact.php)

          Aside from artists integrating artwork in space, scientists have also been involved in a wide array of research and projects to develop new technology that will provide new capabilities for space exploration. For instance, NASA has been working on launching Astrobee in space, a new free-flying robot system, that will work alongside astronauts as they help advance research. The Astrobee system will help assist crew and perform duties on spacecraft, such documenting experiments, taking inventory, and moving cargo around. This in turn will increase astronaut productivity while at the same time helping us learn more about the future of robotics in space (NASA Ames).
   

"Astrobee" (https://www.nasa.gov/astrobee)

          To date, the integration of art and technology into space has yielded so many creative projects and works that have aided in helping both scientists and artists to better understand outer space. While much of space remains unknown today, the merging of these disciplines will be instrumental in our quest for mastering this frontier.  

Sources:
Vesna, Victoria. "Space Exploration + Art Part I." YouTube, 29 July 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=6ZIqTR332l8.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space Exploration + Art Part II." YouTube, 29 July 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=hLZMDpoP-u0.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space Exploration + Art Part III." YouTube, 29 July 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=4WOqt_C55Mk.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space Exploration + Art Part IV." YouTube, 30 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=J5ClKO6AJPo.

Leonardo Space Art Project Working Group. MIT Press, 1996. Assessed May 24, 2019. https://spaceart.org/leonardo/vision.html.

Woods, Arthur. "Cosmic Dancer - A Space Art Intervention by Arthur Woods." Greater.Earth. Assessed May 24, 2019. https://www.cosmicdancer.com/. 

Chen, Rick. "Here's Looking at You! Astrobee's First Robot Completes Initial Hardware Checks in Space." NASA Ames Research Center, May 17, 2019. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/ames/here-s-looking-at-you-astrobee-s-first-robot-completes-initial-hardware-checks-in. 

NanoTech + Art

          While being a fairly recent development, nanotechnology has already had an impact on almost everything - from energy and technology to food and agriculture, and to almost every aspect of science (Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part I). From this week's lecture materials, I found it very interesting to find out that art has been influencing the nano-world and in turn increasing our accessibility to this new science.

https://www.masterdc.com/blog/what-is-nanotechnology/

          

          Two unique and innovative works that serve as great examples for showing the benefits of  collaborative sci-art projects and that I found very intriguing is the Nano-Scape and Nanomandala ("Art in the Age of Nanotechnology" 2010). Created by Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau, the Nano-Scape is a wireless magnetic force-feedback interface that gives users the ability to interact with nano particles through touch ("Art in the Age of Nanotechnology" 2010). By wearing magnetic ring interfaces, users move their hands over installed tables and are able to feel "strong magnetic forces, repulsion, attraction, and even slight shock" ("Art in the Age of Nanotechnology" 2010).

https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-

age-of-nanotechnology#7

          On the other hand, the Nanomandala is an 15 minute video installation by media artist Victoria Vesna, in collaboration with nanoscience pioneer James K. Gimzewski and Tibetan Buddhist monks. The installation consists of a 8 feet wide circle of sand that visitors can touch as projected images enlarge in size. These images evolve from the molecular structure of a single grain of sand to the image of the complete mandala, which was achieved with a scanning electron microscope ("Art in the Age of Nanotechnology" 2010). This work is evidence for showing how a collaboration between art, science, and technology can produce something unique and meaningful for society. 

https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-

age-of-nanotechnology#12

          While nanotechnology comes with many benefits, it is still poorly understood due to the fact that it is a much more recent development and has not been studied to a great degree. Therefore, the public should still be wary with the nano-world, especially when it comes to the products we use on ourselves and what we consume. For example, Loreal Paris is one of the major nanotech companies in the world and some sunscreen brands also rely on nanoparticles (Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part VI). However, not knowing today if these "small ingredients pose big risks" means that we have to do more research before making them available for use (Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part VI). Moreover, I found it very frightening to hear that nanotechnology also exists in our food and agriculture. For example, I have always been skeptical with diet shakes, energy drinks, and sodas that advertise low or zero sugar, but still are able to have a very sugary taste. An example of this is the "Slim Shake Chocolate," a very low-calorie diet milkshake that uses silica nanoparticles coated in chocolate to increase taste while at the same time having a low sugar and chocolate content (Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part VI). However, with very limited research, the health risks of silica nanoparticles remain poorly understood and consumers should be cautious with such products. Therefore, there is a need for much more research in this area to understand more about the health and environmental impacts of nanotechnology.

https://www.whybiotech.com/2017/05/12/

is-gmo-food-dangerous-to-your-health/

Sources:

Gimzewski, James K. "Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part I." YouTube, 21 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7jM6-iqzzE.

Gimzewski, James K. "Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part IV." YouTube, 21 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&time_continue=400&v=oKlViSKkPd0.

Gimzewski, James K., and Victoria Vesna. "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact and Fiction in the Construction of a New Science." Technoetic Arts Journal 1, no. 1 (May 2003): 7-24. http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications.htm.

Gimzewski, James K., and Christian Joachim. "Nanoscale Science of Single Molecules Using Local Probes." Science 283 (1999): 1683-88.

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology: A Perth International Arts Festival Exhibition." Art.Base, March 11, 2010. https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology#4.

Neurosci + Art

          There is a very fascinating relationship between the mind and art. The brain is a vital organ that is responsible for necessary life functions like breathing, blood flow, and heartbeat. The brain also regulates our alertness and responsiveness to the world. For thousands of years, many scholars would attempt to figure out the mystery of the brain, but without any proper tools to examine the organ, attempts would be abandoned early on (Neuroscience and Art Part I). For example, Aristotle would classify the brain as a mere cooling mechanism for the blood, but this definition still appeared to leave the mystery of the brain unsolved (Neuroscience and Art Part I).

https://www.thecentriclab.com/people-and-the-

workplace-content/an-evolution-of-work

       
          Later, physiologist and neuroanatomist Franz Joseph Gall would be the first to come up with the study of phrenology, which is the field of thought that examines the shape and size of the skull to determine one's character and abilities. Gall theorized that the brain was divided into 27 individual organs and each section would be associated with different human faculties, such as individuality, language, self-esteem and others (Neuroscience and Art Part I). Ultimately, Gall's idea of localized functions would indeed be correct when a French surgeon would later show that a speech sensor in fact did exist in the brain (Neuroscience and Art Part I). Therefore, Gall's theories contributed substantively to the field of medicine, as he found that the brain does not operate as a whole, but rather has numerous parts that function differently. 

https://study.com/academy/lesson/franz-joseph-

gall-phrenology-theory-definition-lesson-quiz.html

       
          Moreover, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, a Spanish neuroscientist specializing in neuroanatomy, made a critical contribution to the scientific community by offering a different understanding of the nervous system. Considering neurons as mysterious butterflies of the souls, Cajal observed the wings of the butterflies as passive integrators of synaptic information (Neuroscience and Art Part I). With his love for drawing at a very early age, Cajal used art as a medium for expressing his scientific advancements. Therefore, Cajal is a great example of an artist and scientist bringing the Two Cultures together, as his famous drawings can be found in textbooks today. 

https://publicinsta.de/hashtag/Cajal

          Similar to Cajal and his idea of the butterfly, artist Suzanne Anker's engagement with MRI scans would give rise to what she called the FMRI butterfly. Being drawn to studying the interaction between art and neuroscience, the motivation behind Anker's project was to specifically highlight the meaning of image production (Frazzetto and Anker 817). Only working with 15 similar brain scans, Anker placed an image of a butterfly at the center of the scans and also superimposed different Rorschach-test-type inkblots (Frazzetto and Anker 817). This all contributed to the creation of an optical illusion for the viewer, making it appear as if the butterflies were different when in fact they were all identical.

https://mappingthemarvellous.wordpress.com

/2009/07/21/natural-affinities/

       
          As this week's lecture materials have shown, the connection between art and neuroscience is manifold and very impressive. I find it very intriguing that an organ like the brain can be used as a medium for sparking artists' creativity, curiosity, and giving rise to art work that allows society to view the human body in a new light.

Sources:

Cohen, Mark S. "Neuroscience." YouTube, 12 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=eDq8uTROeXU.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience and Art Part I: Consciousness/Memory." YouTube, 17 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=TzXjNbKDkYI.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience and Art Part II: Unconscious Mind/Dreams." YouTube, 17 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFv4owX3MZo.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience and Art Part II: Neurochemical." YouTube, 16 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EX75xoBJ0.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Perspectives." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10 (2009): 815-21. Accessed May 16, 2019. doi.org/10.1038/nrn2736.

Event 2 - The UCLA Meteorite Collection

          I visited the UCLA Meteorite Collection for the first time on May 10. Having had several classes in the Geology Building, I have passed by this gallery on my daily en route to class, but I never actually entered inside to view the collection of meteorites from close-up. Having said that, I found it very intriguing to find out that this collection of meteorites is the largest on the West Coast and the fifth largest in the United States, and it is located right here on campus, open and free to the public (UCLA Meteorite Collection). 

"Old Woman iron meteorite."

(photo © by Mariana Mkrttchyan)

          The collection opened my mind to the unlimited number of possibilities in which the sciences and arts are interconnected through the medium of space. While looking through the gallery and having C.P. Snow's idea of "Two Cultures" at the back of my mind, this collection of meteorites reinforced my understanding of just how a field of study like geology, the science that focuses on the earth's physical features, can have an artistic side to it. Specifically, the collection had a piece titled "Old Woman iron meteorite," the second largest meteorite from the United States, weighing at 177.4 pounds. I found this meteorite to be very interesting, not only because of its size and aesthetic appeal, but because it resembled a sculpture that would be placed as a piece at an art gallery.

"Back-Lit Pallasites from the Schlazer Collection."

(photo © by Mariana Mkrttchyan)

          My attention was also drawn to the case containing the "back-lit pallasites from the Schlazer Collection." Adding a backlight gave the pallasites an artistic touch and reminded me of how artists today are also playing around with different lighting technologies to enhance their artworks. This goes to show that science, technology, and art surely are intertwined and end up producing remarkable and educational ideas when combined all together. Being that we have been given the opportunity to visit the Meteorite Collection right here on campus, I would definitely recommend you visit this gallery and learn more about meteorites and their history. Ultimately, this experience has inspired and given me some great ideas for my final project. 

Me with a 357 pound Iron Meteorite from

 Canyon Diablo, Coconino County, Arizona.

(photo © by Mariana Mkrttchyan)

Sources:

UCLA Meteorite Collection, https://meteorites.ucla.edu/. 

BioTech + Art

          Starting from genetically modified foods to animal testing to the creation of hybrids between species, it is therefore no surprise why this week's topic on biotechnology happens to be the most controversial among society. As Professor Vesna indicates in her "Introduction to Biotech" lecture video, there are many pros and cons to this topic (Biotech Intro). Turning to this week's unit, I was surprised to find out that artists have been entering labs and working with living organisms, tissues, and bacteria (what has become known as BioArt), and prompting attention to many of the issues that biotechnology brings to the forefront (Biotech Intro).

https://fineartamerica.com/art/biotechnology

          An example of one artist entering the lab is Joe Davis. By working alongside scientists to teach him how to synthesize DNA and assert it to genomes of living bacteria, allowed Davis to come up with the Audio Microscope, allowing you to hear living cells (Biotechnology and Art: Part I). Davis also went a step further with these experiments by looking at how different sounds had an impact on bacteria like e-coli (Biotechnology and Art: Part I). This goes to show that combining the arts and sciences does produce some interesting results. 

http://www.thegatesofparadise.com/joe_davis.htm

          
          Among the controversy of genetically-modified animals and the ethical dilemma that follows, Eduardo Kac's fluorescent rabbit "Alba" is a crucial example of the ethical concerns that surround the idea of using living organisms for artistic purposes. The rabbit "Alba" was a genetically engineered invention, where French scientists transferred a fluorescent protein from a species of fluorescent jellyfish into a fertilized rabbit egg cell that grew into Alba. According to Professor Vesna in her lecture video "Biotechnology and Art: Part I," the green fluorescent protein that was injected into Alba, also known as GFP, has been used by scientists to watch processes that before were invisible and could only be seen by opening up the body. Such processes include, monitoring the development of nerve cells and/or spread of cancer cells. However, this project was later claimed by Kac, which he labeled as "transgenic art," where natural or synthetic genes can be transferred to a living organism to create unique living beings (Biotechnology and Art: Part I). While animals are used as a means for coming up with new discoveries in the field of medicine, I definitely believe that it is unethical and unnecessary to use and manipulate animals for artistic purposes.

http://induced.info/?s=GFP+Bunny+2000++KAC

Sources:

Levy, Ellen K. "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications," in Context Providers, eds Victoria Vesna, Margot Lovejoy, and Chrisiane Paul (Bristol: Intellect Press, 2011). 

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotech Intro." YouTube, 26 Mar. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvp924_pbgc.  

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotechnology and Art: Part I." YouTube, 18 Sep. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=548&v=PaThVnA1kyg. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotechnology and Art: Part II." YouTube, 17 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&v=MdSt-Hjyi2I. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotechnology and Art: Part III." YouTube, 17 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&v=3EpD3np1S2g. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotechnology and Art: Part IV." YouTube, 17 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&time_continue=2&v=2qSc72u9KhI. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotechnology and Art: Part V." YouTube, 17 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&v=z7zHIdsFS3A. 

Midterm Project

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12t0QUmAJ4398nlcNYNJhXNQQN7VZhzzVhGadfBDPpCc/edit?usp=sharing