DESMA WEEK 5 - SPACE

SPACE

The section on space this week was one of the more fascinating topics thus far in the class. 

When I saw space was going to be the topic, when I think of art + science and space, I automatically go to "Gravity" by Alfonso Cuarón. In my opinion, Gravity is the perfect mix of art, science, and technology. From the special effects, to the vastness of space, to the message of survival and hope, the movie truly represents what I believe to be a crossroads of what we are learning in this class and real life application of that knowledge.

Space is the final frontier for the human race and is still unknown to us. This is what makes it so alluring. This is what fueled the space race. In lecture, the space race was talked about as a time of political and social change. With multiple countries, mainly the USA and the USSR rushing to get into space, the time was a technological boom, with many countries looking to improve their capabilities in order to be the first to get into space. Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn were proof of this.

I want to relate this back to another class I've taken, the history of American television, because the cinematic arts also capitalized on the prospect of space and the space race. There were numerous shows that depicted humans venturing to explore other planets, galaxies, and solar systems such as Captain Video. The times truly were buzzing from the space race and the television industry looked to capitalize on that as well.

The reading this week brought me to the attention of "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Chris Doyle, who's piece Method Air demonstrates the effect of zero gravity by projecting videos of skateboarders without their skateboards. The effect this piece has is magical and I found myself watching the clip over and over.

http://zerogravity.empac.rpi.edu/doyle/

http://www.impawards.com/2013/posters/gravity_xlg.jpg

http://wrongsideoftheart.com/2009/05/captain-video-master-of-the-stratosphere-1951-usa/

DESMA WEEK 5 - NANO TECHNOLOGY + ART

DESMA WEEK 5

This week we had the topics of NanoTech + Art and Space + Art.

Diving into NanoTech was something I had zero idea about, aside from seeing nano-tech on cartoon shows like the "Justice League" etc. 

Nano-technology is a faucet of science and technology who's full potential has yet to be tapped into.

The part that struck me the most about Dr. Gimzewski's lecture, is part four. The use of nano-technology in medicine, and the potential that it holds. I wasn't aware of the fact that nano-drugs even existed, or were in applicable in cancer treatment. As I've had someone in my family suffer from cancer around the time that Abraxane was introduced, this hit home for me.

Artabase.net also had some great works to see and were pretty fascinating on their own. The two that caught my eye were "Transjuicer" and "A Mote it is". The concepts behind the two and the application of nano-technology are astounding. While I don't completely understand the logistics behind the work, I am in awe of the sheer multifaceted applications of nano technology. Mote explores a more conceptual notion of nano-technology. The fact that we cannot see it. The objects in front of us become invisible, such as nano-tech is invisible to the naked eye. 

https://www.tumblr.com/search/nano+technology
http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology
http://www.celgenecanada.net/en/research/nab-technology.aspx

DESMA WEEK 4 ASSIGNMENT

DESMA WEEK 4 NEUROSCIENCE.

This week was an interesting one for me. It might have been my favorite topic so far this quarter.

The brain is a fascinating topic and the fact that we know so little about it makes it intriguing for me.
I find myself to be extremely right-brained so hearing about Gall's take on the brain and his take on it's sections was interesting.

I also found the work of Cajal to be eerily similar of landscapes. I just took a trip to Death Valley, and his work and the structures of the brain eerily resemble dried land. Which is ironic seeing as how barren land is the complete opposite analogy of the human brain.

I think Cajal is a great example of the gist of this class. Art and science don't have to be mutually exclusive. 

The most interesting point of this section to me by far though, was the section on Freud and LSD. 

I've never experience any kind of drug before so hearing the description of what it did to his brain triggered me to look at other types of art made by LSD and what others experienced. 

First what I noticed is the fact that a lot of these images look similar to experiences I have with my chromesthesia and music. I wonder if there's a connection or if LSD will enhance it? (Don't worry, I won't take it). 

What I also found is that LIFE magazine did a tribute to Hofmann and him taking 250 micrograms. The results were utterly fascinating and I think this is some of my favorite artwork I've ever seen actually. The images were made by a group named USCO in the sixties. 

Life magazine said:
"mid throbbing lights, dizzying designs, swirling smells, swelling sounds, the world of art is “turning on.” It is getting hooked on psychedelic art, the latest, liveliest movement to seethe up from the underground. Its bizarre amalgam of painting, sculpture, photography, electronics and engineering is aimed at inducing the hallucinatory effects and intensified perceptions that LSD, marijuana and other psychedelic (or mind-expanding) drugs produce — but without requiring the spectator to take drugs. [Viewers] … become disoriented from their normal time sense and preoccupations and are lifted into a state of heightened consciousness. In effect, the art may send them on a kind of drugless “trip.”

In effect, I think this art is effective in not only showing the user the effects of drugs without taking them, but also gives us a greater and wider sense of light, color, and art. Making a kaleidoscope of euphoria. It's the current day equivalent to what art made by ravers would look like in my opinion. 

Overall, I think the brain is something that is not week known. I think that art is a great way to experiment and learn about the brain and all of it's many unknown and known functions. And in the future, maybe mind controlled art might even become a "thing."

http://life.time.com/culture/life-photos-from-an-lsd-inspired-art-show-1966/#6

http://daystararts.deviantart.com/art/LSD-Forest-36279025

https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/BN0193S04/Ramon+y+Cajal 

DESMA 9 WEEK 3

MEDICINE + ART + TECHNOLOGY 

This weeks topic of medicine and art was an interesting one for me because it related to my life directly. This is especially true for the part in lecture about the x-rays.
Around April, I ended up fracturing my foot and was bed ridden for a few months. One of the only times I did leave the house was to go to the doctor's for x-rays and updates on my foot. The quote that stuck out to me was "I have now seen my death." This resonated with me because
1) At that time it wasn't known that x-rays can cause cancer and
2) This quote is almost more ominous that it seems. To me she meant that seeing her own skeleton was a sign of death and the unnatural.

(uploaded from my own comp)

For me seeing yourself in an x-ray is self-reflexive. It lets you see yourself in a way you've never thought possible, but at the same time, it's almost frightening to see yourself in that way. At your bare bones and core.

The next topic that interests me is plastic surgery. Having interned at a modeling agency, this is a topic that is highly controversial and almost taboo. I think that in terms of art, there has always been an idealistic form of what beauty is and should be. In the 21st century it is usually something similar to what you would see on the show also mentioned, Nip Tuck.

Valeria Lukyanova is known as the human barbie. She had plastic surgery to change her body to look like a barbie doll, which is real life is impossible. I believe that the society we live in today puts too big an emphasis on what people look like and what size they are. 

Art does this as well, but not in this drastic of measures by far. Wherever you turn, you view an ad that has been manipulated. Demonstrated by this video below.

Overall science and art marry together nicely when it comes to medicine and art, evidenced by the cadaver portion of the lecture, but I feel where the two fall apart is in the cosmetic area.

http://sandrarose.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/552419_367599903332675_1673698173_n.jpg?42e305

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

DESMA 9 WEEK 2 POST

This week was actually interesting to me even though I thought it wouldn't be. Like many of us in the arts, I detest mathematics. I don't like the fact that there is one definite answer, and I don't like how there's usually one or two ways to get that answer. Numbers aren't my friend. Although, especially after listening to the lecture, I took some time to really think just how much mathematics influence my own work and the work of other influential artists.

1) The first example is photoshop itself. All of my work goes through photoshop for color corrections.

Photoshop in and of itself is a huge algorithm that uses tons of mathematics in order to achieve the desired effect. I use it a lot in my own work and didn't even realize it.









2) The 2nd example was a rumor that I've actually heard quite a few times about the Mona Lisa.

Being that Da Vinci was a mathematical master, he painted the Mona Lisa with the golden rectangles in pivotal points of the painting.










3) The 3rd example is aspect ratios etc in photography.

Aspect ratios in photography are very important in sizing and choosing what picture size is important and also it's another algorithm. Another thing with photography is that in film, that there are certain ratios of chemicals that need to be mixed in order to develop photos and it's a mathematical process.

In reference to the above post (#2) the artist that I was inspired by this week was Mondrian. 

He used the golden rectangle in his work constantly and the lecture mentioned him creating basic shapes, out of basic shapes. I've always liked and found something captivating about Mondrian's work and this explains why. I think his logical way of thinking appeals to me. The work is visually simplistic, but really captivating, which is what I want to capture in my own work. 

I think that this week I learned that most artists don't intentionally use mathematics in their work. At least more contemporary ones. I think that the artists that did use them (Da Vinci, Mondrian, etc) were masters and set the groundwork for many different types of artworks today. I think that the marrying of art and science can definitely help improve the relationship of arts in general. I think that in the long run, artists that can incorporate mathematics and sciences have a better chance at a prosperous career. It's having the best of both worlds. This was demonstrated in the DMA Grad show I attended two years ago where the projects were all mindblowing. Especially David Lenord's piece about the murders in Los Angeles. 

Overall, I think the junxaposition between art and math is a symbiotic relationship. I think the two definitely compliment each other, but not many people can harness the potential of both. So hopefully in the future, this will be more commonplace. 

RAKEEM CUNNINGHAM DESMA 9 WEEK 1

The two cultures argument is a pretty straight forward, yet applicable concept that I find relevant to my work. Not necessarily the division between art and science, but the fact that there is a dichotomy at all. The two cultures concept bases itself in the fact that art and science are two different schools of thought, and that they don't overlap or cross each other. In the medium of photography (which I practice), I see this happening as well.

In my own work, there is distinct divide between the "commercial" and the "artistic." This divide is extremely similar to the dichotomy of the arts and sciences.

These two photographs are examples of my work that I feel illustrate the two cultures. Fashion photography is a very structured practice in that there's a team of hair, makeup, and clothes are always being exhibited. It's commercial Whereas the top picture is more loose and conceptual and there's no set way to make "art."

Here at UCLA, I think the most obvious choice is the separation of south campus and north campus.

This video is a funny play on the interactions between the different campuses.

There is also the obvious tension between UCLA and USC campuses in the greater Los Angeles area.

Although there are differences, I agree with a quote by Paul Feyerabend. He says:

"All Methodologies have their limitations and the only 'rule' that survives is 'anything goes."

He goes on to say that if we just look at Art and science as problem solving agents, then the significant differences between them would disappear. I believe it truly is a time where these two practices have started to come together into fruition. 

http://www.allpac10.com/week-13-game-matchup-ucla-bruins-vs-usc-trojans/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyj0jfaUQYI

http://rakeemc.com/personal.html

http://rakeemc.com/published.html