EVENT BLOG #3

The final event I got to see is something I've wanted to see for a long time but never have actually gotten the chance to sit down and take a look at it. This was the "Metropolis II" by Chris Burden at LACMA. Although it's very well known, I've only seen it once my whole time at UCLA in my freshman year.

In my opinion, Metropolis is the ultimate combination of art and science. The project, described as a "kinetic sculpture" encompasses what I think art|sci is about. This is robotic, mathematic, engineered, carefully planned, and in my opinion, a scientific and conceptual study of bustling city life. This project is a direct result of the efforts of Tesla, Ford, and in some ways, automata. While staring at it, I became entranced in the nooks and crannies, the highways, and the bustling noise of the city itself. I became so enraptured in the sheer volume and spectacle of the project that I felt stressed just looking at it. I think that this project is in a way a critique of Los Angeles, as much as it is a portrait of what it will become.

LINKS:

http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/soco/projects/2004-05/automata-theory/basics.html

http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Overview/R_Overview3.htm

http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/metropolis-ii

http://www.complex.com/style/2013/10/chris-burden-art-new-museum/metropolis-ii

http://www.laweekly.com/publicspectacle/2012/01/12/metropolis-ii-at-lacma-will-a-sculpture-made-of-1100-hot-wheels-predict-las-future