Week 4: MedTech + Art

Kevin Warwick and world's first "Cyborg"
(from Google images)

In this week’s lectures, I have learned about some incredible medical technologies and how artists understand the philosophy and representations of these technologies. It surprised me with the fact that scientists and artists have already succeeded in developing technologies which I thought did not exist beyond my imagination, such as the “Third Hand” developed by Stelarc, as well as how professor Kevin Warwick controlled robot hand and even communicated with his wife through neural signals. Also, I am impressed by how artists understand what advanced medical technologies imply. For instance, Arlon understands medical technology in the way that it can turn oneself into an art piece and bring art alive. Moreover, she brings up the question of what beauty truly is when one is able to control the appearance through plastic surgery.

VR pain meditation developed by Diane Gromala

VR game "Dreadhalls"

The part which impresses me the most is how Diane Gromala views inner sense. Gromala suffers from chronic pain, and instead of just bearing the pain and taking painkillers constantly, she altered her focus to how advanced technologies and media can achieve the effect of painkilling too. She figured out that inner sense is actually far more sensitive than the combination of five senses, and that targeting on inner sense could be the answer to relieving pain. So, she tried using the technology of virtual reality as a form of pain management. When I saw the clip of how her VR games worked, I could immediately feel the power of them. It is because I experienced a VR game before, and to be specific, it was a horror game called “Dreadhalls”. At that time, I was completely into the game and ignored the outside world because I was so nervous and needed to be prepared for pop-outs. Similarly, I believe that Gromala’s idea of relieving pain through VR would be effective as well. In addition, with the effects of sensing the patient’s breath, stress level and pain level, one’s inner sense is very likely to shift its concentration to the game world and immerse in the scene.

To conclude, advance in medical technology has brought about many new possibilities and also given inspirations to artists. Further breakthroughs in the future are foreseeable with the increasing integration of medical technology and art.

Sources:

TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty. TEDx Talks. Youtube, 2011. Video.

Unknown. “Diane Gromala”. Wikipedia.

Unknown. “Virtual Reality”. Wikipedia.

Andreas Lustig. “Third Hand”, Stelarc. Accessed Apr 25, 2017. Web.

Kevin Warwick. “Cyborg”, KEVIN WARWICK. Accessed Apr 25, 2017. Web.

Week 3: Robotics + Art

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
(from Google Images)

From this week’s lecture, I have learned about how the relation between industrialization and development of art can be a two-way street. For example, Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, which is the first work of science fiction, has given the enlightenment of imaginations and possibilities in science and technology. On the other way round, Charles Babbage’s attempt in building mechanical computing device as well as Alan Turing’s efforts in developing algorithm, computation and artificial intelligence have made many new forms of arts possible. As we can see, science, technology and art are complementary in many ways.

However, Walter Benjamin, a philosopher and cultural critic, mentioned in his book “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” that mechanical reproduction is not always beneficial to art because it can destroy the idea of uniqueness, authenticity and aura. The original and tradition of art become less important. This reminds me of an English art critic, John Berger, who has a very similar notion to Benjamin’s. In Berger’s television series “Ways of Seeing” on BBC, he mentioned that reproductions have distorted the true beauty of art in the way that people are satisfied by seeing the reproductions of arts, while originals are indeed incomparable.

John Berger's TV series "Ways of Seeing"
(from Google Images)

One thing I found really interesting in this week’s lecture is robotic, because I am impressed by the talk of Professor Machiko Kusahara, which is about the robotic cultures in Japan and Western countries. I definitely agree to her about Japanese engineers trying to make robots humanoid, and that Japanese robots are very useful in social and domestic aspects. When I was in high school, I joined the team of robotic programming and worked on a Japanese robot called “NAO”. At that time, my aim was to make NAO an interactive robot in order to use it to communicate with children suffering from autism. Now I understand that people’s love for Japanese robots originates from the figure of Astro Boy. Also, we can certainly see the differences between Japanese and Western robotic cultures by comparing Japanese movies like “Cyborg She” and Western movies like “Terminator Salvation”.

Children playing with NAO robot
(from Google Images)

To conclude, art, science and technology are developing in a complementary manner. However, any development could be a double-edged sword. Therefore, it is important for humankind to be aware of potential threats underlying technological advances.

Sources:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. New York: Schocken Books, 1969. Print.

Blizzardburger. “Outlook On Paintings And Art In John Berger’s Way Of Seeing”, Brightkite. Accessed Apr 18, 2017. Web.

John Berger / Ways of Seeing, Episode 1 (1972). John Berger. Youtube, 2012. Video.

Robotics MachikoKusahara 1. Machiko Kusahara. Youtube, 2012. Video.

Unknown. “Frankenstein”. Wikipedia.

Event 1: LACMA and Moholy Nagy

On April 15, I visited LACMA with a friend and we joined a tour introducing an artist called Moholy Nagy. Moholy was a painter and photographer of the 20th century and strongly advocated the integration of technology and industry into arts. This event is closely related to the course, because Moholy’s works are good examples of closing the gap between what CP Snow called two cultures.

A picture with the tour guide in LACMA

Moholy’s interest in art embracing manufacturing techniques can be seen from his experiments of integrating materials such as aluminum, nickel, glass and plastic into artworks. Examples include the spiral sculpture made of nickel-plated iron, the painting “AL3”, which is a pencil painting on aluminum, and “La Sarraz”, in which a material for construction called sandpaper is used. In “AL3”, Moholy also experimented a new technique of spraying paint using an air brush, and he succeeded in eliminating nearly all signs of the artist’s hand.

Nickel sculpture of spiral

"AL3"

"La Sarraz"

As I mentioned before, Moholy was also a photographer. However, what he did with camera was a bit different from conventional photography. Kodachrome was his first color film. In Kodachrome, Moholy chose to shoot 35 mm color slides, which he preferred to show as projections rather than prints. These images capture dizzying urban views, producing visual effects achieved by long nighttime exposures. Again, this is an example of integrating art and science.

Moholy's first color film Kodachrome

Moreover, in many of Moholy’s works, he limited the content to geometric shapes and colors, which was very similar to what Piet Mondrian did. For instance, in Moholy’s work “Yellow Circle and Black Square”, he used geometric forms of circle, square and diagonals, as well as transparency created by separately mixed, opaque colors. Another example is “Construction on a Blue Ground”, in which the deep blue ground is overlaid with geometrical bars of green, red, yellow and black.

Construction on a Blue Ground

Yellow Circle and Black Square

Moholy's notion of integrating art with technology and industry is impressive, and I saw so many new ideas in this tour, including an unique way of using camera, placing industrial materials onto an artwork, using unconventional techniques of painting and creating interesting visions by shadows, etc. All these provide convincing evidence of how science can bring artists to a brand new world. In the past, I always created art by purely sketching and coloring, but now I realize how unlimited art can be. From now on, I will try using my science knowledge to make innovations of art. For instance, I just came up with an idea of using paper chromatography, a method of separating colored chemicals in chemistry, to create an artwork. I have no idea if it would work or not, but just as what Moholy tells us, art can be full of experiments!

Paper chromatography
(from Google images)

I highly recommend my classmates to visit LACMA and if possible, take part in one of the tours, because sometimes we do not really understand what is being expressed in an artwork, and a tour guide can help us with that. In this tour, I saw a comprehensive showcase of how important science is in art and vice versa. The core of science is doing experiments, and we can do so in art as well. We should bear in mind that science is not only a tool but also a stepping stone to better and more various arts.

Sources:

Unknown. “László Moholy-Nagy”. Wikipedia.

Unknown. “AL3”, Norton Simon Museum, 2014. Accessed 16 Apr 2017. Web.

Botar, Oliver. Technical Detours: The Early Moholy-Nagy Reconsidered, New York, 2006, p. 135-36. Print.

Unknown. “Moholy-Nagy: Future Present”, LACMA, 2017. Accessed 16 Apr 2017. Web.

Unknown.“László Moholy-Nagy”, Andrea Rosen Gallery, 2007. Accessed 16 Apr 2017. Web.

Week 2: Math + Art

I would conclude this week’s lesson as that Math is used to create and explain art in many ways. Such conclusion is drawn after I came across the concepts of vanishinig point, golden ratio and the digital representation of sound, etc.

Firstly, the idea of vanishing point is an important method which can make a portrait realistic. Such concept is new to me and impresses me very much, because I finally find out why my paintings always seem strange. Of course, this problem also involves the matter of proportion, one of the three principles of painting stated by Piero de la Francesca.

An example of vanishing point - Masolino da Panicale, 1425
(from Google Images)

Secondly, golden ratio is a formula used to create art in different fields. It can also be used to explain why an art work, or even a human body, is aesthetically appealing. One thing interesting is that golden ratio can be found in the nature, which makes me feel that it is a principal of the Earth’s art.

Thirdly, the relation between sound and Math is special. Sound can be presented as a function, because it is a vibration of particles in the medium. Understanding the digital property of sound, we can use computer to mess around with sound and create art with this modern method.

Minute portion of the sound wave file
(from Google Images)

An artist who impresses me greatly is Piet Mondrian. Mondrian believed that math and art were closely connected. He used the simplest geometrical shapes and primary colours (blue, red, yellow) to express reality, nature and logic from a different point of view. The Golden Rectangle is one of the basic shapes, which keeps appearing in Mondrian's art. I have seen Mondrian’s work in an art museum, and I was surprised that an art work can ever be so tidy and “math” while maintaining its aesthetic value. One interesting thing is that Piet Mondrian’s works can also be used as sources for children’s enlightenment education of Math.

Piet Mondrian's abstract trees art painting
(from Google Images)

However, even if Math is a language which is critical in the study of visual art, artists have already been removed from math when they study art, a process Buckminster Fuller called “degenuising”. As far as I am concerned, math and science are building blocks of an art work, aesthetically or technically. Therefore, I think it is necessary for today’s education systems to recognize math and science as integral parts of art education to avoid “degenuising” future artists.

Sources:

Frantz, Marc. “Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art”, 2000. Print.

Unknown. “Golden ratio”. Wikipedia.

Burk, Phil, et al. “Music and Computers, A Theoretical and Historical Approach”, 2011. Accessed 12 Apr 2017. Web.

Primary Magazine. “The Art of Mathematics, Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)”, NCETM, 4 June 2009. Accessed 12 Apr 2017. Web.

Parveen Nikhat. “Mathematics and art”, UGA. Accessed 12 Apr 2017. Web.

“Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov”. Uconlineprogram. Youtube, 2012. Video.

Week 1: Two Cultures

In "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution" by Charles Percy Snow, “two cultures” can be identified as those of literary intellectuals and natural scientists. Personally, the phenomenon of two cultures has considerably influenced my academic pursuit. The clean and unnatural separation between the two cultures has always been urging me to make a choice between them.

When I was in high school, there were only two options for every student: all art classes or all science classes. We were by no means allowed to take history with physics. At that point, I felt like we, 15-year-old students, were suddenly asked to make a decisive choice on our future study and even career. Finally, I chose to take science classes. Later on, I found out that I had been so optimistic to think that I could keep on studying music on my own while taking science courses at school. It turned out that the school courses were so intense and overwhelming that I could barely spare the time to play the piano. I guess this is what CP Snow said about the problem of curricula of schools.

(from Google Images)

Now I am studying at a university, and although the urge of choosing between the two cultures has alleviated, it still exists. Initially I planned to major in physics and music, but it did not take long for me to find out that the requisites for each major are so different, and I may need to suspend my graduation for this. Therefore, I finally decided to do something easier, which is majoring in physics and maths. Yes, I get back on the road of pure science again.

("Disney's Frozen - A Material Point Method For Snow Simulation")

However, I see people’s progress on closing the gap between the two cultures. For example, in Disney’s animation Frozen, physics plays an important part in simulating realistic snow, which is visually impressive. Also, when we look at the products around us, it is easy to tell that their structures and functions are based on science, while their appearances are based on arts. After all, arts and science have to be integrated in many fields.

(from Google Images)

Overall, to close the gap effectively, the society should try to remove established stereotypes, and educational organizations should review their systems. Last but not least, a person should set the aim to become a jack of all trades rather than a professional in a single field in order to be creative.

Sources

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.

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

Wilson, Stephen D. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” College Art Association Meetings. New York, 2000. Print.

Kelly, Kevin. “The Third Culture”, Science, 13 Feb 1998. Accessed 4 Apr 2017. Web.

Jason. “Making of Disney’s Frozen Snow Simulation”, CGMeetup, 21 Nov 2013. Accessed 4 Apr 2017. Web.