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Week 9: Space + Art

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This week’s lectures focused on space and how it has been the source of inspiration for many forms of art. Space is such an extraordinary idea to think about and it is absolutely fascinating to me to think that the universe is so huge. This really puts into perspective the lives that we really live, and raises the question, will my life leave any meaningful impact at all? Let’s get straight into some examples. “2560x1440 Astronaut Lost in Space 1440P Resolution.” Wallpapersden.com, Pinterest, 9 Apr. 2021, https://i.pinimg.com/originals/19/14/5a/19145a11effb8830fbecb3eb6f8bd7b4.jpg.  An example of art inspired by space is the space elevator (Vesna). This piece imagines a world where there would be an elevator to take humans all the way up to space from the ground. Although this is a very difficult task, as mankind has never built a tower high enough to reach space yet, this project is actually being funded to be produced into reality (Soderman). Clovis, Glen. The Space Elevator – an Alt
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Week 8: Nanotechnology + Art

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This week we covered the topic of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology works on an extremely small scale, defined to be at the 10 to the negative ninth power of a meter (Gimzewski).  These lectures were presented by James Gimzewski, who is a professor at UCLA, but originally worked at IBM. Nanotechnology is a new field that is still being researched, and the health effects of this field are not clearly known (Nanotechnology). Just like the previous weeks, we will explore this topic with caution. Pistilli, Melissa. 6 Top Nanotechnology Uses , Investing News Network, 8 July 2021, https://investingnews.com/media-library/what-is-nanotechnology-used-for.jpg?id=27737634&width=2500&height=1670. Nanotechnology can be used to improve the lives of people through medicine. An example of this is the use of nanocages, which can be used to deliver drugs to cells at the molecular level (Jagadish). When thinking about how this novel drug delivery mechanism would work, we can think of ways to target
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Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

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This week Professor Vesna talked about the field of neuroscience intersecting with art. One of the topics she brought up in the third lecture video was the topic of what it really means to be conscious (Vesna). This touched upon the topic of experimenting with psychedelic drugs, not for a recreational way, but as a form of treatment. Now this was very surprising to me, as I’ve always been told to stray away from drugs. I have been on hard opioid drugs before, during my treatment because my pain was so severe, but never have I used outside of the hospital. Coming from this background, I understand that addiction is a real problem and that using drugs is very serious–even if they are medically prescribed. These medications can actually change the wiring of your brain (Kosten and George), which can cause extremely serious problems. With this being said, let’s take a look at some ways psychedelic drugs can be used to help people. “Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: What We Know, and Still
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Event 5 - Color, Light, Motion Episode 11

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This weekend I attended the virtual event Color, Light, Motion–Episode 11, hosted by the UCLA Art Sci Center, lectured by Ann McCoy. The presentation was about Otto Peine, a famous sculptor known for his use of lighting in his artwork (McCoy).  Chotai, Vivek. Screenshot of Ann McCoy's history of light projection . Los Angeles, 7 May. 2022. Otto Peine was an artist who lived during the time of post war Germany, which is where he got much of his inspiration from. He founded a collection called the “ZERO Group,” which highlighted his abilities of using light to use as an art form (Forbes). Chotai, Vivek. Screenshot of a piece by ZERO Group . Los Angeles, 7 May. 2022. This gained him a lot of popularity in Germany, where he was reputed to build art pieces with creating skyline like pictures using light, motion, and smoke bombs. Using this newfound accreditation, Otto Peine went on to become the first fellow of MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, and eventually became its director
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Week 6: BioTech + Art

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This week’s topic focused on the use of biotechnology to create art. This subject is very controversial, since it raises the question of whether genetically modifying organisms are ethical (Vesna). In my opinion, there are certain benefits of doing so, but also a line that needs to be set as a limit is needed. “INTRODUCTION.” GENETIC ENGINEERING , DISPENDIX GmbH, https://dispendix.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1920x940-genetic-engineering.jpg. For some background, genetically modified organisms are living organisms that have had their genetic material modified artificially (The Non-GMO Project). This is usually done in a laboratory, by humans, and something that does not happen in nature. When thinking about whether or not there is a benefit of doing this, we can look at the example of genetically modified crops. By altering the genetic sequence of crops, there are a number of benefits that humans can reap that are not present in organic crops (Bridges). “What Is Biotechnology?” Biote
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Event 4 - Color, Light, Motion Episode 10

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This weekend I attended Ted Victoria’s presentation about his work about using physics and light. This event was hosted by Professor Vesna, who informed us that there was a common theme of using light and projectors to represent life-like images (Vesna). Chotai, Vivek. Screenshot of Victoria Vesna's Introduction . Youngstown, 30 Apr. 2022. For example, Ted Victoria took a projector and put it inside an empty building in his hometown. The projector was shining shadows of fish swimming, so it looked like there were brine shrimp swimming inside the building, making it an aquarium. This garnered a lot of attention from people and Ted Victoria often found that people were scared of his artwork (Victoria). Chotai, Vivek. Screenshot of Ted Victoria's Brine Shrimp project . Youngstown, 30 Apr. 2022. The way Ted Victoria accomplished these shadows and projections is by using a projector, actual shrimp, and mirrors to reflect the light and make shadows. Victoria seems to have a strong ba
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Week 4: Medicine and Technology and Art

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This week’s lectures are my favorite so far because I am interested in the field of medicine. In the second lecture, Professor Vesna gave an example of the MRI machine and x-rays as being a form of art (Vesna). I agree with this viewpoint, and am fascinated by how these machines work. To start, MRIs use electromagnetic waves and magnets to produce cross sections of your body (Mayo Clinic). This can be used to check form abnormalities inside the body, like the brain. “Neurological MRI: Sagittal View.” Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for Brain Tumours , SickKids, https://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/article?contentid=1334&language=english. I personally have experience being in an MRI machine, and it’s a pretty funky experience. You’re instructed to take off any metal from your body to make sure it does not influence any of the magnets, and then inserted into a white tube. If you’re in the pediatric side of the hospital, there might even be headphones they give you to listen to music and c
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