The Getty Center

On the Steps Outside of the Getty Museum!

Me, at Getty Center

            Visiting the Getty Center this morning was a wonderful experience, and I encountered many exhibits there that pertained to biotechnology, medicine, and science. Many of the displays did not allow photography, however, so I spent some time looking through the paintings and sculptures that did allow photography, and I remembered way back to the beginning of our class—the lectures about math and art and medicine and art. As I browsed through the paintings and looked a little closer, I realized that elements of science really are found in all types of art. 

The Miraculous Communion of Saint Catherine
of Siena, c.1513-15

            Most of the paintings I saw seemed to have certain things in common, especially as the paintings became more modern. They all followed a liner perspective that helped convey a more 3-dimensional scene on the flat canvas. Many also had distinctive vanishing points, where you could tell that the artist tried to mathematically set up the characters in a painting so that where and what they were looking at seemed more realistic. On one of the paintings I found, the vanishing points were even explicitly drawn out, like in the painting below, so that the eye follows the direct path that the artist intended.

Saint Catherine of Siena Receiving
the Stigmata c.1513-15, with obvious vanishing point

            Another theme that I noticed is that so many of the paintings and sculptures in the museum feature the naked body. I don’t think that this means that ancient art was perverted, but rather that artists, once they had learned how to correctly depict muscles and ligaments, were excited to show off their mastery in representing the human body. This, layered with the above mentioned techniques for established a vanishing point and incorporating liner perspective, made for very realistic and impressive works of art.

A Young Girl Defending Herself against Eros, c.1880

          We have learned a lot about how art and science are related through our weekly lectures, but it was empowering to be able to apply what I have learned when going out and seeing art in these museums in the real world, on my own time. I think it’s a testament to how much I have learned to be able to identify these techniques in the artwork that I am exposed to from this point forward. I am truly glad to have taken this class, and I am excited to see the direction that the intersection of art and science will take in the future of artistic creation and expression.  

Museum of Jurassic Technology

Me at the Museum of Jurassic Technology

The Museum of Jurassic Technology was much more different than I expected. In fact, the collections from the museum were so unique that I’m still not quite sure how to adequately describe my experience! But one interesting theme that I noticed throughout the museum was one that we have actually stayed pretty far away from in class, though I think it still relates will to the general concepts of art and science. That is, the topic of religion and how it relates to these ideas.

Athanasius Kircher

            One exhibit, featuring Athanasius Kircher, displayed pieces that encapsulated the ideas of art, science, and religion. A Roman Catholic mathematician, linguist, geologist, etc. from Germany, many consider Kircher a “Master of a Hundred Arts”. His contributions to society range from a creating a magnetic clock to establishing the concept of Egyptology. 

Kircher's Magnetic Clock

Many of the pieces in the exhibit that described his life focused on his conversion to Christianity, and the impact that this had on his work. These include “The Conversion of St. Eustace at Mentorella”, a scene depicting a church Kircher rebuilt, and “Why the Tower Could Not Reach the Moon”, based off of Kircher’s last book Turris Babel, which piqued his interests in linguistics and engineering.

"Why the Tower Could Not Reach the Moon"

            Both of the pieces above have biblical undertones, but also have close ties with science and, obviously, art. Another piece towards the front of the museum depicts a small wooden replica of the famed Noah’s Ark, weaving in yet another example of how art, engineering, and religion meet. A blurb on the wall next to it explains the origins of the great flood, as well as a brief nod to the biblical character. This ties in a scientific explanation for the flood as well as acknowledging the religious aspect of the story, which I feel is rare for the scientific community.

Model of Noah's Ark

            No matter what you believe, it’s important to examine all possible origins and explanations for things. It was really exciting that the Museum of Jurassic Technology recognized not only the scientific elements to human development and art, but also the religious aspects, which have been a challenge and an inspiration to artists and scientists alike throughout history. I know our class acknowledged the likes of Freud and Jung and consciousness/dreaming, but I think it would have been interesting to explore religion too—it is not always as antithetical to science as one might expect, as evidenced by this museum.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

Gem & Mineral Hall  

 

Me at the Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum in LA has many different exhibits, from the 'Dino Lab', to 'Becoming LA', to the 'Age of Mammals'. But my favorite room would have to be the Gem & Mineral Hall, especially as the subject pertains to the concepts we have learned in this course.

The use of minerals to create art has been around since prehistoric times, as cave painters used substances like iron oxide, manganese, and charcoal to leave their mark on the world. As history progressed, man continued to be fascinated by the natural beauty that exists in gem and mineral form, and attempted to harness that in their artwork. People have always had a desire for beautiful and shiny things, and thus humans took on the challenge of learning how to create tools to shape these impossibly hard materials into jewelry and decoration.

Jadeite vases from late 19th century China

This reminded me of the core of this class, how science and art intersect. Here, people have taken naturally occurring objects and compounds and used them to create works of art, having invented tools like diamond cutters to shape them or figured out how to melt or cut them down, and used the objects themselves to create art.

Nephrite art--18th century China

I think it’s very interesting how people assign value to certain things found in nature, but not to others. For instance, there was an extensive display dedicated to gold and the gold rush, and how people have long traded and fought over/for this precious metal. While this has been valued, other substances, like pyrite, have been largely ignored—a shiny mineral for children to marvel at on the beach, and not much more. I find it fascinating that humans choose what they think is valuable based upon its beauty and scarcity, rather than its practicality and usefulness. I think this too connects to all types of values in society, and reveals a lot about human nature--why beauty and entertainment are often seen as more desirable than practicality.

Gold nuggets! Inspiration for the Gold Rush

The mineral, gemstone and jewelry display’s popularity taught me a lot about what people still value and have always valued. As far as art and science go, their intersection in the case of precious gems and minerals will likely continue—even in our technological world, diamond and gold are still the preferred type of engagement/wedding rings, and the most expensive adornments are still made of these naturally occurring compounds. This exhibit taught me that, as with most science and art, technological advances will not change what humans find fundamentally valuable.  

Fowler Museum: Making Strange--Gagawaka

            

Making Strange--Fowler Exhibit

Vivian Sundaram’s exhibit at UCLA's Fowler Museum, “Making Strange”, featured a unique display of clothing, part of his ‘Gagawaka’ line, that the designer made out of materials ranging from medical equipment to trash to undergarments. While walking through the exhibit, it’s hard not to be taken aback by the beautiful way that Sundaram has arranged these unlikely materials into fashionable clothing. But beyond the beauty of the garments, I also noticed a theme throughout some of the pieces that I thought was both an interesting social commentary a thought-provoking take on the connection between art and science.

Jock Strap Outfit 

Tampon Ensemble 

Dress made of Bras  

Many of Sundaram’s creations were constructed out of materials that no one would typically consider making into clothing. Some of his more provocative pieces were made from jock straps, folded bras, and even tampons. The tampon dress was especially uncomfortable, because the tampons were dyed in such a way that they almost looked used—reaching for an anatomical connection between fashion and art. His purpose in including some of these more controversial pieces was, I believe, to confront the discomfort that some people have with their bodies. I think its very interesting that what people generally hide under their clothing has been made into the outfit itself.

    Sundaram even takes this challenge a step further by putting aside gender roles when his clothes are modeled. When I was in the gift shop, I found a book displaying models wearing the Gagawaka line, and was surprised to find that a man was wearing the tampon outfit, while a woman modeled the jock straps. This gender role reversal I felt added to Sundaram’s theme of confronting the awkwardness that humans feel as they are taught, often from a young age, to be ashamed of their bodies. This is especially true for the opposite sex—I know that a lot of the male figures in my life don’t know much about tampons, and would especially refuse to wear them as clothing.

Male model in the tampon dress

Female model with the jock strap outfit

            I think clothing like this is important. Not only are these ensembles from the Gagawaka line a fashion statement and work of art; they are also socially progressive pieces that encourage the viewer to reflect on the human anatomy and become more comfortable with the body in general. I enjoyed Sundaram’s exhibit, and I think it made a nice addition to what we’ve learned about the human body as it relates to art.

Me, at Fowler! 

Week 9: Art + Space

“Space is…a site of imagination. When we look up at the night sky, we can’t help but project our own ideas, concepts, fantasies, and conceits onto it.” –Trevor Paglan¹

           

Throughout history, mankind has always been fascinated by outer space. As we learned about in this week’s lecture, interest in space and astronomy has dated back to even before Copernicus’ heliocentric model of the solar system, leading all the way to the 20^th century’s moon landing.  While the space phenomenon has been a great influence to all forms of art from, movies to songs to paintings, I am also interested in how artists literally interact with outer space. I found that a recent trend with artists was actually to launch their artwork up above the atmosphere, and I wanted to know why.

For instance, Azuma Makoto, an artist from Tokyo, creates beautiful portraits by juxtaposing vegetation such as lilies and bonsai trees, floated into the stratosphere via balloon, against the image of the edge of the world behind them. This “exobiotanica” is meant to represent mankind’s “fortunate yet gravely responsible place in the history of space and time.”² 

Makoto's "exobiotanica" - Bonsai in Space

            Popular street artist Banksy, also known as Invader, also endeavored to send one of his mosaics depicting avatars from the game “Space Invaders” up into the atmosphere as a part of his film project, Art4Space.³ Banksy has been spreading his creations throughout the globe, but he finally sent his space invader into real space. A depiction of his work can be seen in the documentary below:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcGBte7HIEY

While the above art examples were mainly looking to push the envelope, artists have also been contracted to launch their art into space for practical reasons. The satellite company Planet Labs has recently hired artist George Zisiadis, who was charged with creating Tetris-like designs for more compact satellites since space travel is so expensive.⁴ He was able to marry functionality and aesthetic, while “injecting imagination and creativity into [Planet Lab’s] office.”⁵

Planet Labs' Artist in Residence, George Zisiadis,
and his Tetris-like satellite design

While humans have been able to harness the land, utilize the sea and, eventually, soar across the skies, space has always been the ‘final frontier’—a place of mystery and potential that modern society still has yet to realize. Art will continue to pursue this intrigue, as the above examples illustrate, and in so doing will further our understanding of the universe.

Works Cited:

[1] Kyle, Chayka. "Where Art And Space Travel Meet: Why Is The Art World Suddenly So Captivated By The Cosmos?" The Creators Project. Vice Media Inc., 8 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 May 2015.  

[2] Jones, Jonathan. "There's Life out There: The Artist Shooting Bonsai Trees into Space." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 22 July 2014. Web. 28 May 2015.  

[3] Rao, Mallika. "Street Artist Actually Tries Sending His Work Into Space." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 June 2015.  

[4] Schwartz, Ariel. "How A Startup Is Launching Art Into Space." Co.Exist. Fast Company & Inc., 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 May 2015.

[5] "Planet Labs - Artist in Residence." George Zisiadis. Web. 31 May 2015.  

Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio

Me (left) and my two roommates outside of the
Hammer Museum, sporting our entrance stickers

The exhibit “Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio” at the Hammer Museum featured many unique works of art created by designer Thomas Heatherwick. While his constructions were beautiful, as the included pictures demonstrate, I was most taken with his inspiration for the art, which incorporates the two worlds of art and science. This comes across most obviously by way of the question asked next to the title for each piece. 

"Can a rotationally symmetrical form make a comfortable chair?"
I don't know about comfortable, but the chair was certainly fun! 

Instead of simply posting names for his artwork, Heatherwick also poses a question that each piece seeks to answer. “Can you squeeze a chair out of a machine, the way you squeeze toothpaste out of a tube?”, “Can a rotationally symmetrical form make a comfortable chair?”, “How can a big new development relate to its surroundings?” In so doing, Heatherwick transforms every piece into not just something beautiful to admire, but also a solution. This idea was applied not only to small objects, such as handbags, but also to larger projects as well, like the idea for the Learning Hub building in Singapore (pictured below). 

Learning Hub building, Singapore.
"Can a building help change the way we learn?"

As an observer, this peaked my interest. The titles left me wondering: which came first, the question or the idea? Perhaps he looked at a tube of toothpaste and wondered whether or not a chair-like construction could come out of it. Or perhaps Heatherwick came up with the design for the Learning Hub and then realized it could change the way students learned. This way of thinking inspired me to look at the more mundane things in my life in search of beauty—can vehicles be designed differently to be more environmentally friendly? Can the clothing I’m wearing have some health benefit to me? 

Extrusions: "Can you squeeze a chair out of a machine,
            the way you squeeze toothpaste out of a tube?" 

It is interesting too that the answer to all of the questions he poses is yes. I think it would make for a fascinating future display for Heatherwick to include any of his failed attempts, if he has any. For the answers to his questions to be no, and for the audience to be able to see what he did with that piece and in which direction this led him would be an enriching art exhibit. I learned quite a bit from Heatherwick’s display, and I left still thinking about the implications of his art, which is how you can tell his art is impactful. 

Week 8: Nanotechnology + Art

Liquid-resistant fabric, modeled after
lotus-leaf water repellant effect

            Nanotechnology has crossed over into the world of fashion, especially with development of modern style. Going beyond the creation of self-cleaning fabrics that mimic effects such as the ‘lotus leaf effect’ we learned in course material for this week, nanotechnology has proven to be a fashionable option for designers that incorporates and moves beyond practicality. “Fashion is thought of as a frivolous thing, but unless the world stops wearing clothes, this will remain one of the largest industries in the world, as it has been throughout, really, all of history,” says Charlotte Jirousek, a professor of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell University.¹

            Designers are able to manipulate the color palette of their fabric using nanotechnology by adding monolayers of nanoparticles onto cotton. This interacts with the way that light bounces off the material, thus allowing for the direct control of what color the fabric is reflecting. For instance, designers can add Ag nano-particles to their clothing that will give off a shiny, gold-like tint without having the dye the cloth.2 

Clothing modified with Ag nano-
particles to give off golden shine

            Olivia Ong, a former design student at Cornell, created a fashion line that she called “Glitterati”, which was intended to serve the dual purpose of functionality and style. Not only were the clothes aesthetically pleasing, Ong had also worked with fiber scientists to modify the material. The garments were engineered to protect the wearer from getting the flu without ever needing to be washed, and another piece was designed to eliminate harmful gases and protect skin from the effects of smog and air pollution.³ Clothing like this is groundbreaking, and I would definitely wear it if it were available for general purchase!

Olivia Ong poses pieces from her
nano-technological clothing line, 'Glitterati'

            Nanotechnology will, in the future, allow for clothes that trap odors and release them in the wash, make your skin feel cool, and even moisturizing your feet.⁴   This advance in fashion and technology is, in my opinion, a positive. But as with any innovation, some have their doubts—critics say that nanotechnology may eliminate traditional manufacturing jobs, cause the price of goods to increase, and have unforeseen effects in health and the creation of new weaponry.⁵ I think that the future of nanotechnology is upon us, however, and it would be better to embrace the innovation rather than attempt to hinder the inevitable.

Works Cited:

[1] Nutt, D.W. "Cornell Weaves Nanotech into Fashions." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Ithaca Journal, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 May 2015.

[2] Hinestroza, Juan P. "Can Nanotechnology Be Fashionable?" Materials Today. Elsevier Ltd. Web. 23 May 2015. 

[3] Ju, Anne. "Student Designer and Fiber Scientists Create a Dress That Prevents Colds and a Jacket That Destroys Noxious Gases." Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University, 1 May 2007. Web. 23 May 2015. 

[4] “Nanotech in Fashion: The Trend in New Fabrics." NPR. NPR, 7 Sept. 2004. Web. 22 May 2015.

[5] "Advantages and Disadvantages of Nanotechnology." Introduction to Nanotechnology RSS. 5 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 May 2015.