Unit 9: Space + Art

Space and its mysteries has inspired the imagination of artists throughout history. As mentioned and iterated throughout this course, art can be used to bridge the divide of science and the public.

"Retro" Space Art imagines the future.

However, with scientific discoveries and research, the limits of what is possible keeps expanding. Living in space or other worlds is quickly becoming a feasible possibility. Artist and their imagination in pre-Sputnik society inspire the curiosity and demand to explore space. These artists helped push space exploration along.

NASA and other agencies might make "Retro" Space reality 

With the constant discoveries about space, it might seem that artists will be limited in their representation of space. However, space is so vast and the possibilities so endless, that the many imaginary guesses of artists are feasible. Space and its secrets is a great source of inspiration.

No matter what, Space can be gorgeously illustrated.

Source:
 Miller, Ron. "The History of Space Art." Space Art. 1978. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://dreamsofspace.nfshost.com/spaceart.htm>.  

Ashey, Rachel. "Exploring Space." Air Space Magazine. 28 February 2013. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.airspacemag.com/ist/?next=/space/the-real-reasons-we-explore-space-18816871/>

Gerrfor, Ed. "An Astounding History of Scientific Space Art." io9. 20 November 2014. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://io9.com/an-astounding-history-of-scientific-space-art-from-the-1660273208>

Hip, George. "Retro Future to Stars" Dark Roased Blen. 3 May 2008. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/11/retro-future-to-stars.html>

Unit 8: NanoTech + Art

Nanotechnology takes the idiom "more than meet your eye" to another step. Nanotechnology is technology at the individual atoms and molecules level. Our understanding of molecules and atoms is relatively new. It was only in 1897 that J.J. Thompson discovered the electron, which led him to create a "raisin pudding" model for the atom. 

Nanoscale devices are one hundred to ten thousand times smaller than human cells

Even though our understand of NanoTech is new, nano particles of various sizes are found in many products, from personal care to food. We have been using nano particles throughout history. For example, in stained glass. Artist discovered that adding small amounts of gold or silver into the glass could produce red or yellow colored glass

Medieval Stain Glass uses NanoTech

Nano particles are invisible to the naked eye. Yet it is the cutting edge of modern science. It is being used in everything from medicine to fashion. The possibilities are endless and exciting. Nanotech with its size can revolutionize our wold.   

Hydrophobic shirts are possible due to NanoTech

Sources:
"Nanoethics.org - The Ethics and Societal Impact of Nanotechnology." Nanoethics.org - The Ethics and Societal Impact of Nanotechnology. Web. 24 May 2015.

McCalley, Chris. "Age of Nanotechnology." National Cancer Institute. Web. 24 May 2015.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt. 1." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 24 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=111&v=4OWc8nmHJmY>.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt. 5." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 24 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=111&v=4OWc8nmHJmY>.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science." Web. 24 May. 2015. <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.

Unit 7: Neuroscience + Art

Despite all of scientific advancement and discoveries, the brain is still a mysterious thing. From consciousness to dreams, to decision making and memories, the brain can do so much. It controls our body, it processes our surrounding. No matter how powerful computers get, there are so many things that the brain can do that computers can't.

Is computer faster than the human brain?

Computers can calculate large sum, store lots and lots of information and do so much. Yet it some ways the brain is still superior. We can instinctively learn, we think and create. Art is a great example of the brain's capability.Abstract art does not reflect reality but exemplifies our perception of reality through shapes, forms and textures. Computers have no way to express perception. 

Picasso is a famous abstract artist. 

Most interestingly the brain can be forced to perceive the world in different ways. As mentioned in lecture, LSD, hallucinogens and drugs can mess with our minds. They affect our brains by effecting the way neurons are sent, received and processed. We are able to experience an alternate reality. It is amazing what our brain can do.

LSD can alter people's perception

Sources:

 Barnes, Martin. "Drugs and the Brain." - Live Well. 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 May 2015. "http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/drugs/Pages/Dodrugsdamagebrain.aspx".

  

 Dvorsky, George. "8 Things We Simply Don't Understand About the Human Brain." Io9. 17 July 2013. Web. 15 May 2015. "http://io9.com/8-things-we-simply-dont-understand-about-the-human-brai-949442979".

 Halliday, Ayun. "This Is Your Brain on Jazz Improvisation: The Neuroscience of Creativity." Open Culture. 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 15 May 2015. 

 Karen Weintraub, Special for USA TODAY. "Brain a 'creativity Machine,' If You Use It Right." USA Today. Gannett, 9 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 May 2015. "http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/09/creativity-brain-science/3457735/".

 Singa, Andrew. "This Is Your Brain on LSD? Scientists Want to Find out." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 May 2015.  "http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lsd-scientists-crowdfunding-research-on-psychedelic-drug/"

Unit 6: BioTech +Art

Faux or Not? Real vs Fake Leather

Leather is a material made from the skin of animal by tanning or a similar process. Every year the global leather industry slaughters over one billion animals just for their skins. With ethical fashion, the use of leather is discouraged. Leather is seen as the by-product of animals living in the horror of unsustainable factory farming. However, leather is a great material. It is flexible, comfortable, durable and can be crafted into gorgeous pieces.

Victimless leather is grown from just cell cultures and polymer

BioTech and Art make Victimless Leather possible. By working with live tissue and scientific process, fashion designers can create a material that is grown from layers of tissue and polymer. It is basically the skin without the body.It is leather without the animal. This consumer product exhibits both cutting edge research and brings to question our exploitation of animals. 

Is the future of leather  a process where it is grown and cultivated?

This fake, but  real leather  does not solve the issue between faux or real leather. Growing victimless leather makes it still somewhat living. Thus, people are still force to confront the moral implication of wearing the product of something that was once living. This debate highlights the bigger issue with BioTech and Art. As mentioned in lecture and in Chris Kelty's "Meaning of Participation: Outlaw Biology". Biotechnology and art is a extremely provocative subject as demonstrated by this one example, but the ethical boundary of using living tissues as a medium is still blurry.

Sources:
"Victemless Leather." Victemless Leather. The Tissue Culture and Art Project. Web. 10 May 2015.  

Blackmore, Claire. "Leather: The Trend We Just Can't Get Enough Of." Marie Claire. 20 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 May 2015.

Derr, Mark. "Ban Fur? Then Why Not Leather?" The New York Times. 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 May 2015.

Kelty, Chris. "Meaning of Participation: Outlaw Biology?"

Miah, Andy. "Bioart Is Changing the World." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 May 2015.

Unit 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

Cosmetic plastic surgery is a prime example of art, medicine and technology. Whether it is the distance between forehead and nose, or the shape of eyes and mouth, cosmetic surgeons and doctors have analyzed perceptions of beauty. They medically alter peoples appearances in order to help them find happiness with their image and their confidence. However, cosmetic plastic surgery has evolved from both reconstructive surgery and social stigma. 

As the lecture mention, with World War I and the destructiveness of modern weapons, the need for reconstructive surgery grew. Coupled with scientific and medical advances, the success of surgeries grew. Not only did surgery heal war wounds, but birth defects like cleft lips, web toes and more. 

Cleft lip is a birth defect that can cause eating and speech problems. Surgery not only fixes a health issue but physical appearance as well.  

Cosmetic surgery grew from the discoveries in reconstructive surgery. Cosmetics surgery is an optional procedure that is performed with the purpose of improving appearances. Society is based on appearances and attractive people are more successful. Barbie is an example of society's perfect women in terms of body attributes and lifestyle. As kids play with these dolls, it is easy to become obsess with Barbie's good looks. Thus, sometimes women pursue cosmetic procedures to obtain Barbie's look. 

Human barbie, Valeria Lukyanova uses a combination of makeup and cosmetic surgery to obtain her looks.

However, Barbie's features are impossible to achieve naturally. Her overly large eyes, long neck, long legs, tiny waist and big breasts are not genetically possible. Our lungs allow us to breathe, our stomach allows us to obtain nutrients, our heart pushes blood through our body. All these organs needs room and can not be compressed into Barbies skinny torso. 

Model Katie Halchishic demonstrates how unrealistic Barbie's body proportion is.

In our reading, Donald Ingber in "The Architecture of Life" describe life as the "ultimate example of complexity at work." Humans are an extraordinary example of life. However, cosmetic surgery aims to change  the cells and tissues that make up humans. Doctors play such an important role in the health of humans. Thus, the Hippocratic Oath is the ideal conduct for physicians. However, with societies changing views, the creation of certain medical procedures, like physician-assisted suicide, abortions, even cosmetic surgery, is controversial. At least for cosmetic surgery, it is way for people to be more comfortable with themselves. 

Sources:

Bhattacharya, S., V. Khanna, and R. Kohli. "Cleft Lip: The Historical Perspective." Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery (2009): 4. Print.

Ingber, Donald E. "The Architecture of Life." Scientific American (1998): 48-57. Print.

McDonell-Parry, Amelia. "Katie Halchishick Depicts Barbie Vs. Reality In O Magazine - The Frisky." The Frisky. 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.thefrisky.com/2011-10-13/katie-halchishick-depicts-barbie-vs-reality-in-o-magazine/>.

Stewart, Will. "'Human Barbie' Is Punched and Strangled by Two Men outside Her Home after 'two-year Hate Campaign by Strangers' ." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2821700/Human-Barbie-punched-strangled-two-men-outside-home-two-year-hate-campaign-strangers.html>.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html>.

Event 1: "Waste Matters: You Are My Future" by Kathy High

Last Thursday I went to the exhibition Waste Matters: You Are My Future by Katy High. It was an art exhibit integrated with research on fecal microbial (poop) transplant and gut biomes.  Fecal Microbial Transplant (FMT) is a medical procedure in which fecal from a donor is mixed with a solution and placed into a patient. Fecal transplant is used to replace good bacteria that has decreased, usually due to antibiotics. This cause bad bacteria like C. diff. to grow and cause intense and sometimes fatal diarrhea. 

Stool matter in urine

When I went to the art exhibit, I was slightly confused as to the idea. However, with this week's lesson, I realized that the art is not only a way to express the scientific idea but to express personal feelings. In that way, this art exhibit can encourage thought, emotions and discussion. 

Fecal microbial transplant can save lives

*Sorry for the poor quality pictures. My iPhone 4 has been through a lot. 

Unit 3: Robotics + Art

What if robots could replicate human?

Humans make mistakes. Humans make mistakes quite often, especially when compared to the precision and accuracy of robots. Thus during the industrial revolution the push towards increase production and manufacturing led to automation. However, automation was not enough. If robots could be more intelligent and make decisions by themselves. That would be even better. Yet, when is the point that robots do merely reproduce but can create and design.

Walter Benjamin describe it in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction for machines like printing press and computers to "reproduce all transmitted works of art and thus to cause the must profound change in their impact upon the public." A human scribe can only make 40 copies a day, while a modern day laser printer can make 100 copies per minute. A photograph is a snapshot of the world through an cameraman's eye. Paintings are representatives of our world through an artists eye. The camera, paint, brushes and paper are the tools for the artists. Robotics have always be considered a tool, a way to aid humans. However, with artificial intelligence it will be possible for the robots to become the artists.

What if robots could create art?

Most recently, IBM Watson was taught to cook. Watson is a computer program. After being taught the ideas of flavor combinations, Watson was able to combine different flavor combinations to create unique and new dishes. As Watson has no preconceived notion of proper combinations, Watson is a chef with no boundaries. What if the arts could be created by machines? What if machines can be like humans? What would that mean for us?

IBM Watson can invent dishes

Movies like Ex Machina, Matrix,  iRobot, even children's movie like Wall-E imagine different futures with robots. We could live on either ends of an extreme spectrum or somewhere in between. We can either live in a society ran by robots or in a society where robots tend to our every whim. However, it seems certain that the next industrialization will be build on the backs of robots.


Sources:

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995) 28.5 (1995): 381-86. Print.

Factory, Invention. "The Robot Revolution Is Here." Motherboard. 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-robot-revolution-is-here>.

Jacob, Rose. "Rise of Robot Factories Leading 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'" Newsweek. Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://www.newsweek.com/2015/03/27/rise-robot-factories-leading-fourth-industrial-revolution-311497.html>.

Lo, Karen. "IBM's Watson Has Its Own Cookbook, 'Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson'" The Daily Meal. 8 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://www.thedailymeal.com/news/cook/ibm-s-watson-has-its-own-cookbook-cognitive-cooking-chef-watson/40815>.

"History of Robotics." History of Robotics. ThomasNet.com, 6 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://www.thomasnet.com/articles/engineering-consulting/robotics-history>.