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>.

Unit 2: Math + Art

Perspective can be explained through complex mathematics. However, it is more simply experienced through visual representations. Our eyes perceive depth, space, proportion as we follow the lines towards the vanishing point. Without even consciously being aware of the mathematical concept, we can see the flat painting represented in a 3-dimensional space. Art prior to the use of perspective are distinctively non-realistic. We perceive no illusion of space and depth.

 We immediately notice the incorrect illusion of perspective in this painting "Entree de la Reine Isabeau de Baviere a Paris".

During the Renaissance, Brunelleschi uses mathematical principals to develop the formulation of linear perspective through the use of a single vanishing point. All lines in the plane converge to that point. By controlling the location of the spectator, the geometry of the objects is correct. Artists were able to create not only a beautiful but also realistic representation of the world.

In Leonardo da Vinci, "Last Supper", the use of linear perspective makes the painting realistic.

With more understanding of mathematics, manipulating view point, and perspective 2-D art can convincingly pass as 3-D objects.  3-D sidewalk chalk art is a perfect example. At the view point, the illusion is perfect. However, just step a little bit off and the art seems to be stretched and blurred.

The "Lego Teracotta Army" by Plane Streetpainting, fools the eye when viewed from the right angle.

However, when viewed from another angle, it looks distorted.

The juxtaposition of art and mathematics makes artworks stunningly realistic and mathematical concepts visually understandable.  Not only is math and art combined in perspective drawings, it is also used in origami, music, computations and film making. In essence: Art makes math beautiful. Math makes art beautiful.

Sources:

Jones, Jonathan. "3D Street Art: A Question of Perspective." The Guardian. 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/feb/01/3d-street-art>.

Lang, Robert. "Origami Mathematics." Origami Mathematics. Lang Origami, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.langorigami.com/science/math/math.php>.

Burk, Phil, Larry Polansky, Douglas Repetto, Mary Roberts, and Dan Rockmore. "Music and Computers."Music and Computers. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://music.columbia.edu/cmc/MusicAndComputers/>.

Stinson, Liz. "Wildly Detailed Drawings That Combine Math and Butterflies." CNN. Cable News Network, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/10/world/wildly-detailed-drawings-that-combine-math-and-butterflies/>.

Unit 1: Two Cultures

C.P Snow believed that society is fragmented. There are the scientist and the general public. There are the rich and the poor. The scientists are solving problems and advancing our repository of knowledge. The general public remains the same. The rich continue to amass wealth. The poor remains the same.

There are no bridges between these divisions. There are no connections. The scientists fail to share the importance of their knowledge to the public. The rich keep their wealth. This divide is disturbing because we live on one earth together.

However, there are many ways to close this gap. An example would be UCLA. University is a place where people from different cultures and background are forced to interact while in pursuit of the same goal. Through learning, teaching and sharing knowledge the gap between scientist and the public decreases. In addition, higher education reduces economic inequality.

Universities, like UCLA, encourage the development of well-rounded, mature and considerate adults. 

Even the architecture at UCLA closes the cultural gap. Without engineering, buildings cannot stand. Without art, buildings are just buildings. Architecture relies on the link between science and art. By combining these vastly different aspects of life, architecture is another way of bridging the divide.

Royce Hall’s stunning architecture makes it a symbol of UCLA.

                I am a science major. However, I appreciate art and understand its importance. I think that knowledge, understanding and respect can help bridge the many divisions that currently affect our society: A balance between two extremes. Aristotle called it the Golden Mean.

Aristotle believed that the golden mean was the desirable middle between two extremes.

Works Cited:

Snow, C.P. "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution." New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1959. Print.

Kamen, Dean, Porter, John Edward, and Wilson, E.O. "A Dangerous Divide: The Two Cultures in the 21^st Century." 2009. Web. 5 April 2015.  <http://www.nyas.org/Publications/Ebriefings/Detail.aspx?cid=74e271bd-4ba6-47cd-8f0a-add2ef8234cd>

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." 1998. Web. 5 April 2015. <http://www.sciencemag.org/content/279/5353/992.full> 

Powell, John A. "Six Polices to Reduce Economic Inequality." 2014. Web. 5 April 2015.<http://diversity.berkeley.edu/6-policies-to-reduce-economic-inequality>

London, Jay. "Philip Freelon MArch’77." 2014. Web. 5 April 2015. <http://www.technologyreview.com/article/524331/philip-freelon-march-77/>

Bucks County Community College. "Ethical Decision Making for Journalists." 2012. Web. 5 April 2015. <http://www.anus.com/zine/articles/draugdur/golden_mean/>