Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

I was very intrigued by this week’s topic, the relationship between medicine, art, and technology, as I am a student interested in a career in the medical field. Just like many other practices in the world, I would consider medicine an art, as it can include the expression of human creative skills and imagination. With the use of technological advances, medicine incorporates artistic aspects into many of its fields, as well as depends on art in medical animations and anatomical illustrations.

The work of Vesalius captures the beauty of the human body while also being anatomically accurate.

One of the first practices many people likely think of when considering the relationship between medicine and art is plastic surgery. It was interesting to me to discover that plastic surgery actually began about 4000 years ago in India, such as reconstructive surgery techniques. During World War I, there were many scientific and technological advances in warfare, and medicine advanced as well. Plastic surgery increased because of the vast number of opportunities due to injuries from war. Today, there is a wide variety of plastic surgeries, both cosmetic and medically-indicated. The story of the artist ORLAN shocked me, as she completes surgical performances as an art form to transform herself into elements from famous paintings of women. This medical procedures were used purely as a form of artistic expression.

ORLAN, an artist who uses plastic surgery as a form of artistic expression. 

Another aspect of the connection between medicine and art are projects such as Body Worlds, the Visible Human Project, and the Human Genome Project. I was especially interested in Body Worlds, which is a traveling exhibition of preserved human bodies and body parts that reveal inner anatomical structures. I think this would be a very unique exhibition to visit, and would allow someone like myself to explore and appreciate both the scientific and artistic sides of the exhibit. I also find interesting the increased technology that allows scientists to do research that has never been possible before, such as identifying and sequencing all the genes in human DNA. Not only can DNA sequencing tell an individual some of their medical history, but also can reveal ancestral history. As someone who appreciates art and hopes to be involved in medicine, I can definitely see the connection between the two in many aspects of my life.

Body Worlds' exhibition "The Walker", revealing the anatomy of the human body.

References:

Bright, Richard. “The Future of the Body with Performance Artist ORLAN.” Interalia Magazine, 27 Aug. 2015, www.interaliamag.org/blog/the-future-of-the-body-with-performance-artist-orlan/.

Sharp, Hal. “A Brief Essay on Anatomical Drawing.” Historical Collections at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/anatomical/briefessay/.

Selinsky, Page. “The Marvels of Body Worlds.” Penn Museum, Penn Museum, 1 Sept. 2016, www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-marvels-of-body-worlds/.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine pt1.” YouTube, 21 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/Ep0M2bOM9Tk.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine pt3.” YouTube, 22 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/FIX-9mXd3Y4.

Event 1: Understanding Arts Based Research - Symposium

On April 4th, I was able to attend Linda Weintraub’s keynote lecture at the Understanding Arts Based Research Symposium that focused on the relation between eco materialism and contemporary art. Previous to this lecture, I had not really known what it meant to be an eco materialist, so listening to Weintraub’s point of view was very interesting. Eco materialists are those who believe the human physical apparatus can actually conduct research without an extensive amount of technology. Weintraub introduced a new word, “muckro”, that is in between macro and micro to discuss the work of eco materialists. Because of this belief, eco materialists want full body excursions and explorations, looking at the bigger picture through our senses.

Linda Weintraub's book discussing eco materialism and contemporary art

One interesting topic Weintraub discussed was how we live in a culture that is very visually oriented, which although I had not thought about before, I find to be extremely relevant. However, not all cultures have vision at the top of the hierarchy of senses; for example, sound is the most important sense among communities living in rainforests. Visual dominance gives individuals little opportunity to interact with things that have original connection to the ecosystem, narrowing our view of what a product is. Weintraub mentioned the anthropocentric tendencies of society, alienated from the systems around us. In her book “WHAT’s NEXT? Eco Materialism and Contemporary Art”, Weintraub discusses how we can focus on becoming ecocentric rather than anthropocentric, which I thought was a very important concept.

Packets from the symposium discussing the importance of art in research

I think this was a very beneficial lecture, as Weintraub brought up some very interesting questions, such as what society would look like if humans redefined our lives so that we are integral to our surrounding ecosystems? Being integral to the cycle allows artists to conduct research relating to these topics. Through her talk, I saw the connection to our discussion of the distinction between the two cultures, and how art and science are truly connected in a variety of ways. The lecture brought me to think about how I can use all my senses, rather than just vision, to interact with things in my surroundings, as well as becoming aware of the world I live in.

Selfie from the symposium

Week 3: Robotics and Art

Industrialization and mass production revolutionized the world, starting with the printing press and following with Ford’s assembly lines for the automobile. Revolutionary developments have continued throughout history, and it is interesting to observe how society responds to these changes and more specifically, the effects on the artistic process throughout the world. However, as described by Vesna, as mechanization increased, workers began to be treated like they were a part of the machine, and it was now the mechanization of workers as well.

(Ford's assembly line and the mechanization of workers)

After reading the work of Walter Benjamin, I began thinking about the effect of industrialization and mechanization on art. Benjamin states that “even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be”. This quote stood out to me, as it emphasizes that a reproduction of a work of art can never truly be the same as the original piece, yet so much of art today is a reproduction. Mechanical reproduction seems to put an end to the originality and uniqueness of art. In his work “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction”, Douglas Davis applies the concepts of Walter Benjamin to a more modern society, discussing how there is not a distinction between original and reproduction in virtually any medium. He touches on how digitization has affected the handmade arts of writing, drawing, and painting, which can be seen in our day-to-day life.

(The spread of art to digital means)

It is interesting to me to think that not only has technology used art, but art has actually directly influenced the creation of new forms of technology. In our society, mechanization has become more advanced and we can consider the importance art has on robotics, a form of mechanization that has become more popular. In Professor Machiko Kusahara’s lecture on Japanese robotics, I found the comparison between the western and eastern perceptions of robots intriguing, with in some cases robots are seen as a threat whereas in others, specifically Japan, robots are seen as friendly helpers. We can see the application of robotics and how intertwined it is with art through many forms of entertainment today, from the movie “Big Hero 6” (which has a distinct robotic character) to Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant with its many “smart” features.

(Amazon's Alexa, a virtual assistant with "smart" technology)

References:

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." (1936).

“Contemporary Cultural Questions: How Will Technology Continue to Influence Art?” Cultivating Culture, 13 Dec. 2013, www.cultivatingculture.com/2013/10/31/contemporary-cultural-questions-how-will-technology-continue-to-influence-art/.

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, pp. 381–386. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1576221.

Ernst, Kurt. “Henry Ford’s Moving Automotive Assembly Line Turns 100.” HemmingsDaily, 7 Oct. 2013, www.hemmings.com/blog/2013/10/07/henry-fords-moving-automotive-assembly-line-turns-100/.

Heathman, Amelia. “Amazon Alexa Can Now Make Playlists for You.” Evening Standard, 15 Mar. 2018, www.standard.co.uk/tech/amazon-alexa-amazon-music-playlists-a3790556.html.

Kusahara, Machiko. “Professor Machiko Kusahara on Japanese Robotics.” YouTube, 14 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/xQZ_sy-mdEU.

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics pt1.” YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/cRw9_v6w0ew.

Week 2: Mathematics and Art

Art and mathematics are two concepts that are very connected - you see mathematics in art and you use art in mathematics. Artists use the skills and theories of mathematics in order to create and develop a better understanding of higher dimensions, in a space and existence that can not be observed. As covered in Vesna’s lecture, I thought the emphasis on perception and its importance in art and mathematics was very interesting. Perspective was not displayed in art until Giotti’s work in the 13th century, yet perspective is critical to create depth in artwork and mathematics. Brunelleschi introduced the concept of the vanishing point, which is used commonly in artwork, yet he had to use mathematical rules to support this vanishing point rule. Using perspective and concepts such as the vanishing point have greatly contributed to artwork and mathematics both, and have proven the connection between the two.

The idea of perspective and vanishing points.

Another interesting concept that was covered was the Golden Ratio, which was referred to as the ultimate connection between mathematics and art. I found it very captivating to look at paintings as well as architecture that follow the Golden Ratio, because at first glance, the observer may not notice this detail, but once apparent, it is amazing how relevant the concept is all over society. Examples include the Parthenon, the Mona Lisa, and the Vitruvian Man, which is a piece of artwork that portrays the ideal of human proportions with geometry. The Vitruvian Man blends mathematics and art together so smoothly, and relates the human body to the universe as a whole. The juxtaposition of math and science in this piece of artwork by Leonardo da Vinci truly captures the connection of the two cultures we talked about last week.

The Vitruvian Man that portrays ideal human proportions.

The reading “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion” also stood out to me, as it discussed how the fourth dimension is a symbol of liberation for artists, encouraging artists to experiment outside of our three-dimensional world. Just as a Flatlander would not be able to imagine a three-dimensional world, we cannot comprehend the higher dimensions of our world.

Seen through many historical figures and pieces, the relation between math and art continues today. Literature today, such as novel The Da Vinci Code, continues to explore and reintroduce these topics. In my high school calculus class, we had to do a project that related math to something in society. Groups presented on a variety of topics, from fractals and origami to the calculus required in crochet, confirming the relevance between mathematics and art.

The hyperbolic plane (mathematics) represented through crochet (art).

References:

Abbott, Edwin. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Print.

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in ModernArt: Conclusion.” Leonardo, vol. 17, no. 3, 1984, pp. 205–210., www.jstor.org/stable/1575193.

Nargi, Lela. “6 Math Concepts Explained by Knitting and Crochet.” Mental Floss, 13 Sept. 2016, www.mentalfloss.com/article/86016/6-math-concepts-explained-knitting-and-crochet.

“Study of Proportions According to Vitruvius, Leonardo Da Vinci.” HellenicaWorld, www.hellenicaworld.com/Art/Paintings/en/Part13793.html.

“Vanishing Point.” From Wolfram MathWorld, mathworld.wolfram.com/VanishingPoint.html.

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>

Week 1: The Two Cultures

The idea of two cultures was one I had not explicitly thought about before this course, yet is a concept that is extremely relevant. C.P. Snow’s idea of two cultures that are separate from one another as well as the claim that universities and their curriculum are the root of the problem was very intriguing to me. When Vesna mentioned that the term science refers to mainly “physical” and “natural” sciences, I found myself guilty of this interpretation of the sciences. The idea of the third culture, which John Brockman claimed is contemporary scientists, whereas Vesna suggested that it is artists working with technology, could be an overlap of these two labels.

C.P. Snow and his bridge between the two cultures

At UCLA, the two cultures can be seen clearly. I once heard the tour guide say, “I have a little secret that you will not find on any pamphlet or website - UCLA is actually divided into two campuses, North Campus and South Campus.” The separation between the STEM and humanities majors is not only distinguished by their respective classes, but also the physical and geographical divide of campus.

The clear geographical divide between UCLA north campus and south campus

I am an Undeclared Life Sciences major, likely to major in some type of biology, clearly under the “science” culture. However, I am minoring in Spanish, which is much more connected with linguistics and the humanities. When considering my career goals, I hope to pursue a career in medicine and be able to use Spanish in my career. As an undergraduate student, I am not only learning the Spanish language, but also studying Spanish literature and culture. Being able to understand and bridge the connection between the two cultures will greatly help me be successful here not only at UCLA, but also in the future.

I have always considered myself as a person geared toward the sciences, rather than a person who is very creative and artistic. However, as I have read articles and watched videos discussing the two cultures, it brings me to the question: why can’t I be both scientific and creative? Do we have to be simply right brain or left brain? I should embrace both cultures and be open to new ideas and perspectives, no matter whether they fall under the scientific or humanitarian category.

The idea of being either left brain or right brain

References:

Brockman, John. The Third Culture. New York, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1995. Print.

Krauss, Lawrence M. “An Update on C. P. Snow's ‘Two Cultures.’” Scientific American, 1 Sept. 2009, www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-update-on-cp-snows-two-cultures/.

Mahendru, Srishti. “Exhaustive Guide To Becoming A Psychologist And Its Scope In India.” Mindler Blog, 10 Apr. 2018, www.mindler.com/blog/psychology-courses-scope-india/.

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

“UCLA Campus... - University of California Office Photo.” Glassdoor, www.glassdoor.co.uk/Photos/University-of-California-Office-Photos-IMG1498915.htm.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Print.