Thursday, June 11, 2015
Friday, June 5, 2015
Extra Credit Event2: Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem
Located in the Fowler Museum, the exhibition of "Making Strange" is created by contemporary artist Vivan Sundaram. Made from a variety of recycled materials and medical supplies such as foil pill wrappings, surgical masks, and foam cups, Gagawaka are clothes that shows a “playful, yet subversive relationship to fashion, haute couture, the runway, and the brand.” Consisting of dummies, anatomical models, and wooden props, Postmortem displays the human body in a very special form.
Me at "Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem"
Attempting to offer an unique experience to its views, the exhibition utilizes a variety of mediums. The artist uses spotlight that only focuses on the exhibits itself to emphasize the texture of the design. There is also music playing in the background, creating a sense of mystery. Offering many insights into the art pieces, a video of Sundaram talking about her work is also played in the exhibition room.
My favorite piece in the exhibition is the “Angel Wing” which is made from white plastic tubes. The garment has a form of T-shirt and skirt while it is also used to represent the hair of the model. The human body represented by the cloth and the cloth itself seem to be separate, but they can also be viewed as an entity. Another piece I like is made of bath sponges. Although the piece is made from objects that we use everyday, the abundant colors and creative design surprise me with its beauty. Trying to connect "beauty and illness, pleasure and pain, life and death," the artist offers a sense of contradiction in her art works.
Angel Wing
Bath Sponges
I would definitely recommend the exhibition to my classmates. Offering another approach to look at daily recyclable objects, the artist creates a special form of garment. Using anatomical models and mannequins as well as other waste materials including x-ray-film and hospital bandages, the exhibition integrates medicine, biology, technology, and art that we have learned in the lectures.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Week9: Space+Art
The mankind has always been very curious about what’s out there in the space. It was Copernicus who first proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system in 1512. According to his meticulous calculations of the movements of the sun and other planets for years, Copernicus put forward that the Earth and other planets actually revolves around the sun in the solar system. Watching the video of “Powers of Ten”, I once again realize how small we human beings are compared to the endless space out there. We think of the sun, the moon, and the solar system when we think of the space. It seems like the milky way is so massive; however, it is simply a tiny part of the universe.
People’s imagination about the space has long been reflected in the popular culture as a bridge between art and space. Science fiction is one aspect of such imagination, many of which eventually come true in the real world. First described in Edward Everett Hale's short story "The Brick Moon", artificial satellite has become an essential part of today's space administration. Similarly, creation of series like Star Trek and Lost in Space shows people’s imagination of the space in the 1960’s.
Star Treck (1966–1969)
The research of the spatial science itself is a form of art. Named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, Hubble Space Telescope was designed to provide clear images of the Space for scientific research. At the same time, the pictures taken by Hubble Space Telescope are so beautiful that it can catch people’s eyes as a piece of art and are shown in various exhibitions.
Hubble Space Telescope
In the piece “In Just a Blink of the Eye,” Xu Zhen uses performers who are held by concealed braces, appearing to be on the verge of falling. Making the relationship between time and space concrete, the artist manages to investigate the linear trajectory of life with the defiance of gravity. Inspired by Klein and scientist John Lilly, German artist Thom Kubli created the piece “Float!” which offers a session in a flotation tank of reduced-gravity, giving viewers an experience similar to swimming in the Dead Sea. Attempting to create an “anti-environment” that contradicts our everyday life, Kubli believes that the experience “provokes us to experience a view of our environment that is normally imperceptible to us.” (Forde)
In Just a Blink of the Eye
As the ending topic of the class, space and art integrates all that we have learned this quarter, including nanotechnology, biotechnology, mathematics, and robots, allowing artists to explore new areas and to work in multiple disciplines. Fascinated and intrigued by the enormous unknown of the mysterious universe for thousands of years, artists will continue to create mind-boggling pieces with further research in the space technology.
Sources
"The Brick Moon." Edward Everett Hale's Short Story:. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2108/>
"About Hubble." About Hubble. Web. 31 May 2015. <https://www.spacetelescope.org/about/>
"Blastoff! : DNews." DNews. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://news.discovery.com/space/history-of-space/a-brief-history-of-the-hubble-space-telescope-photos-150424.htm>
"Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity Curated by Kathleen Forde : EMPAC Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center : Troy, NY USA." Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity Curated by Kathleen Forde : EMPAC Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center : Troy, NY USA. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://zerogravity.empac.rpi.edu/>
"Xu Zhen Performance: In a Blink of an Eye." ArtHub. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://arthubasia.org/project/xu-zhen-performance-in-a-blink-of-an-eye>
Monday, May 25, 2015
Extra Credit Event1
Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces by Robert Gero
Combining mathematics and arts together, the exhibition by Robert Gero explores a seemingly impossible structure, whose "internal dimensions exceed its external ones". The exhibition offers an intimate interaction between viewer and the exhibit itself. The exhibition room was filled with white styrofoam strips, positioned in various angles. Cushions of different patterns were put in the corners of the design, which might seem odd compared with the entire exhibition. Gero explained that he happened to find those cushions in the back room and added them as a new element to his design. It seemed so random yet very fitting in the whole setting. Speakers were placed in the corners around the room, playing sounds in the background, giving the space a sense of mystery.
Robert Gero
Cushions
Holding an M.F.A. in sculpture, an M.A. in philosophy/aesthetics from California State University, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the New School for Social Research in New York, Robert Gero grounds his work on the intersection between mathematics, art, and philosophy. Interested in exploring unique structures, Gero focused on the infinity structures.The paradoxical concept is constructed by “a stable exterior and an infinitely expanding interior.”
Infinity Structures
I would certainly recommend the exhibition to my classmates. Incorporating both visual and audio elements in his work, Gero offered a brand new experience for everyone who enters the room. The exhibition reminded me of the topic of math and art that we discussed on week2. Exploring the definition of “infinity” in both art and science, Gero made great effort understanding what seems to be impossible and unknown in the world.
Me at the Exhibition
Source
"EXHIBITION: Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces by Robert Gero | UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab." EXHIBITION: Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces by Robert Gero | UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab. Web. 25 May 2015. <http://artsci.ucla.edu/?q=events/exhibition-infinity-structures-paradoxical-spaces-robert-gero>
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Event3
Hammer Museum: Provocation
Before I even entered the exhibition room of “Provocation” at Hammer Museum, I have already had interaction with its design products. On the first floor of Hammer Museum, there were some purple spinning chairs that people could try on. People on the chair seemed to have so much fun and I decided to give it a try as well. As opposed to its appearance, the chairs were actually very comfortable and fair. One could spin to whichever direction one wanted to and the chair would never fall.
Me on the Spun Chair
As soon as I entered the exhibition room, I saw something very familiar. Having been to EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, China, I have seen the design of Seed Cathedral in the UK pavilion. Sitting in the center of the UK Pavilion’s site, Seed Cathedral was formed by numerous slender transparent fibre optic rods. Drawing sunlight in the daytime and glowing at night, each optic rod encases some seeds at its tip. Established by Thomas Heatherwick in 1994, Heatherwick Studio has a team of 160, devoted to the design of architecture, urban infrastructure, and sculpture. The key feature of the exhibition "Provocation" was that every piece was brought up by trying to solve a problem.
Seed Cathedral
Another design that caught my eyes was the Learning Hub project in Singapore. The project started by the question "Can a building help change the way we learn?” Attempting to enhance the interaction between people, the team made the shape of the building into a square instead of the traditional square or rectangle. The design reminded me of the "Changing Educational Paradigms”video that we watched the first week of the class, which discussed the lack of divergent thinking in our education system. Encouraging collaboration, the design can actually promote coloration between students.
Learning Hub
At the end of the exhibition, I encountered the “Spun Chair” again. The question of "Can a rotationally symmetrical form make a comfortable chair?” has been perfectly answered by the design itself! I would totally recommend the exhibition to everyone in the class. Perfectly combining the most advanced technology and artistic design together, Heatherwick Studio has made great achievement in architectures that are both beautiful and beneficial for its users.
Event2
Waste Matters: You Are My Future
Similar to the first event of “Amanita” by Peter Lu that I went to, Kathy High's exhibition was also very different from what I was expecting. When hearing the name of the exhibition, I thought that the exhibition would be more or less about the trash created by human beings in the modern society; however, when I walked into the exhibition room, it was nothing like what I thought. I guess it is also the charm of the exhibition.
Me at the exhibition
On the left side of the exhibition room were drawings of intestines and children, made by Kathy High with collaboration with Oliver Kellhammer. Named “The Re-mediator Series,” the sketches for gut-to-soil bioremediation sculptures represented the microbial processes from internal to external environments. On the right hand side of the room were photos of Kathy High herself. A video of robot was being played repeatedly on the other wall of the room while an interview with microbiologist was being played on a screen. The video talked about a repopulate machine that was used to produce faeces, offering a reference for human beings to better understand our own bodies.
The Re-mediator Series
The Robot Video
The vessels in the middle of the exhibition room caught my eyes. At first I thought they were just stones immersed in water in glass bottles. When I looked closer at them, they were actually stool. I was totally confused by what I saw, but as I listened to the lecture by Kathy High and read the information on the wall, I gradually started to understand the theme of the exhibition. Diagnosed with Crohn's disease, Kathy High gained a lot of information and knowledge about human’s immune system. As an interdisciplinary artist in the areas of technology, science, speculative fiction and art, Kathy High combined technology, biology, and art together into art work with her own personal experience. In making the exhibition, Kathy High is trying to understand the cause and the cure of her illness. Linking personal illness to a broader picture, Kathy High put forward “ the imbalances of internal biomes as a mirror to the imbalances in our larger ecological sphere.” Just like we should face the problem of our bodies from our waste, we should face the problem of the ecosystem that we live in and try to solve the problems.
Kathy High
Source
"Kathy High: Visual/media Artist, Independent Curator, Educator." Kathy High: New Media Artist: About. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://kathyhigh.com/about.html>
Event1
Amanita: Mushroom and What it Stands for
“Amanita” show by Peter Lu was so different from what I’ve been expecting to see and it completely shocked and surprised me. I always thought that an exhibition should be in a large room with pieces of art work hanging on the walls and viewers simply need to walk around the room to understand the meaning and connection between the art works. “Amanita” is a totally different kind of exhibition.
Me at the exhibition
Inspired by Phil Ross, an American artist and teacher interested in the experimental possibilities of fungal design and buildings, Lu planted mushrooms on everyday things. Since visitors have to enter on by one, there is a long line at the entrance; however, it is the long wait that allows me to take a close look at the decoration that Lu put up in the hallway. Everything was related to the theme of mushroom. Mushroom drawings were hanged the wall and even the deserts and drinks were made of mushroom. Outside the exhibition room, there was a picture of mushroom and the notes on it said: “Dangerous mushroom stay out!” making people wonder what was inside.
Dangerous mushroom stay out!
When I finally got into the exhibition room, I was confused by what I saw. Filled up with mushrooms, the room was decorated to a majestic throne room. There were grass on the ground and numerous mushrooms grew on it. A throne was in the center of the room. A female wearing a white dress with a crown on her head was sitting on throne while the male next to her was having his knees down. Both of them were holding their positions and there seemed be some of kind of tension in the room. On the other hand, I felt a sense of peace being surrounded by the mushrooms and grass. When interviewed by Daily Bruin, Lu revealed his intention of the exhibition, to raise “the social awareness of environmental friendliness.” (Daily Bruin)
Mushrooms everywhere
Even though it is not obvious, Lu’s work is actually a product of the collaboration between art and science. I always though that mushroom can only grow on the ground; however, Lu indeed grew mushrooms everywhere, on furnitures, ropes, and even the throne, which is impossible without scientific knowledge and experiments. According to the Daily Bruin, he experimented the plating mushrooms on a variety of objects, including sweaters, jeans, and toys and viewed the process of preparing the mushrooms even more important than the actual work itself.
Source
"UCLA Graduate Student Cultivates Identity through Mushroom Art." Daily Bruin. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://dailybruin.com/2015/04/07/ucla-graduate-student-cultivates-identity-through-mushroom-art/>
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Week8: Nanotech+Art
Manipulating and controlling matter “at the
scale of atoms and molecules”, nanotechnology has the potential to change the
world in many aspects (Gimzewski & Vesna). As a form of information
technology, the field of nanotechnology is growing in an exponential manner in
spite of emerging only a few decades ago (Kurzweil). As a matter of fact,
nanotechnology has been integrating into the modern society extremely rapidly.
Take a look at what we are using everyday, our smart phones, laptops, and
tablets. They are all results of the collaboration of nanotechnology and art.
Ray Kurzweil
An increasing number of art pieces are being
produced with nanotechnology. “Transjuicer” by Boo Chapple is one great example
introduced in the article “Art in the Age of Nanotechnology.” Working with “the
piezoelectric nature of the bone matrix,” Boo Chapple caused bone to vibrate in
order to generate audible sound. Trying to go beyond the human capacity to
sense,” he made bone audio speakers at the nano scale.
Transjuicer
Preventing water from soaking in the superhydrophobic surface,
Lotus leaf effect allows water to pick up and carry away dirt
when moving across the leaf.
Scientists and artists alike use this property to create human-made products
that mimic the self-cleaning mechanism of the lotus plants of these natural
surfaces. Everyday self-cleaning products including paints, glass, textiles,
fabrics are being made to reduce the need for chemical detergents and labor
input. Similarly, nanotechnology is also being applied to a variety of fields
including agriculture and manufacturing industry. Without any doubt,
nanotechnology is going to develop more and more rapidly and become an
indispensable part of people’s everyday life.
Sources
Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.
"A University for the Coming Singularity." Ray Kurzweil:. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://www.ted.com/talks/ray_kurzweil_announces_singularity_university>
"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.base. Web. 22 May 2015. <https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>
"Lesson: Superhydrophobicity — The Lotus Effect." Superhydrophobicity — The Lotus Effect. Web. 22 May 2015.<https://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/duk_/lessons/duk_surfacetensionunit_lessons/duk_surfacetensionunit_less4.xml>
"Surface Allows Self-cleaning: Sacred Lotus." - AskNature. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://www.asknature.org/strategy/714e970954253ace485abf1cee376ad8#.VWA3_VlViko>
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