Extra Credit Event 2: A visit to San Francisco's Exploratorium

A visit to San Francisco's Exploratorium

The Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco is an exciting place to be. Apart from featuring floor to ceiling windows that offer a beautiful view of the San Francisco bay and city, the science museum also features a collection of atlases maps, and exhibits that enable visitors to connect what they see to the meteorological, geological and human forces that helped in their shaping. I made my way to the museum on 29^th September and I am pleased to say it was a fun filled and educative day.

The Museum’s Map

The Museum's Entrance

Me and my Admission Ticket!

A Section of the Interior

The museum’s interior is bright and filled with over 600 exhibits.  The exhibits consisted of installations that focused on various scientific fields such as electricity, sensory perception, weather, light, astronomy and sociology. The exhibits employed a variety of concepts such as magnets, pendulums and electricity, dancing and other social interactions, algae among others.  Some of the exciting exhibits featured artificial tornadoes in glass tubes, a creepy video art installation, a cooperative Pac-Man game, and a place to send text messages to fish. I found it amazing how people could come up with such ideas. The exhibits seemed to stimulate one’s thinking while leaving the audience’s conclusion open.

The most interesting part was visiting the glass observatory at the end of pier 15.  The tour guide pointed out that city’s waterfront during the gold rush period used to follow the bay’s natural contours that extended from to west up to the location where the Transamerica Pyramid is located.  Apart from focusing on the bay’s history, the observatory also has exhibits that explain the tides and the bay's unique weather systems. One exhibit showed how the original waterfront was and how it eventually became filled and smoothed out with the city’s expansion.

 A Drawing

The main focus of the Exploratorium was education. I was able to note several cases that proved art and science share a close relation. All the exhibits on display were actually artistic work and employed scientific concepts. I am still looking forward to another visit

Extra Credit Event 1

Extra Credit Event 1

Event 3: The Getty Center

The Getty Center

I visited the Getty center on 6^th December.  I was particularly interested in one exhibit a friend had recommended.  My friend had informed me about “At the Window: The photographic view”  and from what I heard, I saw it as an event worth checking out. I love taking pictures and I describe myself as a free lance photographer. This was an opportunity to learn one or more things about photography and appreciate the work done by professionals in the sector.

The Center's Guide

The Outdoors

The Getty center is without any doubt an amazing place worth a visit. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s serene and cool environment is very comforting. The center sits on the hills west of Hollywood in an artistic estate. It is an architectural masterpiece and its white marble construction creates a poetic picture   of the entire scenery. I found the Getty friendlier to visitors than any other museum I had visited. 

View from the Lower Pavilion

The Exterior View

The numerous galleries in the Center’s pavilions display numerous art collections. The collection includes European drawings, manuscripts, paintings and contemporary photography. The exhibition also includes short films that introduce the visitors to various works done by the center.  The event I was interested in takes place at the West pavilion and is currently running up to January 5^th 2014. The exhibition explores various ways through which photographers have explored their medium by using the window as a conceptual or framing tool. 

One of the Drawings on Display

More Pieces of Art

The exhibition draws from the museum’s collection and the images on display span the history of photography.  We were informed by the curator of the exhibition, Karen Hellman, that the window has been used by photographers as a recurrent and powerful theme since the start of photography. The exhibition did not only explore the window as a medium of photography, but also took us through the history of photography. Some of the photographs on display include that by Henry William Fox taken before 1844 and that by Andie Kertesz taken in Paris in 1925. My tour at the Getty was fun and educational. I recommend this particular exhibit to all photography lovers.  

“At the Window: The Photographer’s View”

Week 9: Space and Art

Space and Art

According to professor Vesna, this week’s topic on space and art perfectly summarized all the topics covered in this class. Professor Vesna perspective on the origin of space and the history and the development of the hydrogen bomb, the atomic bomb and the space and arms races was quite inspiring and interesting. Observing the skies and what lies beyond it has inspired many poets, composers and artists such as William Herschel who was one of the most important astronomers of the 18th century.  Others such as Cark Sagan describe the earth as a lonely speck in the lonely great enveloping cosmic. This is quite true since much of the information about space remains a mystery to be solved.

The Earth from the Space

stuffpoint.com

The fact that a lot of things about space remain unknown has inspired artists to come up with ideas of what really exists in the outer space. Through films such as star trek and star wars, we are able to see the artistic visualization of the universe as a whole. The Leonardo space art project working group is another interesting assembly of individuals that seeks to promote the cultural dimension of space activities. One of its members, Roger Malina, points out that the space age was made possible due to the imagination of artists, writers and musicians who visualized human activities in space.

 The Galaxy

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The earth and the entire universe has been a subject of curiosity for man over many centuries. The curiosity and interest to know what lies beyond the earth in outer space has prompted works in popular culture that covers topics of outer space. People have intensified their interest in the universe and the cosmos since the beginning of the space race that pitted Russia against the US. Art and science are both being used to better understand the outer space. The UCLA Basic Plasma Science Facility, research and studies based on art, space and technology is ongoing. The main aim of the facility is to understand the basic properties of plasma for use in broader applications in fusion energy and space science. The facility uses tools such as Laser Induced Fluorescence and Three dimensional field lines taken from a volumetric data to visualize the plasma. The concept of space and existence of other life forms is very interesting. Am sure this topic will continue to raise more curiosity and that the artistic imagination of what exists in the universe will spur more scientific discoveries.

The Basic Plasma Facility

http://plasma.physics.ucla.edu/index.html

Works Cited

 Sagan, Carl. A Pale Blue Dot. N.p. n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bigskyastroclub.org/pale_blue_dot.html>.

Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 1-5. 2012. Film. 29 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2O5C0Iv6ROo>

PBS. Astronomy and the arts. N.p. 2007. 29  Nov 2013 < http://www.pbs.org/seeinginthedark/resources-links/astronomy-and-the-arts.html>

Leonardo Space Art Project Visioneers. Leonardo Space Art Project Visioneers. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. <http://spaceart.org/leonardo/vision.html>.

UCLA. The Basic Plasma Facility at UCLA. n.p.Web. 29 Nov. 2013. <http://plasma.physics.ucla.edu/index.html>

Event 2: The Museum of Jurassic Technology.

 The Museum of Jurassic Technology

It was a sunny evening on 14^th November and that’s when I decided to make my way to the Museum of Jurassic Technology. This was actually the second time I was visiting the museum having been there in July to witness a performance by Eva Salina. My earlier experience at the museum was thrilling and that is why I decided to make my way back.  The museum defines itself as an institution of education that is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of the Lower Jurassic. The pieces on exhibit were unusual and had varying degrees of authenticity.  Some objects looked out of this world while other could not be proved to have actually existed during the Lower Jurassic age. 

The Museum's Entrance

My Ticket

It was a sunny evening! (Me at the Entrance)

The Museum’s interior was dark and these evoked a feeling of creepiness.  The pieces on display were illuminated with pinpoint lighting while others had light within them.  The audio guides and placards made it easy to understand what was on display but the scientific language used seemed more confusing since many people could not tell whether the description given were facts or just fiction.  There was a gallery that was showcasing portraits of dogs claimed to have been used in the Russian space project and another one showcased and described various superstitious beliefs in different cultures.  Though it was creepy, the ambiance in the museum resulted to an experience that placed me in a state of doubt and confusion.

The Eva Salina performance that went on a few months ago was an interesting event.  She showed her prowess by being able to sing a blaring brass band. Apart from her voice being rich, it was distinctive and captivating. Her performance incorporated music from different cultures that included the Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Corsica, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the Romani people. The whole experience at the museum is worth trying out and I would recommend a visit by anyone is search of new adventure and experience. 

Some Pieces of Art on Display

It as so full of fun!

Week 8: Nano-Tech and Art

 Nano-Tech and Art

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular levels. This week’s topic was about how artists use nanotechnology in their pieces of work. Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding area of research with huge potential in many sectors, ranging from healthcare to construction and electronics. It’s relation with art is quite interesting as it involves creation of pieces of art at an atomic level. Artists who apply nanotechnology in their work are a perfect example of how art and science is connected.

www.carblogindia.com

The John Curtin gallery is an art gallery that has exhibitions comprising of a series of collaborative projects designed to challenge, explore and critique our understanding of the material world. In this gallery, work by various artists who employ nanotechnology is exhibited. One interesting piece is that by Boo Chapple whose aim is to create speakers out of bone. Chapple. He makes use of the piezoelectric nature of the bone matrix to make the bone vibrate and produce sound that is audible.  Other pieces of art exhibited in the gallery include the Nanomandala by professor Vesna and James Gimszewkski and the nano-scape by Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau. 

The Transjuicer

http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology

  Another interesting artist I came across was J Sha who together with ARmark Authentication Technologies, came up with what is believed to be the world’s smallest piece of flat art. This piece of art, called Fish, is said to be smaller than a speck of dust and was created using nanoentonography which is an anti-counterfeit process that creates brand owner specific information at a microscopic level. Apart from art, nanotechnology can be applied in many other fields such as medicine.

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/08/id1743.jpg

In medicine, the technology promises to revolutionize how diseases and defects can be detected and treated. Nanotechnology is a growing science and several issues with regard to manipulation and changing of substances at atomic levels have been raised. It has proved to be a powerful technology and therefore issues surrounding its application and use cannot fail to come up.

Works Cited

Artbase. Art in the Age of Nanotechnology. N.p. n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Vesna, Victoria.  The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science. N.p. n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.

RSS. Introduction to Nanotechnology RSS. N.p. n.d. Web. 23  Nov. 2013. <http://nanogloss.com/>.

Sommerer, Christa, and Laurent Mignonneau. Nano-Scape: An Invisible Interactive Structure. N.p.2002. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.interface.ufg.ac.at/christa-laurent/WORKS/CONCEPTS/NanoScapeConcept.html>.

The Daily galaxy. Nano-art- The world’s smallest painting. n.p 2007. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/04/nanoart_the_wor.html#more>

Week 7: Neuroscience and Art.

This week’s topic on art and Neuroscience was quite fascinating. Initially,  I had no idea how the complex study of the brain could be related to any form of art but after going through the lectures and readings I found out that Art and Neuro science have a quite an interesting relationship. Art and Neuroscience has a close relationship as pointed out by Professor Vesna about how the brain processes speech, dreams and imagination. Professor Vesna tries to bring out the fact that the brain has contribute greatly to art since it is the center of all ideas and imagination.

 

Artistic Representation of the Brain

amolecularmatter.tumblr.com

 

The brain perceives art and judges whether a certain piece of art is a masterpiece ore a flop. The brain asses, reconstructs and judges work of art. Most neurasthenic research is concerned with how we perceive and analyze basic aesthetic details: how we see color, detect motion, hear sound, recognize faces, feel rhythm, and what the peculiarities of each perceptual system tell us about the way the brain stitches these properties together. Secondly, the brain can be seen through the lens of art. The general architecture of the brain and the internal landscape of subjective experience come out as great pieces of art. Different modes and styles used by artists may actually represent the different neural landscape the different pieces of art came from.

    

Most Neurasthenic Research is concerned with Aesthetic Perception

https://twitter.com/apmvmt

An interesting relationship between art and neuroscience can be observed in magicians. By being able to trick our brain, magicians are able to make us see things that cannot happen in the normal world. Magicians create emotions by curing some part of our brains thus making it possible for their audience to have a different perspective of their presentation. Frazzeto and Anker in their article titled “Neuroculture” state that ideas, concepts and images in neuroscience widely circulate in the society in form of work of art, literature, films and mass media thus showing how art and Neuroscience have a close relation

A Magician at Work

usatoday30.usatoday.com

 

Works Cited

Hutton, Noah. Art and Neuroscience: State of union. 2012. Web. 16 Nov 2013 <http://www.creativitypost.com/arts/art_and_neuroscience_a_state_of_the_union>

Jackson, Candace. How Art Affects the Brain. The Wall Street Journal.N.p., 22 2010. Web. 16 Nov  2013. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575017050699693576.ht>.

Lewis, Tamzin. Researching how art effects our brains The Journal. N.p., 08 2011. Web. 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/arts-news/2011/08/08/researching-how-art-effects-our-brains-61634-29187640/2/>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious / Memory (Part 1).” Lecture. 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLVQIwOn7o8

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 2).” 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xlg5wXHWZNI>
Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 3).” 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E5EX75xoBJ0>

 Frazzeto, Giovani and Anker, Suzzanne. Neuroculuture. 2009. Perspectives, Vol 10. Macmillan publishers.