winnielDESMA9

In 3 rd grade, my class went on a field trip to the Body Worlds Exhibit (Vesna) at the California Science Center. Initially, I remember we had to sign parent permission forms at first. The “art” was going to be controversial, disturbing, and maybe even a little inappropriate according to the form. Nonetheless, I eagerly attended this exhibit and found it disgusting... at first. Body Worlds Exhibit: Human body during Basketball (Phys.org) I was excited to see the Body Worlds exhibit mentioned in lecture, because I didn’t realize how famous it was until now (Wong). I googled more about how the Body Worlds Exhibit has evolved since I attended years ago, and began to see the exhibit from a more artistic and anatomical standpoint, unlike my 3 rd grade self. The body itself is a work of art, though not in the stereotypical aesthetically-pleasing manner. Rather, I believe that the human body is a work of art because of how complex it is, like robots (Week 3). Surgeries, for example

On April 21, 2017, I attended the EcoCentric Art + Science Event. In particular, I focused on evolutionary biologist Charles Taylor’s work on the Bird Song Diamond. Dr. Taylor’s project was a collaboration with universities in Japan, mapping the sounds and flocking patterns of birds. Once data was collected, the universities began building a virtual reality based simulation that would immerse humans into a flock of birds.  Past installation of Dr. Taylor's project in Bird Songs This experience allowed me to tie in course material from Weeks 1-3. Most prominently, Taylor’s project is an example of a medium derived from art, science, and technology combined – The “Third” Culture. Bird songs are ordinarily seen as a form of music, but Taylor’s team created a simulation based on their database of completely annotated bird song sequences by oscillations, frequency, etc.    Picture of Dr. Taylor and me after his presentation Taylor's team out in the mornings, rec

In “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Walter Benjamin argues that mass industrialization detrimentally affects art’s “aura” (Benjamin 1). In Davis’ thesis, he argues that “There is no longer a clear conceptual distinction between original and reproduction in virtually any medium” (Davis 2). However, I greatly disagree with both; art is alive and prospering because of technology.  With the advancement of technology, society is able to spread a greater appreciation for art. Through social media platforms such as DeviantArt, as well as art-focused online stores like Etsy, exposure to art has become more accessible than ever for everyday people. Artist Freerk Wieringa , for example, has over 10,000 subscribers following his sculptures on YouTube (Wieringa). Consumers are still eager to attend artists’ conventions and meet them in person, ‘follow’ the latest art posts on Instagram, and purchase authentic physical prints. Technology benefits art by vastly improvin

    At UCLA, I’m currently taking a LifeScience class that attempts to model biological systems through code on SageMathCloud, creating objects similar to Dr. Taimina’s mathematically precise hyperbolic crochet (CrochetCoralReef). Thus, I have always been interested in how math and art are connected, even before DESMA 9.  A tree constructed from various mathematical equations in a program similar to Wolfram Alpha https://i.stack.imgur.com/26fx3.png     My LS class gave me insight into certain mathematical patterns that occur in nature and architecture such as the Fibonacci sequence, Golden Ratio, and e (= 2.71828). The Fibonacci sequence, for instance, pops up everywhere: human and plant DNA, flower petal orientation, and nautilus shells (SocionomicsInstitute.net). The Golden Ratio is found in both architecture and human facial structure (Ruska). Still, I did not realize that mathematics played a significant role in something much simpler: perspectives.   Pieter

In 1959, Charles Percy Snow delivered a lecture in Cambridge concerning the separation of art and science. Although Snow was an accomplished physicist and technological director, he still entertained the arts by becoming an English novelist (Snow). Likewise, as a Molecular Biology major at UCLA, I often experience this gap between art and science because I am also very active in artistic ventures; specifically, graphic design. These two cultures play a large role in defining my UCLA experience.  Often at UCLA, North Campus humanities majors are generalized as less logical than South Campus science majors. Vice versa, North Campus majors are more creative than their South Campus peers. Comically, even the buildings demonstrate this shift, becoming more aesthetically pleasing the farther North we travel. However, these thoughts are stereotypes; harmful, overgeneralized, and oversimplified (Lecture III). South Campus; Boelter http://www.bruinsnation.com/2014/5/11/5705572/ucla-ca