Event 5: Trip to LACMA (Extra Credit)

Friday, June 9, 2017

For the fifth event, I decided to go to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I found myself looking at the artwork called Vertical Black, Red, Blue created by Hungarian artist, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. Moholy-Nagy's believed that art could be expressed using newer technology such as the camera. His interest in photography led him to create works that gave way to a newer understanding/perspective of art, claiming that artists before were dependent on the tools of perspective drawing, but with the advent of new technologies, they were given a new perspective.

Moholy-Nagy's Vertical Black, Red,
Blue relates the relationship of
technology with art.

Another view of Moholy-Nagy's artwork.

Vertical Black, Red, Blue is an artwork that was created through the use of plexiglas, an industrial material. In this artwork, Moholy-Nagy purposely created this piece so that when illuminated through the front, the black, red, and blue were seen more prominently, whereas, if illuminated through the back, it would highlight the incisions he added. By creating this change, he allowed viewers to see two pieces or perspectives in one sculpture. In this way, by giving more than one perspective, he leaves it up to the viewers to create their own sense of what the art is by giving them an alternative to look upon.

Through the use of just shapes,
Moholy-Nagy shows regardless of what material
one uses, art can be produced.

Through the use of circles,
Moholy-Nagy produces his own idea of
space.

 As I thought about the mechanics and how the artist had went about creating this, I had the initial belief that this man must have had a solid understanding of the basics of light and math in order to create the masterpiece that this artwork is. As I looked around at Moholy's other works of art, I noticed that many of them were made with basic shapes such as circles and rectangles. In one work, just by using circles and lines, he created his own picture of space. I can relate these works back to Judith Hopf's works, located in the Hammer Museum. Similar to Hopf, Moholy used very simple pieces to create his work, emphasizing the idea that art can be created using any type of material. His works, by incorporating the sciences of light theory and space, further emphasize C.P. Snow's claim that the two cultures of art and science will eventually form a relationship and create a third culture. As technology further progresses, I believe that the relationship between artists and scientists will continue to grow, resulting in artworks similar to Moholy-Nagy's and make more noticeable, the relationship of the two.

Event 4: Trip to the Hammer Museum (Extra Credit)

Thursday, June 8, 2017

This sculpture was made with
a beak and wings in order to give
it life.

For this event, I went to the Hammer Museum which is down in Westwood. One of the exhibitions that I looked at was created by German artist Judith Hopf. When I first looked at Hopf's creations, I noticed that all the works there were made from objects that are readily available to use in a house. Many artworks were made out of bricks, ropes, while others looked as if it were pasted on paper. The commonality I saw between all the artworks was the fact that they all were made to show that they were alive. For example, there were three pieces of different kinds of rope on the ground. One end of the rope touched the ground while the other, supported by the body, faced directly out the window. It had the uncanny resemblance of a snake watching its prey.

Through delicate arranging, Hopf
was able to make it seem as if
the rope was alive.

Just one of the sculptures that
were available in Hopf exhibition.

In one corner of the room, I also saw the same types of ropes, just longer, attached to the ceiling. At the very bottom, the rest of the rope lay neatly coiled. What I really got out of Hopf's exhibition was the idea that one can make art with essentially anything, even if at first glance it seems impossible. Regardless of the "simplicity" of the supplies used, the works appear complete, meaning that it is perfectly fine without adding any other pieces. I always attributed good art to very complex and intricate works. However, I know now that it is possible to make a delicate piece of art without having to be complex. This exhibition further supports the idea of the importance of creativity and originality in creating artworks. With a little imagination, even the simplest of objects can be used to produce art. I also really liked the fact that Hopf anthropomorphize her sculptures by adding facial features, arms, and legs. Overall, I believe it was very creative and very aesthetically pleasing.

Pictured here is a long piece of rope attached to the
ceiling on one end while the other is neatly coiled.

Pictured here is a funnel that was connected
to a copper wire which produced a
low, thudding sound.

The other exhibition I looked at was created by Jeanine Oleson. I also found Oleson's work to be intriguing but at the same time stimulating in mind. Stimulating meaning, I had to think quite a lot in order to try and understand her inspiration in making this. Oleson uses a mixture of her sculptures, sound, and music to show off her work. Her use of copper portrays the effects of materialism and labor on us through means of capitalism. As of now, I still don't believe I fully grasp the meaning behind her work and its relation to capitalism.

Event 3 Study Guide for Final

Outline for Final Paper

1. Introduction
      -explain the reason for choosing this topic (Biotechnology and art)
      - add thesis, show my argument for what I am writing about
2. Body
     -begin with a little history/background of the first example of genetically modifying organisms
     - go into detail about what biotechnology actually is and the step by step method for adding gene
       to plasmid
      - add information about Joe Davis and Eduardo Kac, explain what they did to contribute to field
        of bioart
      -explain the significance/ relationship between biotechnology and art which produce bioart, give
       specific examples
      -add on, explaining what could possibly happen in the future as technology gets more and more
        advanced and modern
       -Ex. reviving extinct species and possibly genetically modifying them so that they will be fit to
         survive in the world
3. Conclusion
     -explain the thesis again, and go over what was discussed in the paper
     -sum up my ideas

June 4 (Sunday)
-plan to make an outline and research enough

June 5 (Monday)
-finish off the research and start introduction

June 6 (Tuesday)
-begin writing the bulk of the paper

June 7 (Wed)
-finish the paper and add citations, make sure to double check for grammar and sentences

June 8 (Thursday)
-go to TA OH and ask them to look over to see what can be change
-start revision

June 9, 10
-finish revision, look over occasionally and submit

Space + Art

Sunday, June 4th, 2017.

For the last topic of DESMA 9, Professor Vesna discussed the intersection between space and art. As Dr. Vesna lectured, the topic of space is related to many topics that we have covered through the class.

Space has always been an interest to us as it holds an
endless number of possibilities.
http://wallpapershome.com/space/earth-planet-space-10121.html

The topic of space travel was such a precarious and unrealistic idea many years ago as even the idea of leaving Earth entirely was frightening. The uncertainty with what space and essentially the world had to offer was in short, a lot. However, this fickleness combined with human curiosity eventually culminated and created opportunities that at the time, seemed impossible to do.




With human fascination of the infinitely humongous universe, came the launch of the Sputnik 1, which was the first artificial satellite launched into space by Soviet Union engineers and scientists. The launch of Sputnik was important as it provided scientists with information of Earth and space from another perspective. During the Soviet Union's early attempts on the practicality of space travel, they sent a dog, Laika, to monitor the effects of space. Touching upon the idea of biotechnology, it can definitely be stated that this action is controversial. Was it humane and moral to send a living creature into the depths of space, which at the time, people knew nothing about? Although the possible benefits of space travel were endless, does it really justify the possibility of losing a life. Similar to how many controversies arose with the growing industry of biotechnology, space exploration did the same.

Sputnik 1 was launched by Soviet Union and was the
catalyst in forming other expeditions.
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/cosmonauts/race-to-space/sputnik

Furthermore, the invention of the telescope helped show nanotechnology's role in space exploration. In 1996, scientists discovered buckyballs in craters, which indicated that comets and meteorites had bombarded earth long ago. Although it was believed that buckyballs were only found in gaseous form, the Spitzer Space Telescope helped discover buckyballs in space in solid form, allowing scientists to learn more about space and the objects in space.

Star Wars, like many other space movies, highlights
the endless possibilities of space.
http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-force-awakens-theatrical-poster-first-look-in-theater-exclusives-and-more

As time went on, others eventually took notice in society's interest in space, leading to numerous works such as Star Trek, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Star Wars. All the movies encompass some aspect of the topics covered in class. For example, the setting of Star Wars connects mathematics, robotics, nanotechnology, and space to create the work of art that grossed millions of dollars. The beautiful rovers, the jet fighters, and the Death Star were created using the topics we have covered like robotics, as well as a bit of imagination and originality. Even in today's world, the uncertainty behind Earth's forces pushes artists to use their imaginations to create new and unique artworks.

Vesna, Victoria. 8 space pt1. Youtube. Youtube. 29 Jul. 2013. Web. 4 June. 2017

Vesna, Victoria. 8 space pt2. Youtube. Youtube. 29 Jul. 2013. Web. 4 June. 2017

Vesna, Victoria. 8 space pt3. Youtube. Youtube. 29 Jul. 2013. Web. 4 June. 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. 8 space pt4. Youtube. Youtube. 30 May 3012. Web. 4 June. 2017.

"Sputnik and The Dawn of The Space Age". history.nasa. N.p, N.d., Web. 4 June. 2017.