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Space is a place where all different forms of science come together in connection with art. Whether its mathematics, or robotics, or nanotechnology, it all plays a role in how we deal with and understand space. Space exploration in many ways influenced art and the ways it was seen in popular culture. Music, television, and movies were based on ideas about things in space that were science fiction, but also could become realities. There were shows like Star Trek and the Jetsons. There were movies like E.T., Star Wars, and Contact. And there were musicians like David Bowie who developed the idea that they were The Man Who Fell To Earth.   There is also the very clear influence in the opposite direction in this field of science with art as well. Just as we see how the science of space can influence art, there is the ways in which art can influence the science and innovation of space. In Professor Vesna’s lecture about Space and Art, she discusses Arthur Clarke and his no...

Nanoscience is a field that really opens up our minds and our worlds to a whole new field of ideas and understanding. So much so that new scientific methodologies have been created to just be able to study and understand this world of science. Nano technology was the idea of understanding things on a nanoscale, measuring things by the nanometer.   Richard Feynman was very important in the theoretical discovery and growth of nano science technology. He developed the basic idea that we can use nanotechnology to nameplate things on the scale of the atom. He also discovered that when we shrink thinks to the nanoscale, the laws of physics can change. One way that nanotechnology is used and seen today is in many of the products we use including cosmetics and clothing, but it isn't a very new concept and can be seen used as far back as ancient Roman times. One major way that it was used was in art, specifically through color. Nano sizing materials can play interesting roles on those...

UCLA is a well renowned institution with many many   accomplishments that span past the campus and the community. This is something that most students are aware of when they attend this university. However, I think that many students are unaware of how hg some of these contributions are and how far they stretch. This is something that I realized while looking for an event to attend for this blog assignment. I visited the Leonard Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site located in Boelter Hall. This was the actual location whereARPANET, the precursor to the internet, was first accessed. The room is recreated to look like what it did in 1969 when the internet was “created.”   I think that this display is something that is very representative of UCLA as it shows how much the school has contributed to society on a community to global  level. Just as this room display can be a representation of what UCLA is known for and what it is capable of,   this display can also be r...

Consciousness and and the human mind is a concept that is extremely interesting to people in many different fields. There is the science of understanding the human mind but there is still so much that is unknown that there is so much room for artistic interpretation. Neuroscience and art have so much overlap both in who and how people look at the focuses of neuroscience as well as the evolution of interpretations of the mind, dreams, and more.   Scientists and artists alike have had a fascination with the mind and body both with their connection and their separation. From Aristotle’s belief of the heart producing thought to Gall’s phrenology, the brain, its function, and its connection to the human consciousness has evolved drastically over time. Professor Vesna in her first lecture about the relationship between neuroscience and art talks about Santiago Ramon y Cajal and his contributions to the neuron theory. His book Butterflies of the Soul was used in Suzanne Anker’s a...

Art and the connection to the field of biotechnology has been increasing in the past decade. More and more artists are using biotech means as a way to push the boundaries of what is considered art and or science. The use of biotech in art has also been something that is used in conversation about what is ethical or unethical. In her first lecture Professor Vesna talks about Joe Davis who is considered the pioneer of bio art. Something that he warns about are the issues that people need to look out for when taking art into the biotech realm. These things he warns about are what are able to keep it ethical and less subject to controversy. Davis’ main arguments were that there needed to be consultation between professionals deeming the art as necessary or serving a purpose or having the “public respect and appreciation for the emotional and cognitive life of transgenic animals” (Vesna, Lecture). One example of an art project that as questioned to be ethical or not was the GF...

Medicine and art are generally never thought of together. These are the competing fields with very different ideas about them. However, there are many connections between medicine and art and many of these connections are very important to the success and importance of medicine.   Personally for me, the first thing that I thought about when I saw that this week’s topic was plastic surgery. This seems like something that embodies both art and medicine to a very high degree. In her third lecture on medical technologies and art, Professor Vesna argues that plastic surgery can be seen as art in two different senses. First with the doctor being an artist to change someone’s looks. She also makes to point that the patient can be the artist as they can use the surgery to comment on culture’s notions about beauty. She uses the example of Orlan. She is a French performer who has had 9 cosmetic surgeries all directed as a live performance. She even has her body being transformed to ...