Week 4 Blog Assignment | MedTech + Art

Week 4 Blog Assignment | MedTech + Art

Symbol of the Hippocratic Oath

This week's material prompted me to analyze the concept of bodily pain, specifically in regards to the "untreatable" symptoms of the human condition such as chronic pain. On some level, MedTech exists to treat human pain and, with this in mind, I questioned: Why do some value the best process as treating the pain while others find the answer in escaping the pain? 

In examining Hippocrates' Oath of Medicine [Tyson], we note that the Oath represents how medicine is meant to align "for the benefit of the sick". I find the oath significant in that it asks us to recall that the reason medical technologies are invented, the root of the field's progress, is the tangible goal of alleviating ailments and improving the physical human condition, which is different than previous fields such as Math/Robotics that don't directly overlap with human physicality. 

The Curative Powers of Raw, Wet Beauty

I noticed that two different approaches have emerged to combat the reality of physical human pain in medical technology: one approach to examine the body from the inside and one from the outside. 

To expand, we can evaluate the Ted Talk on "Raw, Wet Beauty" [Gromola], where Gromala explores MedTech x Art projects like the Interactive Meatbook; explaining that it represents how our dependence on language and books has ripped us from the primordial connection to our inner senses. In her project, Gromala finds us looking outside of ourselves for understanding (represented by the book) only to be reminded that understanding can be found within ourselves (the organs/meat/senses that we are composed of composes the book). She practices this process through her treatments in VR and Meditation, which take pain and treat them through sensations [NCE]. The curative purpose of medical technology therefore becomes tied to our inner states and the sensations that relieve the pain in different capacities, even if there is no quick cure.

A Transhumanist Concept: Cybernetics

Even if there were a quick cure for chronic illnesses, the procedures would still not be able to curb a body decayed by age or death itself - other physical hindrances of the human body. This is where fields like Transhumanism burgeon: not to look inside the body for answers as Gromala, but outside of the body entirely. Transhumanists advocate the improvement of human capacities through advanced technology; technology "we don’t notice because it’s blended in with the fabric of the world" [WTA].

One manifestation of a transhumanist future can roughly be described as a future where we will live forever as digitally encrypted entities inside mechanical bodies [Willis]. Originally unfamiliar with transhumanism until this past week, I interpreted theories like this in the field as an escape from bodily limitations rather than a treatment of them- perhaps under the assumption that our bodies cannot be treated and useful forever due to aging and illness. As humanity continues to push into the future, we will continue to discover if the best practice is to really use the internal "raw, wet" components of our beings to resolve our pains, or if we really will need to be come more dependent on technological components modifying our bodies in order to thrive. 

Citations

Bostrom, Nick. "What Is Transhumanism?" Transhumanism.Org. World Transhumanist Association, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Gromola, Diane. "TED X AmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." YouTube. YouTube, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Hippocratic Symbol. Digital image. Snippits and Snappits. Blogspot, 15 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

NCE, Grand. "Confronting Pain Project Basis for New Chronic Pain Research Institute at Simon Fraser University | GRAND NCE." Grand NCE. Grand NCE, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Shutterstock. Transhuman Upgrade. Digital image. Wired UK. Conde Nast Digital, 03 Sept. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Willis, Paul. "A Transhuman Future? - Royal Institution of Australia." Royal Institution of Australia. RiAus - Australia’s Science Channel, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Week 3 Blog Assignment | Robotics + Art

Week 3 Blog Assignment | Robotics + Art

Ford Assembly Line

The ideas behind this week's material prompted me to analyze the process of industrialization, specifically mass-manufacturing, in relation to the intersection of art and technology, beginning with Henry Ford's presentation of the Assembly Line [Vesna]. As we read, this wave of innovation increased productivity in manufacturing and pushed the foray into replicable goods that started with Gutenberg's Printing Press back in the mid-15h century [Norman]. 

This burgeoning concept of manufacturing and robotics-based production (defined by efficiency and mass quantity) caused me to raise and analyze the following questions: how does the value of art change once it can be reproduced and mass-manufactured? What is lost or gained when something becomes replicable?

Benjamin tackled this concept by sharing one idea that reproduced art lacks the time and space in which it was meant to be displayed or experienced [Benjamin]. I applied this concept akin to seeing the Statue of Liberty replica at the New York, New York Hotel in Las Vegas. The piece looks similar to the original statue, albeit smaller, but loses the same patriotic-instilling sense of national pride and reflection when not admired off Ellis Island; large and on display as intended where originally presented. 

I would also argue that a sense of exclusivity is lost in the industrialization process, as with Ford automobiles, which used to be symbol of wealth and elitism until they became available to the public. On the other hand, mass-reproduction of art does spread ideas or influences of art more quickly than otherwise possible, as Benjamin alludes to with art mediums such as film.

One film that tackles this idea of robotic-production is the 2001 film AI: Artificial Intelligence, which centers around a world where robots are manufactured and can be bought by humans. After couple's boy is hospitalized, the two cope by purchasing an android-child to be their new surrogate-son. The film questions what is missing from this replicated "boy" that can be reconstructed to look and feel like a real human. When the family regains their biological son back, they abandon the android child in a forest. I interpret the film to suggest that not all things can be replicated: that emotions and the essence of life (a soul?) loses value when not original, and translate this to art in general and what it is supposed to make us feel as an original piece or concept versus a replica. 

Etsy Craft Materials

In a recent article on craft-website Etsy's new IPO, society has taken a similar stand to question the coexisting nature of capitalist-driven manufacturing and the individuality and uniqueness of craft arts, which seem at war with one another. [Gittleson] While some would argue that mass-manufactured products devalue labor and lead to cheap surroundings, others believe it provides convenience: both sides attempting to address what value is gained and lost when technology helps us produce so efficiently. 

Citations

"A.I. Artificial Intelligence." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence - Official® Trailer [HD]. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law. AI: Artificial Intelligence. Youtube, 21 May 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Etsy Craft Materials. Digital image. BBC News. BBC, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Gittleson, Kim. "Etsy: Can Craft and Capitalism Coexist?" BBC News. BBC, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Norman, Jeremy. "Relating the Rapidly Changing Present to the Distant Past as Far as Book History Is Concerned." Relating the Rapidly Changing Present to the Distant Past as Far as Book History Is Concerned. Jeremy Norman & Co., Inc., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Unknown. Henry Ford Assembly Line. Digital image. Bloomberg. Bloomberg Media, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt2." YouTube. UC Online, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Week 2 Blog Assignment | Math + Art

Week 2 Blog Assignment | Math + Art

The Golden Ratio - An Expression of Geometry & Art

Insights --- 
Tying concepts into last week, I immediately noted that R. Buckminster Fuller's concept of de-geniusing children harkened back to the RSA video's study on education and creative thinking (Robinson). To recall, kindergarteners perceived multiple answers to a question, but through the education process began to see the world in binaries and categories. Buckminster's quote set the precedence for this week in once again deconstructing the binaries that we place on subjects like "Math" or "Art". 

Moreover, analyzing the intersection of Mathematics and Art/Science this week challenged me to understand the long-standing depth of influence that Mathematical concepts have had in the fields of Art/Science dating back to the ancient eras of Egyptian Pyramids or Greco-Roman Temples (Lecture, Vesna). Though Vesna explained how The Computer, novel to the past few decades, has helped bridge the gap between Art and Math in new ways, lecture also elaborated on how the two fields have been long intertwined for centuries in ways that have not always been as obvious, such as through the Golden Ratio of ancient times which represented both the geometry of a blueprint and the beauty of a temple.

Origami - A Precise, Calculated Art-Form

Spotlight Focus --- 
An art form that I chose to focus on for it's intersection of Art and Math was the similarly long-standing art of Origami (Origami, Lang). Lang elaborated on the "subset of mathematics" that manifests itself through the laws of Origami. The emphasis on the logical structure and precise measurements, commonly associated with the Math field, unpacks that Art is not solely defined by the stereotypical abstract and loose expression, but sometimes concrete and precise creativity as well.

Mathematics & Creative Expression --- 
In a similar vein to Origami expression as logical and structured rather than abstract, I've seen this theme of math-influenced art play out largely in the field of architecture: a study guided by both mathematical precision and geometry as it is guided by the aesthetic and creativity of art.

Pollock Painting - An Un-Calculated, Math-Free Art Form

Juxtaposition --- 
Ultimately, the juxtaposition between Math and Art|Sci is that they do come together and work together, albeit through forms that will follow the guidelines of precise, calculated math-concepts and aesthetic-heavy, expressive facets of art. Math helps us form Arts and Sciences that will be geometric and linear. Though it is hard to bridge Math into the unpredictable and haphazard splatter paint of a Pollock piece (above), Math consistently proves present in any art that is calculated. 

Citation

Abbott, Edwin Abbott. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. New York: n.p., 1963. Print.

"Golden Ratio." Golden Ratio. Math Is Fun, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Henderson, Linda D. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art Linda Dalrymple Henderson." Leonardo 17.3 (1984): 205-10.JStor. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Lang, Robert J. Origami Cardinal. Digital image. Lang Origami. Robert J. Lang, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.langorigami.com/image.php?image=/art/birds/cardinal_3d.jpg&width=600&height=450&cropratio=600:450>.

Lang, Robert J. "Origami Mathematics." Origami Mathematics. Robert J. Lang, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Pollock, Jackson. Convergence. Digital image. Jackson Pollock: Biography, Paintings, and Quotes. Jackson-pollock.org, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.jackson-pollock.org/images/paintings/convergence.jpg>.

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Prod. Abi Stephenson. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Youtube, 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.

Unknown. Parthenon Golden Ratio. Digital image. Math Is Fun. Math Is Fun, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/images/parthenon-golden-ratio.jpg>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Week 1 Blog Assignment | Two Cultures

Week 1 Blog Assignment | Two Cultures About Me ---  Hi everyone! My name is Justin and I am a senior here at UCLA: English Major with a double minor in both Digital Humanities and Global Studies. Coming into this course I would say that I have utilized a portion of my college career exploring the intersection of Art and Technology through my minor in Digital Humanities, which takes humanities-based disciplines and makes them practical in relation to computers and digital technology. On a personal level, I love to piece together how topics connect; especially things seemingly disparate as the subjects of art and science. As I will be graduating this quarter and moving on to work in the Tech Industry of Silicon Valley next year, I will be curious to see how my passion for the arts will translate for me in a tech-heavy environment. About the Material ---  Week 1's introduction to the concept of "Two Cultures" was interesting to me not in it's novelty as a concept (I've heard of the recent Art x Tech bridges being built throughout my tenure as a Digital Humanities minor), but in the new resources that were presented that really helped me understand where the divergence came from between "art" and "science" in the first place. To me, the apparent and widened gap between the arts and the sciences is strongly evident in our culture today, but I enjoyed how this week took us back to understanding where and why this divergence has occurred, rather than simply acknowledging that the gap exists. Learning about CP Snow and his perspective on the Scientific Revolution was interesting to me. His thoughts on the emergence of a binary culture made sense in light of the fact that before the Scientific Revolution students only attended college for the arts/literature/etc., so science developed as something completely separate from that. From Professor Vesna's article I understood how CP's theories have influenced us today. Vesna's article "Third Culture" was not a wholly original concept, but rather built off of CP Snow's ideas. Back then subjects were segregated in two binaries, but through this class, a result of modern and progressive thinking, I am excited to see how they are coming together. The video by RSA Animate was the most influential to me was seeing how this divide has played out in the very school system I find myself a part of. Citation Correa, Justin. Justin Correa LinkedIn Photo. Digital image. LinkedIn. LinkedIn, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. Kandel, I. L. "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C. P. Snow. New York, Cambridge University Press, 1959. 58 Pp. $1.75." The Educational Forum 24.4 (1960): 486-88. Web. Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web. Candid shot of deceased British scientist, C. P. Snow. Digital image.Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. "C. P. Snow." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2015. RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Prod. Abi Stephenson. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Youtube, 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2015. TwoCultures Part1. Perf. Victoria Vesna. TwoCultures Part1. Youtube, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.