Medtech + Art, Week 4

This week’s lecture opened up my eyes to a new sector of art – the medical one. The way we see ourselves and our bodies are constantly changing, and medical technologies play a huge part in this.

“Medicine and Art: Imagining a Future for Life and Love” exhibition at Mori Art Museum

(http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mori-medicine-and-art-2.jpg)

Human dissection has much to do with contemporary art. Artists use their knowledge of bone structures and our anatomical bodies and apply them to art. Hundreds of years ago, Leonardo da Vinci dissected dead human remains and drew them into well-known artworks (Chiemi). Da Vinci saw that it was important to study human anatomy despite the fact that it was against the law during that era, and created an important footnote in medical and art history (Chiemi).

Leonardo da Vinci’s studies of the human body

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02627/leonardofinal_2627141b.jpg)

Looking into our culture and our society today, we see many artists doing plastic surgery. “Plastic” means “to mold” (Berliet). Artists thus choose how they want themselves to be “sculpted.” Orlan is an artist who uses plastic surgery to define herself. She believes that surgically changing her body is a powerful work of art (“Artist’s Plastic Surgeries”). She calls what she does “carnal art” (Orlan).

Orlan, a French artist well known for her work with plastic surgery

(http://losojosdelafilosofia.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/intro_orlan.jpg)

Another example of an artist bringing medical technology and art together would be Viktoria Modesta, the “World’s First Amputee Pop Artist” (“BORNRISKY”). As an artist with an artificial leg, she has become more well known for being an individual who challenges the modern perception of altered beauty. She merges her artistic side and physical identity together, designing her own prosthetics (“BORNRISKY”).

Modesta began modelling at the age of 15 and signed a contract with IMG Models in January 2015

(http://www.ladobi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ViktoriaModesta_0551.jpg)

In her video “Prototype,” Modesta uses uniquely designed prosthetics. Her prosthetic leg is like a piece of jewelry, a piece of art, that she can use to express herself in her video.

"Prototype" - Viktoria Modesta

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA8inmHhx8c)

The human machine interface is changing our lives and our society is slowly adapting to it. The shift towards medical and biotechnology is changing the relationship we have with our bodies and ourselves.

Works Cited

"Artist's Plastic Surgeries Defy Beauty Standards." NBC News. 2 Nov. 2004. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. 

Berliet, Melanie. "Plastic Surgery Confidential." Vanity Fair. 1 Feb. 2009. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. 

"BORNRISKY." VIKTORIA MODESTA. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. 

Chiemi, Nicole. "Leonardo Da Vinci and Dissection." The Art Crime Archive. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.artcrimearchive.org/article?id=88001>.

Orlan. “Carnal Art (2001) Documentary.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 13 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

Robotics + Art, Week 3

In his book “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Walter Benjamin talks about how today’s society has lost the authenticity in art due to industrialization and mass production systems. Benjamin believes that a reproduced artwork is never fully present because authenticity cannot be reproduced and is lost when that artwork is reproduced (Robinson). One example is that Ford cars were “mass produced” by workers who work like machines, and this puts an end to the idea of authenticity and uniqueness of the cars ("Ford"). Also, Ford’s assembly line for workers working as machines is just one example of how mass production systems influence art, culture, and how we work in general (Benjamin).

Ford's assembly line of workers

(http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=16390#)

One interesting film that can relate to the topic of mechanization would be The Imitation Game. Alan Turing, widely considered as the father of artificial intelligence, invented the Turing Machine, also known as today’s computer. Recently, a robot has passed the Turing test, deceiving human judges into thinking that he is also human (Stromberg). Instances like this induce fear in some people that robots might one day conquer the world with their growing artificial intelligence.

Benedict Cumberbatch playing the role of Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game,"

with the Turing Machine in the background

(http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Christopher-and-Turing1-1024x768.jpg)

With art, humans can better understand the true impact of robots on our society ("ArtBots"). Japan has always been famous for their state-of-the-art technology, and their most popular – robots (Kusahara). Evolve Hotel in Nagasaki will finally open to the public on July 15^th this year, with their “main staff consisting entirely of robots" ("Henn-na Hotel").

Concept of the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, with robots as main staff

(http://www.seejapan.co.uk/Libraries/Images/Henn-na_Hotel_10.sflb.ashx)

One example of an artwork being “mass reproduced” is Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Prints (Hatoum). Even if the artwork has lost its authenticity and uniqueness, the fact that it is mass-produced has gained many audiences’ attention and thus grew in popularity (Hatoum).

Warhol’s “mass-produced” image of Marilyn Monroe. In the website, viewers can easily edit and change colors of the background, Marilyn’s eyes, hair, skin color, etc.

(http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/marilyns.html)

It is evident that our society responds well to industrialization and mechanization. Mechanization has influenced not just the art world but also our lives in this new age of technological advancements.

Works Cited

"ArtBots Gent, the Robot Talent Show 2011." ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. 

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

Hatoum, Mona. "Andy Warhol's Marilyn Prints." Web Exhibits. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. 

"Henn-na Hotel." Henn-na Hotel. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Kusahara, Machiko. “Robotics MachikoKusahara 1.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Robinson, Andrew. "Walter Benjamin: Art, Aura and Authenticity." Ceasefire Magazine. 14 June 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Stromberg, Joseph. "A Computer Just Passed the Turing Test." Vox. 9 June 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

"Ford." The Evolution of Mass Production. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. 

Math + Art, Week 2

 Mathematical influences in art could be found even during the ancient times. The golden ratio was present during the design of monuments like the Great Pyramids. Although it remains unclear which triangle or geometric shape the Egyptians used when designing their pyramids, it is evident that mathematics has been influencing art since the ancient times.

The Great Pyramid

http://blogs.yis.ac.jp/19iwasem/files/2014/01/pyramidgr-nk6izb.gif

An example of mathematics influencing science would be the quantum theory. The behavior and interactions of energy and matter provide mathematical descriptions. The theory is a framework for many of today’s scientific elements such as chemical bonding. Another way in which mathematics influenced art is the creation of the visually complex yet simple Penrose tiles. It arose from basic mathematical principles and could also be related to the golden ratio.

The Penrose Tiles

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Penrose_Tiling_(Rhombi).svg/500px-Penrose_Tiling_(Rhombi).svg.png

Professor talked about Peit Mondrian and how mathematics and art are interconnected. Over spring break, I spent my time at MoMa in NYC. Mondrian’s art pieces caught my eye. He cares about geometrical principles, and the forms of his artwork are filled with symmetry, rhythm, and proportion. Mondrian shows how some artists see art through the lens of geometry and rationality, and use mathematics to influence their art pieces.

Mondrian’s perspective was seeking pure harmony, rhythm, and equilibrium. He constructs horizontal and vertical lines geometrically on 2D surfaces. The influence of mathematics in art could be seen in his compositions and on the underlying geometrical concepts that Mondrian applies in his artworks.

One of Mondrian's artpiece at MoMa

 http://www.moma.org/collection_images/resized/506/w500h420/CRI_292506.jpg

Through origami, artists use mathematics to influence and express their creative artwork. Applying mathematical principles and laws to origami connects both mathematics and art together.

An origami fish

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/065/9/3/3d_origami_fish_by_xanokah-d4rxaf7.jpg

Based on this week’s lecture, I learned the connection of art and science is through mathematics. The juxtaposition of mathematics, art, and science, lies in the understanding that this is the way we operate in our world and this is also how we are separated from certain operations in our world. Mathematics is critical in dimensional visual art. It also goes hand in hand with science, benefitting the accuracy of science and architecture, as we know it.

Disneyland's forced perspective at Main Street brings mathematics and art together

http://23.253.69.201/wp-content/uploads/blog/Main-Street-Towards-the-Castle.jpg

Works Cited

Onstott, Scott. "Mathematical Encoding in the Great Pyramid." Ancient Origins. 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

Coolman, Robert. "What Is Quantum Mechanics?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

Weisstein, Eric. "Penrose Tiles." MathWorld. Wolfram. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. 

Lang, Robert J. "The Math and Magic of Origami". TED. Feb 2008. Lecture.

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion.” Leonardo. 17.3 (1984): 205-210. Print.

Lang, Robert J. “Origami Mathematics.” Origami Mathematics. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.