THE HAMMER....Museum (EVENT BLOG)

The Hammer Museum, located on the corner of Wilshire and Westwood Blvd in Los Angeles, California stands as a concrete block. From the outside it looks nothing more than a large parking structure but the inside couldn't be more different. When you walk in through the main entrance, the first thing you see is a huge painting that spreads from the foot of the stairs all the way up to the high ceilings.

Figure 1

Heavy Lights, by Maya Hayuk spreads four walls, each measuring 186 x 292 inches. As a mural, her artwork contains many lines and geometric shapes all joining together like a woven cloth.

The uniqueness of Hayuk's piece is shown through the drippings of paint. The drippings can be seen as an example of carelessness that arises when an artist takes on an endeavor as large as a mural.

Hayuk's piece is relevant to the topics covered in our DESMA 9 class because of her usage of lines and symmetry. Her piece, in many ways, is deeply based on mathematics and geometry. The different lines Hayuk uses create various shapes that give here work visual depth.

Figure 2

Near Hayuk's piece was another interesting art project that wasn't a showing at all. A wooden table designed by Marmol Radziner was originally placed at the Hammer as a way for adults and children to create their own blocked sculptures. The table comes complete with multiple slots to hold the sculpture's base together and also has 4 drawers complete with block sets.

I thoroughly enjoyed trying to create a sculpture with all the pieces at the Radziner table and I am very glad the museum had such an interesting  and engaging piece open to the public.

I would recommend a visit to the Hammer museum and I would highly recommend all visitors to try building a sculpture at the wooden table located in the museum lobby.

SOURCES

<Figure 1>

Heavy Lights, 2012 (detail). Paint on walls. Four walls, each 186 x 292 in. (472 x 743 cm). Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, Netherlands. Photography by 007.

<Figure 2>

Blocks. Marmol Radziner. <http://www.marmol-radziner.com/community/hammer-k.a.m.p>

Space—the Final Frontier

“Space—the final frontier.” Anyone that has seen some kind of major space age film is familiar with those words. Besides the center of the Earth, almost every inch of our planet’s landscape has been explored or at least mapped out by a satellite. The only truly “untouched” frontier would be space.

Space…immensely large and unknown, has been the center of many myths and visions spanning from extraterrestrial life to human colonization. An idea that I believe to be relatively new however, is the use of space as a medium for the eternal memory of the people of Earth.

Brainbow

Figure 1

In 2007 the world changed. In a research laboratory someone in the state of Masachussets, Harvard scientists devised a way to color mouse neurons to help them trace the neuron’s long and intricate arms. Their results became what is now known as the Brainbow effect.

With the help of at least 3 different fluorescent proteins, scientists were able to paint neurons in a variety of different colors making the tracing of neurons much simpler. This tracing has helped the phenomena known as brain mapping.

Figure 2

Earlier this year, in his state of the union address, President Obama talked about the importance of the mapping of the brain. Brainbow, has significantly helped the progress of brain mapping but there are those that oppose it.

Figure 3

Just as the controversy the Human Genome Project received, brain mapping has created disputes between scientists because of the involvement of the government. Some scientists believe structuring and in a way limiting the way scientists work in order to gain results is counter-productive.

This idea of how scientists should work is very interesting since it relates directly to artists. In many ways, Brainbow has opened the door to a discussion on how scientists should be allowed to work. Scientists like artists want to be free of the chains an institutionalized world forces them to work in. Scientists, like artists want to have their own creative control.

Resources

"Brainbow." Center for Brain Science. Harvard University. Web. 18 Nov 2013. <http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/science/connectome-project/brainbow>.

Hayman, John. "Art and Neurosciene." queens.ox.ac.uk. University of Oxford , Oxford UK, n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2013. <http://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/academics/hyman/files/art_and_neuroscience.pdf>.

Greenwood, Veronique. Fly Over the 'Brainbow'. 2011. Photograph. MIT Technology ReviewWeb. 18 Nov 2013. <http://www.technologyreview.com/photogallery/423111/fly-over-the-brainbow/>.

NPR STAFF. "Somewhere Over The Brainbow: The Journey To Map the Human Brain." NPR. 31 Mar 2013: n. page. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/2013/03/31/175858397/somewhere-over-the-brainbow-the-journey-to-map-the-human-brain>.

Reueller, Peter. “‘Brainbow,’ version 2.0.” Harvard Gazette. 15 May 2013 Harvard University. Web. 18 Nov. 2013 <http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/05/brainbow-version-2-0/>

Images

Fig 1 < http://www.technologyreview.com/photogallery/423111/fly-over-the-brainbow/>

Fig 2 < http://www.npr.org/2013/03/31/175858397/somewhere-over-the-brainbow-the-journey-to-map-the-human-brain>

Fig 3 <http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/05/brainbow-version-2-0/>         

Art for the Elite

Fig. 1

In Meanings of participation: Outlaw Biology? Chris Kelty states, “…the Victorian Gentleman

Scientist is neither outside nor within the system, but above it. His view on things is that of the aesthete and the discriminating intellectual…Artists are more likely to be Victorian Gentleman than hackers and outlaws…” Kelty gives an artist the term Victorian Gentleman Scientist and labels an artist above the system of biology.

The problem with this idea is that it gives artists the immunity to do what they want when dealing with complex biological structures because they are “above the system.”

Why is this a problem?

When artists are removed from the system art becomes an exclusive media, only attainable by those that are highly educated. In addition, claiming that an artist is above the system only removes the artist from any blame they may receive.

Fig. 2

Take as an example the Central American artist Guillermo Habacuc Vargas. Vargas tied up a severely malnourished and starving dog and instructed visitors to his gallery that the dog would not be fed. After some visitors objected to the artist’s demands, Vargas remained unmoved and the dog stayed without eating until he died later that night.

An art piece such as this is not only extreme but severely hurtful to the connections between artists and the general population.

However, besides Vargas’s inappropriate use of a starving dog as a showpiece, it seems that most artists don’t cross this inhumane line and if they do their actions aren’t very deleterious.

Marta de Menezes, by using a thin needle coupled to a heat generator, was able to create unique wing patters on butterflies never before seen in nature.

Menezes’s butterfly project differs from Varagas’s showcase because she handled the complex biological structures she worked with in a humane manner.

Fig. 3

The danger all artists face when they are working with complex biological structures is not having a purpose and not communicating that purpose effectively.

What was the point of Menezes butterfly project?

The moment that an artist loses its audience, that is the moment when bio art becomes unethical.

Artists should do a better job of breaking down their complex ideas by communicating them to the public with minimal jargon. It’s time to open up the art world to everyone.

Resources

HamdenRice, . "Artist ties up dog in gallery, let's it starve to death while gallery goers watch (warning: graphic)."Artist ties up dog in gallery, let's it starve to death while gallery goers watch (warning: graphic). Democratic Underground, 23 Mar 2008. Web. 10 Nov 2013. <http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3049666>.

Martha de Menezes. Martha de Menezes. Moshi Moshi. Web. 10 Nov 2013. <http://martademenezes.com/>.

Reinert, Birgit. N.p.. Web. 10 Nov 2013. <http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/05/28/butterflywings.php>.

School of Visual Arts. Visual Arts Press. Web. 10 Nov 2013. <http://www.sva.edu/special-programs/summer-residency-programs/bio-art>

Vranich, Dr. Belisa. "Dr. Belisa Vranich: The Starving Dog Artist: A Diagnosis ." Huffington Post Healthy Living. Huffington Post, 20 Apr 2008. Web. 10 Nov 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/belisa-vranich/the-starving-dog-artist-a_b_97512.html>.

Images

Fig. 1

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.livescience.com/images/i/000/027/443/i02/rat-spinal-chord-ed.jpg%3F1337716320&imgrefurl=http://www.livescience.com/20504-bio-art-competition.html&h=359&w=575&sz=123&tbnid=j_q-wN3U2Z40cM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=144&zoom=1&usg=__r_NlWx3h3_A1tNIN-FEm92PYg7Y=&docid=dsDWfRv-cnbINM&sa=X&ei=3WaAUuqRJserjALHzIDgBw&ved=0CDAQ9QEwAA

Fig. 2

 http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/That70sPhoto/navitividad2es3.jpg

Fig. 3

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xLLXaHvzY2YT987-2gK7P_3PFI-pnteHtDuj6dOOacJ2Npi5b70r8_TtcsC4r2vGNLSG7lGh7jvUyg-E3IPpPFGsENeAzd4eFX0c4_0W25wRQD3hNLDSGEdS4L90t4B83C7wYWukniU/s1600/butterflywings2.jpg

The Canvas

<Figure 1>

It never dawned on me how important art was for science until I thought about medicine. Medicine is a very visual discipline. It involves a connection and interaction with the human body that many times needs a visual aid. One of the most helpful visual aids medicine has is art.

Earlier this year, Naomi Slipp, a Boston University, History of Art and Architecture graduate student designed an exhibit that displayed the human body as an intersection of art. Her showcase, Teaching the Body, gave visitors a history of anatomy in America (Thibeau).

<Figure 2>

Slipp worked to gather various art pieces including Cast of the Hand of Harvey Cushing (1992) and Angelico (2012). The pieces Slipp collected for her showcase were not just important pieces of art, they were also integral to the advancement of medicine. As anatomy evolved and as different images of the body were used to represent complex ideas, not directly related to medicine, the human body morphed itself into a canvas. A canvas that is on one side examined by the doctor and on the other used by the artist.

One of the most influential artists this week that put into perspective the true relationship between medicine and art was Orlan. Her Carnal Art (2001) documentary was powerful because her body was her art piece.

<Figure 3>

This week’s material was very interesting yet at times challenging because of the extremes some artists would take in order to convey a message. Orlan’s documentary was especially difficult to watch because of how vulnerable she was at times. Her dedication and her determination to allow doctors to cut into her skin and to alter her body for art was ironic. This was ironic because medicine calls for people to do the very same thing and one could have assumed Orlan was giving her body for science.

The most important idea I took about art and medicine this week is that the boundaries for anatomy and art are blurred and medicine and art are always intertwined.

   

Figures

<Figure 1> Cast of the Hand of Harvey Cushing. 1992. Photograph. n.p. Web. 27 Oct 2013. <https://www.countway.harvard.edu/chm/rarebooks/exhibits/gilt/>.

<Figure 2> Nilsson, Lisa. Angelico. 2012. Painting. The LancetWeb. 27 Oct 2013. <http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673613602664/images?imageId=fx1§ionType=lightBlue&hasDownloadImagesLink=false>.

<Figure 3> Sichov, Vladimir. Orlan. Photograph. www.stanford.edu. Web. 27 Oct 2013. <http://www.stanford.edu/class/history34q/readings/Orlan/Orlan4.jpeg>.

Sources

Liao, Joshua. "The human body at the intersection of art and science." Lancet. 381.9866 (2013): 525. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)60266-4/fulltext>.

Oriach, Stephan, dir. Orlan, carnal art. 2001. Film. 27 Oct 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no_66MGu0Oo>.

Thibeau, Erin. N.p.. Web. 27 Oct 2013. <http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/teaching-the-body/>.

The Art of Reproduction

<Figure 1>

In 1995, Douglas Davis published a piece on the reproduction of art in the Leonardo journal. Davis stated, “[t]here is no longer a clear conceptual distinction between original and reproduction in virtually any medium based in film, electronics, or telecommunications” (381-386).

In his article, Davis described the advancements in technology that gave artists the tools to reproduce as much as they liked without losing aesthetic value. The artist’s ability to reproduce sometimes only enhanced their abilities, allowing them to create new, dramatically different pieces of art.

<Figure 2>

Almost sixty years before Davis and his defense of digital reproduction, Walter Benjamin published The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936), where he argued that “the technique of reproduction detache[d] the reproduced object from the domain of tradition” (Benjamin). This loss of tradition Benjamin describe[d] as the “aura” of the art. The aura of an art piece, he said, “withers in the age of mechanical reproduction” (Benjamin).  

Although Davis and Benjamin stand on different ends of the reproduction spectrum, I feel that there is a sense of truth in what they both have to say.

Davis is very correct in believing that reproduction can give artists a lot of freedom. As it is, I can take one picture and reproduce it 1000 times, yet have a different picture each time. Take as a small example <Figure 3>. The collage of photos shown all stemmed from the same image, but after reproduction I was able to create a new piece of art with a new meaning. With reproduction, all these combined images mean more than one ever could on its own.

<Figure 3> 

On the other hand, Benjamin is also very right in believing that reproduction cannot only lower an artworks value, but art can also lose its sense of uniqueness. Seeing the same image over and over again isn’t art, it’s propaganda and advertising. The moment that reproduction is used to convey a message that doesn’t need much interpretation the aura is lost.

However, with technological advancements only increasing, it would be foolish to view art as aura-less. Instead, in the words of Davis, the aura of an art piece should be experienced in the “originality of the moment when we see, hear, read, repeat, revise.”

Figures

<Figure 1>Douglas Davis. N.d. Photograph. UC Berkele'ys Center for New MediaWeb. 20 Oct 2013.          <http://atc.berkeley.edu/bio/Douglas_Davis/>.

<Figure 2>Claude, Kipper. The Work Of Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction. N.d. Book                Cover.      Amazon.comWeb. 20 Oct 2013.

<Figure 3> Cuevas, Gabriela. My Magic Boots. 2013. Photographic Collage. Blogger.comWeb. 20 Oct        2013.

Sources

Benjamin, Walter . The Work Of Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction. Prism Key Press, 2010.        50. print.

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-                1995)."Leonardo. 28.5    (1995): 381-386. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.                                                           <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1576221>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Art." DESMA 9. UC Online. . Lecture.

Related Sites

This site sells real reproductions of famous art pieces. http://www.reproductionart.org/

This site sells  industrial art. http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/industrial/all

Literature...the Third Culture

Mathematics and art have not necessarily collided together, instead they have been formed a third culture in the realm of literature.

The Battle of the Minds

(Fig. 1 A picture of the Dallol craters located in northern Ethiopia.

The iron stains, algae, mud and salt produce the colorful

landscape seen above.)

As a geology major working on a fiction novel, C.P. Snow’s The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution resonates loudly in my mind. I am always frustrated when students in the science departments claim that they are not creative. They are always so willing to mold themselves into the stereotypes they grew up believing. They always find a way to limit themselves. Yet, at the same time, how can I blame them when the very educators that are supposed to help these students reach their true potential only help limit them.