Grace_Collins DESMA9

  Art + Science + Tech: Space “Human destiny on Earth is irrevocably linked to human destiny in space,” according to the Leonardo Space Art Project. I particularly found this idea interesting in terms of the lectures we viewed this week. Human fascination with space exploration had a breakthrough in 1961 when Yuri Gagarin, from the Soviet Union, was the first human in space. A few years prior, however, Laikia, a dog, was sent in 1957 as the first creature in Space. Personally, challenging the idea of ethics, I found this to be quite sad. I had never learned this before, and it was upsetting to hear that there were no plans for the dog’s return from space. The life support system failed and due to technical difficulties the journey didn't last more than a couple hours.  As I mentioned in the first line, there is a fictional and sort of fantastical thought that the possibility of humans living on other planets could exist. Art has shown the possibilities of life on other planets...

Nanotech + Art: Quantum Dots During this week’s lecture, I found what Guest lecturer Dr. Gimzewski had to say about quantum dots was a particularly interesting subject. As he mentioned, quantum dots are a type of nanoparticle. Also described as nanocrystals, these particles contain, “optical and electronic properties,” as mentioned in the American Chemical Society Publications. Due to the small nature in size of these particles, many do not know they interact with nanoparticles in their daily lives, myself being one of these people. I also do not have much of a background of knowledge in nanotechnology & nanoparticles. What intrigued me most about the quantum dots were its uses and applications, that again, seem to appear in everyday life. The CD Bioparticles website explains these particles are used for bioimaging, photovoltaic devices such as solar panels, and light emitting devices including optic and photo displays.  In a more artistic sense, “ Quantum dots are particularly...

  DESMA Event #2: Jessica Irish Throughout this class, we've covered topics in art, science, and technology. Jessica Irish, the speaker in the zoom event I attended, addressed plastic. One could connect plastic to all three of these topics. Due to science and technology, humans have been able to use plastic as a material to wrap, preserve, and save many things ranging from prepackaged foods and leftover food items as well as use plastic as a way to sell items in stores. Almost any item you could buy at a given store is wrapped or includes some plastic that is often ripped off and thrown away after purchase. In the short video shown on the zoom it was mentioned, in the short film, that the average person contributes to, “234 lbs plastic waste per year.” A line was then later mentioned that stuck with me. This line was, “no such thing as away, just elsewhere.” Contrasting this line was the story of the sea. While the saddening effects of plastic were being described, videos of ocean ...

Week 7: Dreams + Art “95% of what we dream is forgotten,” according to Professor Vesna in this week’s lecture. This lecture brings up ideas between the unconscious and the conscious mind. Sigmund Freud, described the two as being an iceberg. You have stuff above the surface, but also below the surface. Dreams can occur in various sleep stages, typically in the REM stage (rapid eye movement) and are said to be reflections of our hidden emotions, our subconscious mind.  The depiction of dreams, through art, has occurred for thousands of years, from early art, musical representations, artificial intelligence,and other art forms today. For artist Raphaël and other artists of his time, dreams allowed them to, “ completely leave themselves in order to experience another world” acco rding to Artsper Magazine. Another artist, in recent years, Janet Echelman created an installation in West Hollywood a few years back. She created a dreamcatcher that consisted of fiber netting reaching 90 fee...

  Biotech + Art Looking at biotech + art, I think many inherently have a greater debate over its ethics and validity as an expressive medium. When we typically look at artist forms, we often think about mediums such as painting, drawing, musical, digital, or even visual forums. In the visual category, this might look like dancing or using our bodies in a performative way. Orlan, an artist shown in this week’s lecture, takes performance art to a new level. She uses in vitro skin of varying colors to show cultural “cultural crossbreeding” (Alyian, 2021) and does so in the form of a coat and it investigates human cellular level.  With regard to cells, I found GMO’s to be an interesting related topic to this week’s lecture. GMO’s are another controversial topic. If artists, in this week’s lecture, can investigate cells and neurons between mice and robotic arms, for example, what are the repercussions of adding cells and variables to the food that we consume? One pro is the idea th...

Moment of Reflection Installation For Event #1 I attended Refik Anadol, a multimedia installation held in UCLA’s sculpture garden. Upon arriving, a few of my classmates, from my architecture class, and I went to a pre-show reception for the installation and learned a little bit more about the artist and the story behind the installation. Having a keen interest in artificial intelligence, this exhibit served as a way to intertwine with the healing properties of art for the mind. It was a reflection on the pandemic and allowed for a collective hope for the future. Before the ceremony, the Chancellor of UCLA made a comment between art and the human body, specifically the ability for us as humans to be able to connect with ourselves and the people around us in a deeper way using art.  Before the event started, upon checking in, attendees were handed a small blue bag and were instructed not to open until further instructed. During the event we were able to open this bag, and a small whi...