Event 5 Jones & Terwillger Galleries

During my trip to Desert springs, I spontaneously stumbled upon an art exhibit called "Jones & Terwillger Galleries that displayed many forms of interesting glass art. The exhibit mainly consists of colorful garden scenes, European and American landscapes, masterfully painted figurative studies, still life, and seascapes in realistic and impressionistic styles. In the context of our course, I became much more critical in evaluating the source of inspirations that led to the creation of each piece of artwork, whether it stems from nature, beauty, or science.

 The double helix glass work was the first sculpture that caught my attention when I walked in. The first thought that came to my mind was the mathematics behind the sculpture. While the image taken to the left may look asymmetrical, the actual work is quite symmetric when viewed in 3D space rather than a 2D image. The asymmetry is actually an illusion made possible by spiraling symmetrical squares following a Golden Ratio.

At the same time, I came to realize the biological inspirations of DNA that might have led the artist to create this work. Like this artwork above, the helix cycles of DNA measures 34 by 21 angstrom in lengths, which also equate to the Golden Ratio. While it is unclear if the original inspiration or purpose of this artwork is based on a biological one, natural mathematical phenomenons never fails to find it's place in art.

Further information regarding the mathematical ratios found in DNA can be found at http://www.goldennumber.net/dna/ .

In addition to the spiral glasswork, I was intrigued by other designs within the exhibition. In the week of neuroscience & art, we learned that many works of art stems from the chaos and layered confusion that underlies our thought process and reality. Essentially, the theme of complication is portrayed in the work on the left. By first glance, the artwork looks like it is made from a variety of glass pieces. However, upon closer examination the glass sculpture is actually composed of the same fundamental piece of glass assembled together, similar to the way our brain is composed of fundamental units of neurons.

Fundamental units of neurons are very consistent and homologous.

Many individuals may have different perspectives on the sculpture on the right. To me, the sculpture on the right represents a compound similar to:

While I am unsure what the sculpture represents exactly, I am satisfied knowing that everyone can take away something different. Without having undergone biotechnology and art chapter in our class, I would have never noticed the relation of the sculpture to the sciences.

Realistic canvas art is one of the most prevalent forms of art throughout history, particularly in the 19th century. Growing up in the 21th century, I always resorted to utilizing camera or recording devices whenever I need to capture reality. After seeing the vivid details and exactness portrayed in the drawing above, I began to think about the important role of realistic art across centuries of human civilization before the invention of photography. While this particular work of art does not have any immediate ties to science and technology, the realistic work of art above reminds us to think about how the field of realistic artwork will be captured in centuries to come when digital photography and videos become obsolete. 

One of my favorite works of sculpture art in the exhibit was the mixed medium work above. As observed, the artwork is structurally composed of glass layers embedded within the stone designs. Without realizing until after measuring the artwork with a pixelated ruler, I confirmed that the proportions of the base of the artwork is in perfect "golden ratio" as the middle segment. Whether intentional or not, I am still astonished by the prevalence of mathematical ratios found throughout art.

"DNA Spiral as a Golden Section." Phi 1618 The Golden Number. N.p., 13 May 2012. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.goldennumber.net/dna/>.

Further information regarding this exhibit can be found at: http://www.jones-terwilliger-galleries.com/

References:

"Developmental Neurobiology." Max Planck Institut Für Psychiatrie. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.psych.mpg.de/2049085/cappello>.

"Jones & Terwilliger Galleries." Jones & Terwilliger Galleries. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.jones-terwilliger-galleries.com/>.

"PEOI Organic Chemistry." PEOI Organic Chemistry. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.peoi.org/Courses/Coursesen/chemorg/contents/frame12i.html>.

Event 3 Kathy HIgh exhibition

As a research scientist in the CNSI, I can't help but notice the number of "ArtSci" events taking place one floor below me. After the first few lectures of DEMSA 9, I realized that the ArtSci events are exploring what is popularized as the "third culture" or a cross between the arts and sciences. Essentially, the works in cutting edge biological and nanotechnology are utilized by artistically inspired scientists to work together with individuals from arts and humanities background to create scientific artwork with a deeper message than what art and science can deliver alone.

Kathy High is an established visual/media artist, independent curator, and educator. On May 18, I had the opportunity to visit her exhibition, which I consider the most interest exhibition that I attended for this class thus far.

According to Mick Lorusso, Kathy's inspiration comes from her own struggles with a chronic inflammatory bowel disease known as Crohn's disease, which affects almost one million Americans every year. The etiology of the disease stems from a variety of causes including imbalanced diet, stress, and mainly genetic and environmental factors. The artwork above portrays the large intestine and colon being colonized by plants and children playing, with the intention to convey the importance that healthy environmental factors and life styles.

On a similar note, Kathy further paints the picture of the entire GI tract in the context of happy teenagers sitting outside and enjoying nature to portray the same theme of healthy living. 

A more distinctive work of art, and field of familiarity - fecal transplant - particularly caught my attention. The field of gut microbiota transplant paved the way to how our medical society views the importance of natural flora within our intestine. In fact, microbes including bacteria within our body outnumbers our actual human cells by at least ten folds. More importantly, medical sciences have only begun to understand how the complex communities of bacteria within our intestines contribute to our overall immunology, physiology, and proneness to acquiring diseases such as Crohn's Disease. I believe artworks such as this is important for the public due to it's more extreme nature in its ability to capture attention, and thus raise awareness. Despite my major background in Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, I didn't learn about the importance of gut microbiota, and fecal transplant, until this year.

Nonetheless, It was a slight relief to find out that the fecal matter was made from porcelain. One particular note I wanted to point out was the inappropriate use of the rotavapor glass tube as the container as opposed to more suitable carriers such as a vial or test tube. 

Children is one of the more prevalent recurring themes in Kathy's work. I believe beyond the importance of emphasizing the medical aspects of diseases and what the field of microbiology entails, Kathy raises the point that the maintenance of health starts at an early age. Similar to early works of art above, Kathy continually emphasizes features of nature, young people, and plants/vegetables to convey the importance of gastrointestinal health.

While the term "art of medicine" is usually considered a figurative saying, I can confidently say that Kathy's work effectively brings medical awareness to the public through a medium that is on par with popular articles and scientific journals.

Thank Mick!

Other works by Kathy High (nudity discretion advised) can be found at: 

http://kathyhigh.com/project-embracing-animal.html

"Kathy High: Visual/media Artist, Independent Curator, Educator." Kathy High: Projects: Embracing Animal. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://kathyhigh.com/project-embracing-animal.html>.

Event 1 Hammers Museum

On April 23, I had the pleasure of visiting the Hammers Museum for the first time.

One of the first attractions I became drawn to actually involved quite a bit of physical involvement, balance, dexterity, and trust in the math/physics behind the art. The original design had a colorful appeal and physically resembles a top. And from what we know of tops, we can expect how it will function when it spins. But that all changes when we are now physically interacting with the art. 

Artistic inspiration for the Heatherwick Studio Spun Chair

Trying the chair for myself - considering purchasing for $766

While the exterior is aesthetically pleasing, the interior design is perfectly balanced to provide maximal centripetal force. Recalling back to physics.

The centripetal acceleration formula dictates that the lower "radius" or lever arm of the spinning object, the greater the acceleration. Thus, the low surface area and design for the individual to be "scooped" in while sitting isn't just for the purpose of the aesthetic design but also for the underlying functional purposes. This example changed my perspective of what defines "art." In retrospect, I have walked passed thousands of unique structures, buildings, and designs that are constantly present around us that requires a close collaboration between the architects, designers, and engineers to make it possible. <http://formulas.tutorvista.com/physics/centripetal-acceleration-formula.html>

seed cathedral in the exhibit

Of the artwork, the seed cathedral caught my attention the most. The world expo that takes place every five years can be considered one of the most exhilarating artistic and cultural indulging experience that one can ever experience. The world exposition transitioned from themes of industrialization to cultural exchange and eventually name branding (Wiki, World Fair). The mathamatical design underlying the bends of each beam that stems out of the base provides not only an incredibly stable but also aesthetically pleasing structure.

Life size version of the Seed Cathedral at the UK pavilion when I visited the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai China

Upon encountering Gridwork by Charles Gaines, I was reminded of the underlying mathematical concepts of art, particularly digital art. While the painting utilized numerical values spanning from the center of the portrait labeled "O", the artwork reminded me of how computers and televisions display/ reproduce the display of artwork digitally using binaries. Essentially, art can be reproduced by using a series of numerical values to describe the position of the pixel and also the color, brightness, and intensity. Nonetheless, the concept of grid art is definitely a form of art that encapsulates the bridge between the math and art. Likewise, the artwork above has different colors and numbers displayed purely to describe the placement coordinates. Essentially, mathematics can be an underlying way to either "create" or "describe" a piece of artwork.

"Biography." The Hammer Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2015. <http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2015/charles-gaines-gridwork-1974-1989/>.

"Centripetal Acceleration Formula." Centripetal Acceleration Formula. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2015. <http://formulas.tutorvista.com/physics/centripetal-acceleration-formula.html>.

"World's Fair." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 May 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_fair>.