Event #5, Hammer Museum

Me and an Employee of the Museum at the Help Desk

This Is The End Exhibit Sign

For my final event visit of the course, I went to the Hammer Museum in Westwood.  When I first arrived, I went straight to the "This Is The End" exhibit.  After watching several minutes in the digital video theatre, I was immediately able to see the depression that Ed Atkins, Loretta Fahrenholz, and Tommy Hartung were trying to convey.  However, I did not relate to they way in which they showed this, so I went off to explore the rest of the museum.

Mary Reid Kelley Exhibit Sign

I found an exhibit that at first seemed very similar to "This Is The End," but really was much more.  The Mary Reid Kelley project is also a digital video, but she uses many forms of technology in the production phase of her project to help express her art form.  Throughout the video, mythical creatures, many portrayed by Kelley, are shown interacting through poetry.  To create this effect, Kelley used green screens to photograph the creatures with interesting backgrounds, and advanced camera skills to give the illusion that the characters are moving abnormally.

Image from the Mary Reid Kelley Project

According to some of the helpful staff at the museum, Kelley is making a statement in her work by making the characters female based.  Her project is very captivating and appears to be catered to children in an animated way while being adult like in quality and sophistication.  The technical work performed to create the piece is very high quality and could be shown globally.


I would recommend that students who are very fond of out of the box art should go to the Hammer Museum.  I personally did not love it because it was not as interactive as some of my other event visits, like the Griffith Observatory, but those looking for a deeper message in the artwork could enjoy the exhibits. 

Works Cited

"Hammer Projects: Mary Reid Kelley." The Hammer Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2015/hammer-projects-mary-reid-kelley/>. 

Kelley, Mary Reid. Still Image taken from the Mary Reid Kelley Project. Digital image. Hammer. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2015/hammer-projects-mary-reid-kelley/>.

Event #4, Fowler Museum

Me at the Fowler Museum Welcome Desk

For my fourth event visit, I explored the Fowler Museum on the UCLA campus.  It is truly incredible that we as a school have a museum on campus, and this gave me the great opportunity to explore an aspect of campus life that I had yet to discover as a freshman.  I would recommend that all students at UCLA visit the Fowler Museum.  It is an incredible resource and the staff are friendly and helpful.

Mannequin dressed in Bandages

The Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem exhibit was created by Vivan Sundaram and opened on April 19th, 2015 to the public.  The exhibition is a combination of two styles embraced by the Indian artist, and many technical and cultural aspects go into making the art unique.  The Gagawaka portion of the show consists of using old medical equipment, from bandages, to carrying carts, to IV bags as shown below, to dress mannequins.  The effect is a creepy, yet memorizing sight.  The Postmortem portion of the exhibit complements the Gagawaka side by showing different parts of the human body.  With both the Gagawaka and Postmortem parts together, viewers are able to see a big picture shrinking down to its individual pieces, and this concept fascinated me.

Mannequin on Carrying Table

Our study of medical technology in relationship to art during Week 4 definitely connected to this show.  Sundaram could have dressed the mannequins in human clothes, but instead, he chose to use medical equipment which can be seen in hospitals.  The style in which he placed them on each body however, made it look like a new fashion in an alternate universe.  In the movie Zealander, Will Ferrell's character puts on a fashion show in which all the models where street trash as clothing.  Similarly, the style created by Sundaram is captivating and a culmination of many worlds in one.  I do not think that the exhibit will influence my final project, but knowing the amount of time that people spend in hospitals, and the good that medical technology does, helps me to really appreciate the style created and the relevance it has in the lives of so many.

Mannequin Dressed in IV Bags

Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem Exhibit

Works Cited

"Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem by Vivan Sundaram | Fowler Museum at UCLA." Fowler Museum at UCLA. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/making-strange-gagawaka-postmortem-vivan-sundaram>. 

Sundaram, Vivan. Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem. 2015. Fowler Museum, UCLA.

Event #3, Griffith Observatory 

Me and a Curator at the Help Desk

For my third event visit, I went to the Griffith Observatory and explored the fundamentals of the pendulum, the excitement of the Tesla Coil, and the beauty of the artwork.

Murals by Hugo Ballin

When first walking into the Observatory, I immediately noticed the artwork on the ceiling.  Across the entire domed sky of the entryway are murals painted by Hugo Ballin which depict different scientific discoveries and progressions relating to the universe.  From illustrations showing astronomy and time to navigation and electricity, the restoration of the advanced murals of Ballin are a majestic and overwhelming spectacle and helped make an amazing first impression as I entered the space.











Coming down from the center of the mural hangs a giant pendulum.  The "240-pound bronze ball," according to a curator at the Observatory, is carefully centered between magnets that cause it to swing back and forth.  The point of the exhibit is to illustrate how the Earth rotates.  As the ball swings back and forth, the ground very slowly moves under it.  Small pegs are placed on the ground, and the ball is shown to hit down one peg every interval of time as a form of proof of our world rotating.  The exhibit is very cool and is effective in teaching about the universe because it is able to physically show the change happening.

This topic relates to our study of space in Unit 9.  Many philosophers had ideas that seemed crazy about the universe, but no one believed their theories until they were proven.  The pendulum is a great example of proving a theory about the universe.

Tesla Coil

The Tesla Coil was originally invented by Nikola Tesla to show "electricity without wires" according to the Griffith Observatory.  When watching the electricity flow through the air, it appears random and sporadic where the bolts will hit next.  The electricity appeared to be a whitish purple color and looked like lightning striking the walls of the exhibit.










The Griffith Observatory is a fun place that everyone should visit and explore.

 Works Cited

"Foucault Pendulum." Griffith Observatory. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2015. <http://www.griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/centralrotunda_foucaultpendulum.html>. 

"Hugo Ballin Murals." Griffith Observatory. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2015. <http://www.griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/centralrotunda_hugoballinmurals.html>. 

"Tesla Coil." Griffith Observatory. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2015. <http://www.griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/halloftheeye_teslacoil.html>.

Event #2, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Breathing Light Entry Sign

For my second event visit, I went to LACMA and explored the Breathing Light exhibit.  This interactive exhibit was created by James Turrell in 2013.

James Turrell

Turrell was born in Los Angeles in 1943 and became interested in space and light.  After graduating from Pomona College, "where he studied art, art history, mathematics, perceptual psychology and astronomy," according to LACMA, he went on to earn a graduate degree in fine arts.  Turell has created exhibits around the world which have led to him receiving many awards from the Guggenheim Fellowship and the National Medal of Arts to Sustainable Building Award in architecture. 

Me with the James Turrell sign at LACMA

Here at LACMA, the Breathing Light exhibit is fascinating.  When first entering the staging area for the exhibit, curators instruct viewers to remove their shoes and place on fabric footies to be worn in the main room.  The exhibit consists of a box-like room with very peculiar dimensions.  Turrell strategically created the opening of the room to appear as a rectangle, but once inside the exhibit, the walls curve outward to the end of the room to alter the viewers perspective.  Instead of looking like a normal room, the space appears to go on forever.  At the far end of the room, the floor ends before it reaches the back wall to allow for color-changing lights to be hidden which illuminate the room.  To compliment this, there are lights placed against the upper ceiling of the entry passage.  When the two sets of lights together shine a particular blue color, the visual effect off the special white painted surfaces is a fog that appears to hover over the blank space in the room.

View from Breathing Light staging area

View of person inside Breathing Light exhibit

The visual effects created by just using lights, paints, and architectural tricks are incredible and I would highly recommend everyone visit this exhibit.  This event visit did not influence my midterm project, but has further spurred my interest in exploring space.  Combining this with our study of space in Unit 9 and my love of the TV show Star Trek, I want to further explore the technology involved with creating a sustainable environment for life on other planets and the possible economic opportunities that arise with asteroid mining.

Works Cited

"Biography." James Turrell. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://jamesturrell.com/about/biography/>. 

Breathing Light. Digital image. J + CO. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://www.jco.la/blog/portfolio/james-turrell-a-retrospective-lacma/>. 

"James Turrell, Breathing Light." LACMA. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2015. <http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/james-turrell-breathing-light>. 

Turrell, James. Breathing Light. 2013. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles.

Event #1, Marc Foxx Gallery

For my first event visit, I went to the Marc Foxx gallery in Los Angeles and specifically looked at the works of Kasper Bosmans and Antonio Vega Macotela.

Me and an the Associate Director of Marc Foxx

Kasper Bosmans' Hummingbird

The piece of Bosmans' work that interested me the most was the Hummingbird.  To create this work of art, Bosmans laid sand and color pigments on top of a wooden surface.  The effect gives a very simple, yet beautiful look to the picture.  Depth and perspective can be seen as the orange pillars wrap around and in front of the blue pillars.  Bosmans is from Belgium and is very young, and his youthful style and simplicity is reflected in his work.

It fascinated me in our study of Math and Art how interrelated the two subjects were.  Artists use complex measurements to properly scale their work, and many geometric principles relate numbers and shapes. In Antonio Vega Macotela's piece entitled, "Prólogo a los estudios de agotamiento. La biblioteca invisible. Tomo 1," he placed 20 sheets of normal paper into a case and using a special ink placed hidden images in each piece.  Without using any tools, the images are completely invisible to the naked eye.  To reveal the image, a handheld blacklight is provided to wave over each panel to reveal the outlines and images of tools.  This combination of technology to reveal the artwork excited me and this was definitely my favorite piece at the gallery.

Blacklight revealing hidden image

Prólogo a los estudios de agotamiento. La biblioteca invisible. Tomo 1

The work of Antonio Vega Macotela defiantly influenced my midterm project in the sense that it instilled the idea that technology can be used in ways to enhance art rather than existing separately.  I would not recommend visiting the Marc Foxx gallery, however.  There were very few pieces of art being shown and there didn't seem to be an overarching theme to the gallery to link the pieces of art together.  When asking for help and explanation about one of the pieces, I received very little useful help from the curator.

Works Cited

Macotela, Antonio Vega. Prólogo a Los Estudios De Agotamiento. La Biblioteca Invisible. Tomo 1. Digital image. Marc Foxx. N.p., 2013. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://www.marcfoxx.com/exhibitions/1593/works/42384>. 

"Marc Foxx." Marc Foxx - OTHER WAYS AND MEANS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://www.marcfoxx.com/exhibitions/1593>.

Week 9, Space + Art

"Seperation Over The Pacific" by Chelsey Bonestell

In the same way that science influences art, art influences science as well.  Chelsey Bonestell was "... the leading artist among creators of science fiction artwork and design" according to Eddie Arruza and Travis Cornejo.  Bonestell began his futuristic artwork before the first airplane flight, but he portrayed rocket ships and complex maneuvers like separating parts and fuel cells, which would later be replicated in the actual production of space crafts.  Attila Nagy notes that he even envisioned shuttles and ferries to transport humans back and forth from Mars.  Though his work was incredibly idealistic at the time, it ended up being very realistic and the basis for many future scientific designs and discoveries.

Captain James T. Kirk using a Communicator

The portion of this week's material that influenced me the most was the part about futuristic television shows.  Like Chelsey Bonestell, Gene Roddenberry was also a dreamer.  Roddenberry created the television show, "Startrek," which displayed a multi-race and multi-national team of scientists and doctors traveling through space to keep peace in the many galaxies of the universe.  His vision of communicators gave way to the creation of cell phones, his scanners influenced Xbox Kinect units, his talking computer gave a preview of Siri to the world, and according to Laurie Ulster, his universal translator even influenced that Google Translate App.  Roddenberry was so far beyond his time; after his death, Tom Lawrence commentated that his ashes, along with his wife's, were sent into space as a commemoration of his achievements.

Hayden Planetarium in New York

The use of planetariums have long been helpful in teaching about the universe.  The Argus Observer notes that elementary schools are even renting inflatable planetariums as an inexpensive way to teach students about the world outside of Earth.  The fun shows captivate audiences and show sights that previously could only be viewed by scientists with advanced equipment. Roxie Hammill writes that combining the depictions of the universe with art and music can even tell complete stories and many shows today offer these multi-disiplinary experiences.

Works Cited

Arruza, Eddie, and Travis Cornejo. "The Futuristic Art of Chesley Bonestell." Chicago Tonight. N.p., 3 Dec. 2014. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2014/12/03/futuristic-art-chesley-bonestell>. 

Bonestell, Chelsey. Seperation over the Pacific. N.d. Gizmodo. 15 May 2015. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://gizmodo.com/the-beautiful-art-that-helped-inspire-space-travel-1704693253#.>. 

Curd, Jamie. The Nokia-Made Star Trek Communicator That Never Got Launched. Digital image. N.p., 5 July 2012. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.gadgethelpline.com/star-trek-nokia-communicator/>. 

Hammill, Roxie. "Music and Art Blend in 'Once and Future Cities' Planetarium Show." The Kansas City Star. N.p., 21 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/816/article19190118.html>. 

Hayden Planetarium. Digital image. American Museum of Natural History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/rose-center-for-earth-and-space/hayden-planetarium>. 

Lawrence, Tom. "A 'Star Trek' Fan's Final Frontier Encounters." Black Hills Pioneer. N.p., 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 May 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bhpioneer.com%2Fblogs%2Fblog_three%2Fblog_three_text%2Farticle_8b7c80cc-edbd-11e4-b416-77c5f609e63e.html>. 

Nagy, Attila. "The Beautiful Art That Helped Inspire Space Travel." Gizmodo. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://gizmodo.com/the-beautiful-art-that-helped-inspire-space-travel-1704693253#>. 

"Portable Planetarium Offers Hands-on Experience to Students." Argus Observer. N.p., 20 May 2015. Web. 20 May 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argusobserver.com%2Findependent%2Fnews%2Fportable-planetarium-offers-hands-on-experience-to-students%2Farticle_ec623864-ff15-11e4-ae4e-1f1bd6decc38.html>. 

Ulster, Laurie. "The Genius of Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek"" Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 3 June 2014. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.biography.com/news/gene-roddenberry-star-trek-45-years-later>.

Week 8, Nanotechnology + Art

Shirt is resistant to stains

Nanotechnology sounds like a concept of the future, but the idea that its unique properties and techniques have been utilized for thousands of years interested me the most of this week's material.  The ability for very small particles to have different capabilities and properties than its bigger form allows for a world of creativity and alteration of the norm.  Self-cleaning clothing, a concept made possible by the use of nanotechnology, has the power to change industries.  With clothing that repels all substances, stains and ruined clothing are a thing of the past.  Instead of spending hours cleaning a truck, self-cleaning paint will "kill" car washes according to Jordan Golson.

Hologram

The use of nanotechnology with graphene is being used to change the way LED screens work.  Scientists at the Swinburne University of Technology have been able to create a hologram that viewers can see without 3D glasses.  Other than bringing the world closer to the technology in the movie Iron Man, this technology has the potential to help with remote education and medical diagnosis according to Professor Min Gu.

Used cigarette butts can be used for energy

In order to combat global warming, countries have promised to limit usage of certain chemicals and processes that produce waste.  However, according to Tim Redford, scientists have created technology to speed up the reduction of greenhouse gasses by using nanotechnology to artificially create photosynthesis in fake trees.  Inventions like this work at higher rates than naturally found in nature, and show promise in capturing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  With this same goal in mind to save the environment, scientists at Seoul National University say that nanotechnology can be used to help transfer the carbon found in used cigarettes into energy that can be utilized for everyday use.

Nanotechnology has endless applications for today and the future because it bends the previous rules of what is possible.

Works Cited

Golson, Jordan. "RIP, Car Washes: See Nissan’s New Self-Cleaning Paint in Action." Wired. Conde Nast Digital, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.wired.com/2014/04/self-washing-car/>. 

Holograms Next Step in Realistic Training for Tomorrow’s Troops. Digital image. National Defense. N.p., Nov. 2014. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2014/November/Pages/HologramsNextStepinRealisticTrainingforTomorrow’sTroops.aspx>. 

Iron Man 2. Dir. Jon Favreau. Perf. Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2010. Youtube.com. 

Patel, Aamir. Silic. Digital image. Kickstarter. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/741186545/a-shirt-that-cleans-itself>. 

Radford, Tim. "Artificial Trees and Nanotechnology: Climate Saviours?" RTCC Artificial Trees and Nanotechnology Climate Saviours Comments. N.p., 23 Apr. 2015. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.rtcc.org/2015/04/23/artificial-trees-and-nanotechnology-climate-saviours/>. 

Swinburne University of Technology. "Nanotechnology Enables Glass-free 3D Holograms." Nano Werk. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=39857.php>. 

"Used Cigarette Butts May Power Future Computers." Deccan Herald. Nanotechnology, 18 May 2015. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.deccanherald.com/content/478240/used-cigarette-butts-may-power.html>. 

Used Cigarette Butts Offer Energy Storage Solution. Digital image. Science Daily. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150515144950.htm>.