I think it’s normal that through knowledge comes further curiosity which can translate well through art. I believe this week’s topic on Medicine technology and art is a perfect example of that. Through the exploration of the body in search for cures and just basic knowledge about the human body, artists were able to take another view on this and express in great detail the piece of art of the body. There are even schools that support this like John Hopkins. Through John Hopkins school website they promote medical art as “The quality and accuracy of our work comes from being a part of the world renowned resources of The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and affiliated institutions. As an academic department of the School of Medicine, our faculty of Certified Medical Illustrators (CMI) work with content experts in a wide range of medical specialties to create dynamic and educational illustrations.” (John Hopkins)

example of medical art at John Hopkins

What first comes to mind is the fact that diagrams that we see at the doctor’s office is art! One aspect that most caught my attention was that as well as the technology of it all. I have a small tumor in my stomach and the use of these various arts have helped TREMENDOUSLY in the understanding of my own body; first starting with the ultrasounds, moving on to CT scans and MRIs and all the way to endoscopies and bio-endoscopies. I believe my favorite though is the small sculpture of the stomach and intestines in which they showed me exactly where the tumor was and what would happen if surgery went wrong.

Of course there are other medical technologies that may not be seen as art but has a lot to do with art. Prosthetic anything is very much art because someone took the time to make it look as humanly possible (i.e. legs, arms, facial features, etc). According to blogeverdeen.edu, “Many people with artificial limbs realize that it takes a lot for the addition to come close to looking like the body part that it serves as in terms of looking like real flesh, making some come to the conclusion that a custom limb that was artistically made out of metal to look nice and serve its function as well.” Overall, there is not strict line as to what is art and what is medicine because they will always overlap.

Sources

"The Progression of Prosthetics." Seeds and Circuits. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://blogs.evergreen.edu/seedsandcircuits/the-progression-of-prosthesis/>.

"Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)." - Flexible Scope. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.videostroboscopy.com/flexible_scope.html>.

"7 Medical Advances to Watch in 2014." Smithsonian. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/7-medical-advances-to-watch-in-2014-180948286/?no-ist>.

"OUR Services." Art as Applied to Medicine. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/medart/OurServices.htm#GraphicDesign>.

 "History." History. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://prosthetic-limbs.yolasite.com/history.php>.

In this week’s lecture, I was surprised to see what is considered robotic! The most interesting part was the fact that the printing press is kind of the start of it all. Another aspect that I have always had a fascination with is the assembly line and the use of machinery to break up one job to many which makes production faster. I believe this is what people think when they think robots; machinery taking over. Although we see Robots as and art and also part of science, in a sociological perspective Robots ARE feared for various reasons. An example (although silly) that came to mind as soon as I heard the lecture was that of the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). The father of young Charlie loses his job due to the use of machinery. In the end, his father gets another job fixing the machine because it breaks down

This is a common fear of people within society. Another common misconception about robots and robotic like figures is that they are considered futuristic. Even the use of machinery in the work place changes the atmosphere of the work place.

Another aspect which relates more to the use of Robots as an entity with characteristics far different from humans is the movie Iron Giant (1999). Although this use of the world Robot really relates to the Cold War and the use of atomic weapons, a young buy finds a Robot who then in the end saves the world.

I asked a couple of my peers, if they had to  choose a word science or art to describe robots they all said science. This goes to show that although robots have an art aspect to them in the way their made and designed, the overall feel of what a robot really is, is science.

Sources and Links

"Our 20 Favorite Movie Robots." Screen Rant. 28 June 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://screenrant.com/20-awesome-movie-robots-mikee-121204/3/>.

"Walter Benjamin - Biography." Walter Benjamin. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.egs.edu/library/walter-benjamin/biography/>.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory_(film)>.

"America's History in the Making." — Unit 14: Industrializing America. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <https://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/units/14/>.

"The Iron Giant." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129167/>.

Week Two

In this week’s lecture and reading, we went over the mathematical view in art. I am lucky enough to have had “performing arts” math and science teachers in high school that let us explore science and math through performance and art. I think in viewing art and math as well as art in science, it gives us a very idea of art. In exploring the fourth dimension as discussed in the Henderson reading, lines and contours are very apparent. The use of geometric shapes to create a space that “leaves the plane” all plays in math. I was most interested in the fact Max Weber subscribed to the fourth dimension view.

In this painting by Max Weber, you can’t really tell where this painting begins or end. It’s a very abstract piece of art that can’t just be appreciated a first glance or just one glance. The intricate lines make it taller while the rounder shapes make it deeper. If we were ever to even try to make this types of shape in real life, it would take a lot of science in understanding the material best fit to uphold this shape as well as math in order to make sure everything was calculated exactly as the painting.

This happens to be a bit more abstract than the art shown in lecture but I believe still carries the same type of outline that those pieces of art did.

Sources:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Facunix.wheatonma.edu%2Fjsklensk%2FArt_Fall12%2Finclass%2Ffourth%2520dimension%2Fweber.html&ei=XmcrVZqUB47hoAS9iICYCg&psig=AFQjCNEQVhzfgMxb71VVD7bDL__RK08W4Q&ust=1428993187962912

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/weber_4.shtm

http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/jsklensk/Art_Fall12/inclass/fourth%20dimension/weber.html

http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.71593.html

Hello Everyone! My name is Martha Galán and I am a fourth year sociology student. I am looking forward to this class and incorporating art into the sciences. Working at a school, I believe that by visually stimulating students with any given subject, it really intrigues them to any subject that in other words would be considered "boring." Coming from a performing arts background, I have learned to incorporate arts into many different areas of academia to make it more entertaining. As for the two different cultures at UCLA, many of us use it in our everyday language. We refer to buildings and common areas to "north campus" and "south campus". The same goes for other aspects of life. We separate our worlds very differently and act differently in those worlds. I think one of the most reoccurring is the difference between American culture and my Mexican culture. Of course my definition of American culture dwindles down to white culture and the assimilation to white culture, but nonetheless its still a culture I have been a part of. On the other hand is my Mexican culture I associate very closely with. Growing up I was always encouraged to learn about history and both of my cultures. As time went on, the difference between the two became more and more apparent. Then in college, Chicano culture was introduced to me. Within this realization, I started believing there could be a possible happy medium between the two. As I get older, I do associate more with the Mexican culture and it arts but I associate more with American values. There will always be an overlap and separation at the same time, but in the end both cultures are a part of me on a daily basis.