Extra Event #2: What’s wrong with fat?

It is very lucky to get to see the specialists working in different areas to share their thoughts about “what’s wrong with fat”. The organizer is very great as we have professors from department of sociology, gender studies, medical school and the author of the book to talk to us their own knowledge or opinions over this issue. Their differentiated perspectives help the audience learn about this more holistically.

The guest speakers are very professional and they share some wonderful ideas over the issue of fatness. They first share about their feelings/thoughts after reading the book, and then talk about their own experience related to this topic. I thought it is common sense that being fat means being unhealthy. There are definitely health risks from being fat, but people tend to put too much attention on the negative effect on this issue.

I like professors sharing their opinions which may not be coherent with the viewpoints from the book. In fact, the guest speakers talked about what part of the book that they disagree with the author. Before stepping into the conference room, I thought that this talk will be fairly one-sided. However, the guest speakers share something different from the points in the book, which is very interesting to me and lead me to more brainstorming.

I also appreciate the author’s effort of looking at the fatness issue from a standpoint of a sociologist. I also have some fat friends, and sometimes their fatness may be something which causes them to get teased. I have never thought about the social impact of fatness and how people should look at this issue. This talk brought me a lot of fresh thoughts and made to reflect on my personal feelings over the topic.

I really appreciate this opportunity to listen to professors from different departments to talk about the issue of fatness. I will probably read this book during the winter break. I guess I will definitely enjoy reading it as I gained so much from this talk.

the guest speakers and the author of the book

the host

having lunch before the event

Reference:

"What's Wrong with Fat? A Book Discussion with Abigail Saguy." — Center for the Study of Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.csw.ucla.edu/events/whats-wrong-with-fat-a-book-discussion-with-abigail-saguy>.

"UCLA Professor Abigail Saguy on What's Wrong with Fat?" Reason.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/03/18/ucla-professor-abigail-saguy-on-whats-wr>.

"What's Wrong with Fat?" - Hardcover. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://global.oup.com/academic/product/whats-wrong-with-fat-9780199857081?cc=us>.

Extra event #1: Fowler Museum

I have been taking classes in Fowler since freshman year, but I have never been to a single showroom in Fowler before this visit. I thought that Fowler Museum is always there, just a few minutes away from any building on campus, so I do not have the intention of going there. I really regret for that, and I should visit Fowler again before graduation.

The above art piece is very interesting to me. It is a female figure found at Murik Lakes, Coastal Sepik region, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea for 19th century or earlier. Just looking at the human face, I believe that it is hard to tell whether this is a male or female figure. This one is more like monkey look rather than a modern human face. I wonder if this is a good-looking or not so pretty girl at that period. I wonder what a typical male face is like. I wonder what the art piece is made for. Is it made by a professional or just some amateurs?  I guess I have too much curiosity over one single art piece, but it is pretty fun to make guesses on such things.

There are several exhibitions going on in the museum, and I find out that most of that have strong connection with history. This piques my interest as history has been my favorite subject since very young. No matter which country that the history refers to, the things from ancient times and the process of historical development always interest me to a large extent. When looking at something from the past and reading the description of it, I will always think about how people at that time use or deal with it. I will try to imagine how I will live and what I can do at that time period. Imagining things in old time is always very fun.

Reference:

"Overview of Collections | Fowler Museum at UCLA." Overview of Collections | Fowler Museum at UCLA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/collections>.

"Current Exhibitions | Fowler Museum at UCLA." Current Exhibitions | Fowler Museum at UCLA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/current>.

"Publications | Fowler Museum at UCLA." Publications | Fowler Museum at UCLA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/publications>.

Event #3: Le Reve-The Dream

I was in Vegas during Thanksgiving holiday and got a chance to watch “Le Reve-The Dream”, a water ballet show with the help of modern technology. When I was in the theater, I was very impressed by the visual impact of the entire show, and I believe that this show is a perfect combination of art and technology.

    a photo taken before the show

This show wish to set up a warm, romantic and mysterious environment and it aims to put all the audience to feel like in a dream. The storyline is quite old-fashioned: the female protagonist and the male protagonist met and fell in love, then separated, and then got together again in the end. There are 84 cast members in this show, including several clowns, dancers, swimmers and generalists. Besides them, this show is very well supported by a large group of backstage people, such as musicians, technicians, doctors and stage management people. Some of the swimmers were former participants in Olympic Games. All of their dedications and effort make this event a huge success.

       the aqua elevator stage

Technology is widely used on the stage. I am always very interested in stage 

management, as great stage management will lift the show to a higher level. Stage lighting, including lasers and fog machines, is the key factor in creating great visual impact. The elevator stages with the control of water level enable the performance to be conducted in a changing environment. The wire suspension system helps the performers to fly and guarantees the safety of each of them.

       the wire suspension system

I am very impressed by the visual impact of this performance. I feel the power of Le Rêve – The Dream's provocative twist on water ballet. From a thrilling high-dive to an underwater tango, the show mesmerizes me from beginning to end. The Aqua Theater is so intimate, and I feel like I am part of the dream.



         great visual impact

If given a chance, I will be very happy to watch this show again. It is a wonderful journey of romance, action and fantasy.

Reference:

"Le Rêve - The Dream." /event/le-rve---the-dream/8152/?src=paidmedia|7779905|714784|100802357|274031936|0|. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.lasvegas.com/event/le-rve---the-dream/8152/>.

Event #2: Hammer Museum

I was very happy to get a chance visiting Hammer Museum with a couple of friends. Hammer Museum provides a wonderful platform for students to learn about various artists and their great artworks. I believe building this museum is a great investment from the school and it is really great having a trip there at zero cost.



In the first place, the project “Cabaret Crusades” catches my attention. The Egyptian artist Wael Shawky initiated this project to tell the story of Crusades by showing puppet films about this period of time. I like his idea of using puppet in this short film. Puppet is created in ancient time and is a perfect representative of ancient art. The usage of puppet is the key element which enhances the mythical atmosphere of the film.




"a screenshot of the puppet film"


Secondly, I am very interested in a drawing called “View of Maya” by Forrest Bess. I guess most people do not understand what the artist is trying to convey in this masterpiece. The description tells me that the view of Maya refers to spiritual duality, illusions and other ideas of consciousness. I believe the contrast between the two colors in this painting represents the duality part. The stripes in line show some form of patterning and regularity. In the other hand, the purposely made overlapping of colors may refer to the uncertainty of illusions. I like these two colors the artist used in this painting. These two colors strengthen the contrast without have too much visual impact to me.



“View of Maya”



Lastly, I am intrigued by the masterpiece “Le passe. Le present. L’avenir.(Past, Present, Future)“ by French artist Honore Daumier. The artist intended to show the untruthfulness and snobbishness of politicians. I believe the most interesting part of this artwork is the difference in the three stages. The facial expression gets most intense when it comes to future. It seems to be the same expression for all three at first sight, but I find differences in the shape of eyebrows and mouth. Putting the three stages together strengthens the visual impact of this art piece.




“Le passe. Le present. L’avenir.(Past, Present, Future)“



There are a lot more masterpieces to explore in Hammer Museum. I will definitely recommend my friends not taking this class to visit because the artworks are very insightful which always make me think. Sometimes the artwork is just too profound that I do not even know what the description means.

photos taken with the staffs





Reference:

"Collections - Hammer Museum." Collections - Hammer Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://hammer.ucla.edu/collections/collections>.

"Exhibitions - Hammer Museum." Exhibitions - Hammer Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/exhibitions>.

"Programs - Hammer Museum." Programs - Hammer Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://hammer.ucla.edu/programs/programs>.

Event #1: GLOW

The first event for this class I went with a group of friends is GLOW at Santa Monica Beach on September 28. This is a wonderful all-night experience featuring original commissions by various artists for their thoughtful artworks. I did not know this event before taking this class. It was really great participating in this huge artistic party.


The first artwork we saw was Djoko Walujo’s “Java: Land of Dreams”. A group of students performed Javanese dance with the beautiful gamelan accompaniment. This reminds me of my experience of studying and playing gamelan during high school days. Gamelan is a set of traditional Indonesian instruments and it requires great collaboration of all the performers. In ancient Indonesia, gamelan will only be used for very serious religious rituals or major festival celebrations, and it is a great part of the traditional Indonesian culture.


     "photo taken before the performance"

The second artwork piquing my interest was Rebecca Mendez’s Circumsolar Migration. The artist managed to record the whole process of a sea bird flying from Arctic to Antarctic. It experiences two polar summers of 24-hour daylight each year, which makes it the one creature in the world that experiences the most daylight, a reality appropriate to Glow. The artwork is also a video portrait of the artist herself. The artist is a Mexican immigrant. She told us that she had a hard time of adapting to the new environment when first moving to United States.


          "With Rebecca Mendez"


Lastly, we got a chance to talk to our Professor Victoria Vesna for her “Octopus Mandala Glow”. Professor Vesna invites people all over the world to “occupy the wheel”. Nowadays, modern technology has been playing an increasingly important role in our daily life. Professor initiated this event to stop people from being controlled and driven by the technology. Ferris wheel has been invented long ago and it is a representative of modern technology in this case. People “occupy the wheels” so as to convey the idea of “humans controlling technology”. People should be aware of the negative effect of heavy reliance on technology. Other than technology, there are definitely things which are more significant in our life.



           "With out professor"



       "I am an octopus!!"

I really appreciate the chance of participating in such a great artistic event. It will be great if I can be there again next year!

Reference:

"Glow Santa Monica." Glow New Home Page Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://glowsantamonica.org/>.

Week 9 Blog Post: Space+Art

This topic for this week is space and art. It seems to be hard for me to think of any link between these two terms. However, after watching the lecture videos, I feel that there are several connections between art and space.


Firstly, the powers of Ten interests me most because most people do not really have a clear understanding of how big the space is. To think about that there are more planets out there and to think there could be other forms of life broadens the perspective of human beings. Besides, the contrast between the space and an atom make me think a lot. The space is definitely something we need to explore more because there is no limit for human beings to expand our knowledge of the space. In the other hand, an atom seems to very small, but we still need to put in more effort as people still knows little about the atomic world. The powers of Ten teaches human beings to never underestimate the complicated nature of the world.

The Milky Way Galaxy from the film, Powers of Ten, by Charles and Ray Eames

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/powersof10/45841/images/45841-hi-10_21.jpg

Secondly, I was very interested in the part of lecture mentioning Apollo 11. The manned lunar landing means a lot as it was a historic day in human beings. It is unbelievable that the astronauts were able to have a conversation with students in Maryland from space. I find several interesting things NASA has done on its official website in the past. For example, NASA hosts “Human in space” Youth Art Competitions to raise awareness of the NASA researches and projects among the youth. NASA has several endeavors to promote space science and technology using art as a form of platform.

Apollo 11 liftoff from launch tower camera

http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/39961.jpg

The last lecture mentions several movies and TV productions about space and art. The space technology indirectly boosts the film industry as it provides great ideas and sources for movies like 'The Core,' 'Gravity' and 'Tomorrow'. Since space science is an interesting topic to the public, the movie producers will be very happy to adopt it into the movies.

"Invasion '55"-one of the early movies with space science in 50s

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0e1wCuO629Q7nuHev4AFhQcSpGmdpbShyphenhyphenRLIVRdys27skuery7M3iQOnmC3ePN6r5f8Zn7k1uxf4wmOprxOQxaBY7n2KTprpVNBUYZvmLi4-iKvr7XstwTS9C-wSiLoa8ZPmSSi5iy0/s1600/inv55_0001.jpg

All in all, space science and art get connected in several different areas, and the advancement of space science actually inspires the artists to produce more artworks. It is great to see the positive mutual effect between art and space science.

Reference:

"Powers of Ten. Based on the Film by Charles and Ray Eames. An Eames Office Website."Powers of Ten. Based on the Film by Charles and Ray Eames. An Eames Office Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. <http://www.powersof10.com/film>.

"Powers of Ten: How the Eames' Experimental Film Changed the Way We Look at Chicago-and the Universe." Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2012/12/powers_of_ten_how_charles_and_ray_eames_experimental_film_changed_the_way.html>.

NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/november/nasa-astronauts-chat-live-from-space-station-with-maryland-students/>.

Dunbar, Brian. NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html>.

Lowodourink. "Modern Science Fiction Space Movies." IMDb. IMDb.com, 10 June 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/list/Y9BzN28vGPU/>.

Week 8 Blog Post: Nanotechnology+Art

The topic this week is nanotechnology and Art. There are several parts of the lecture influenced my understanding of this topic. The Blue Morpho Butterfly is the first thing piques my interest in this topic. The wings of the butterfly are not colored on its surface. What really happens is a manipulation of the photons which make our eye to see the color of blue. The nanotechnological approach is very interesting in the sense that a phisically small and tiny change will cause huge impact just like the color change. This method of “coloring” is also responsible for the colors of beetle shells, mother-of-pearl, soap bubbles, and the feathers of hummingbirds, blue jays, and pheasants.

A picutre of Blue Morpho Butterfly

http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/images/content/blueMorpho.jpg

Secondly, the Nano-scientists create a barrier to maintain the air pressure and bounce of the inner core of the tennis ball, Air D-Fense. This barrier extends the lifetime of each tennis ball to a double. I thought that nanotechnology is a cutting-edge science which may not be applicable in the real life of a normal human like me. However, this example changes my mind because I am a tennis lover. I believe that this barrier will reduce millions of people’s cost of buying new tennis ball. The professional tennis players will definitely love this because they save more money than a normal person. Nanotechnology is everywhere.

A thorough explanation of how the air barrier works

http://www.anntincheng.com/files/gimgs/14_picture-24.png

Lastly, the application of nanotechnology in the field of medicine may be one of the most beneficial ones to human beings. One example of nano-medicine is the use of nanotechnology for brain cancer. Nano-medical materials, which are modified at the atomic or molecular level, may have the potential to be game-changers for brain cancer patients. The blood-brain barrier (BBB), a semi-permeable membrane of tightly knit capillary endothelial cells that protects the brain from harmful substances in the blood, and the tumor cell membrane itself. Nanotechnology can be used for saving people’s life given that the death rate from brain cancer is one of the highest among all the other kinds of cancers.

the effect of the use of nano-medicines for brain cancer

http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v12/n11/images_article/nmat3792-f3.jpg

All in all, the use of technology has created huge impact into people’s life. Personally, I really appreciate the effort of the nano-scientists to improve the quality of my life. It will be great if it can be applied to save people’s lives just like the nano-medicines.

Reference:


"Butterflies | Causes of Color." Butterflies | Causes of Color. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/15A.html>.


"Nanotechnology To Double The Life Of Tennis Balls and Improve Tyres - New Product."Nanotechnology To Double The Life Of Tennis Balls and Improve Tyres - New Product. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=319>.


NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23738667>.


"About Dana Press." Treating Brain Cancer with Nanomedicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <https://www.dana.org/news/features/detail_bw.aspx?id=35592>.


"15 Astonishing Real-Life Applications of Nanotechnology | Urbanist." WebUrbanist RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://weburbanist.com/2008/08/17/15-astonishing-real-life-applications-of-nanotechnology/>.

Week 7 Blog Post: Neuroscience+Art

The topic for this week is mechanization and art. Firstly, The Global Conscious Project really piques my interest. I never thought that there could be something which makes people to have the same reaction to it.  The project focuses on finding the common things of the brain activities among different people regarding various global issues. The scientists study the relationship between the brain activities. It is really amazing that the scientists actually found some common patterns in each person’s mind. This project reminds me of the universality of facial expressions which is the topic of my midterm project. There are a lot of things which human beings do not know about human bodies.  The advance of modern science and technology will help us gain more amazing findings in the future.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/GlobalCP.jpg/350px-GlobalCP.jpg 

Secondly, Sigmund Freud’s master piece “The Interpretation of Dreams” is very insightful and gives me a lot of ideas about neuroscience, especially dream. This book talks about how people understand themselves and getting more aware of their desires. In the Book, Freud mentioned that dreams are forms of wish fulfillment. In the dreams, people can get successful in things they have failed or have not completed. The setting and plot of the stories in the dreams may not be matching what happened in real life. This book really made people think and dig into such interesting areas in neuroscience.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Die_Traumdeutung_(Congress_scan).jpg/200px-Die_Traumdeutung_(Congress_scan).jpg

"the original title page of the book"

Another interesting point is that Jonah Lehrer believe that "memory is faulty and always changing. To remember is to misremember." Our brain is very active and is one of the strongest muscles in our body, but I feel that this is a very new perspective telling me the limitations of minds.

http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/Memory-hippocampus-brain-631.jpg

All in all, neuroscience and art correlate closely. There are a lot of interesting theories or scientific applications which attract many young talents to dig more into them. 

Reference:

"Smithsonian.com." Smithsonian Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/How-Our-Brains-Make-Memories.html>.


"Sigmund Freud. 1913. The Interpretation of Dreams." Sigmund Freud. 1913. The Interpretation of Dreams. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bartleby.com/285/>.


"Global Consciousness Project Home Page." Global Consciousness Project Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://noosphere.princeton.edu/intro_bottom.html>.


"Salon." Saloncom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.salon.com/2012/09/01/touring_the_brain/>.


"Jonah Lehrer." Jonah Lehrer. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.jonahlehrer.com/category/the-future-of-the-brain/>.

Week 6: BioTech+Art

This week’s topic is Biotechnology with art. Before watching the lecture video clips, I do not have a very clear understanding of the link between the two terms. The materials really broaden my perspectives and help me better understanding the relationship between such unlike ideas.

In part III of the lecture, professor Vesna discusses about Marta de Menezes’ artwork of modifying the genes of butterflies.  I believe that Marta’s initiative about this art piece is very nice, but this gets very controversial when people get to see the holes on the wings of the butterflies. I feel that Marta should take the courage to admit the horrible part of this artwork. I believe that the public will accept his apology if he is willing to say a few words as there are definitely uncertainties on modifying the genes of butterflies. I agree with Marta that this is a mix of art and life, but she should show more respect to the butterflies and the people who care about butterflies.

http://martademenezes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/BYCAUT27-copy-400x225.jpg
the butterfly with holes on its wings

At the end of part IV of the lecture, professor Vesna talks about Stelarc’s third ear. I feel that it looks horrible to me, but it is truly a very creative art piece which can bring people many fresh thoughts about what biotechnology can do for us. Human needs to admit and accept the limitations of human body, and biotechnology is definitely something which can improve the human conditions in the future.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/05/stelarc-ear.jpg

the picture of "third ear"

Another part of the lecture piquing my interest is the genetic Folk Art by George Gessert. In contrast with Marta de Menezes, George focuses on genetic modifications for aesthetics on plantations, especially flowers.  George’s work seems less horror to me even though the unethical part of changing the way of the flowers growing still exists.

http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/images_genetics_culture/gc_wk_02_gessert/gessert.jpg

George Gessert's art piece: Hybrid 487

All in all, I believe that the artists should pay more attention to the ethical part of the artwork. I am not saying that the artists should set self-restrictions and avoid any controversial ideas, I just feel that they should think about if their art pieces will lead to any discussions on other issues which drive the public’s attention away from the real art. 

Work sited:

"Nature?" Marta De Menezes. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://martademenezes.com/portfolio/projects/>.


"Leda." Marta De Menezes. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://martademenezes.com/portfolio/leda/>.


"For Extreme Artist Stelarc, Body Mods Hint at Humans’ Possible Future." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 30 Apr. 0012. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/05/stelarc-performance-art/>.


"Artist Gets an Extra Ear Implanted into His Arm." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/apr/14/performance-artist-ear-impant>.


"Green Light." The MIT Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/green-light>.

Week 4 Blog Post: Medicine + Technology + Art

This week’s topic is Medicine + Technology + Art. After reviewing all the materials, I feel that the lecture part 3 interests me most, as the issues and events mentioned in this part are closely related to our daily life.

First, professor Vesna touches on plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is definitely one of the hottest topics in modern society. There are a lot of discussions on its long-term potential threats to the human body and the moral side of the change on human appearance. I grow up in China, and there is an old Chinese saying, “All the body parts, hairs and the skin are given by the parents. Do not dare to make changes or harms to them, as this will be a form of disobedience to the parents.” Personally, I have a quite traditional mindset on this issue, and I feel that anything which may lead to potential threat to the human body is not a good avenue to pursue external beauty. I believe that is not worthy to get a 5-year “perfect” face with a series of recovering / maintenance operations in exchange for long-term health.




"The before and after Michael Jackson"
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/FTX1jQY5wHw/URCBVvGWUGI/AAAAAAAAA48/-9OgZccYa8M/s1600/michael-jackson-plastic-surgery-before-and-after.jpg



Besides, Professor Vesna mentions the application of modern technology in medical experiments. The most noticeable example is the Cyborg projects initiated by Professor Kevin Warwick. As professor Vesna mentions, the silicon chip transponder in Cyborg 1.0 and the electrode array in Cyborg 2.0 are very great electronic inventions for Parkinson’s disease, blindness, arthritis and schizophrenia. Before watching the video clip, I thought that there is not much technological application on medical treatment, and most of the similar technology like robotics is still for exhibition purposes. I personally feel that Professor Warwick’s study is very interesting, and hopefully his further study will help more people in the future.



               "Cyborg 1.0"

http://www.kevinwarwick.com/images/manmachine.jpg

           "cyborg 2.0"

http://www.kevinwarwick.com/images/Losh-t.gif

The relationship among medicine, technology and art has been strengthened throughout the progress of modern technology. Hopefully in the future, the application of technology in medicine and art will provide the human beings something more than the artistic effect. It will be great if the application of modern technology, like Professor Warwick’s Cyborg Project, can help more needy people.

Work cited:


Vesna, Victoria. Unit 4 Lecture Medtech+Art. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>


"《孝经》开宗明义章第一 原文 译文_国学智慧." 《孝经》开宗明义章第一 原文 译文_国学智慧. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://www.sophia.net.cn/gu/folder12/2007118/2274.Html>.


Goudreau, Jenna. "Top 10 Hidden Dangers Of Cosmetic Surgery." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/2011/06/16/top-10-dangers-cosmetic-surgery_slide.html>.

"The HisTory of Michael Jackson's Face." The HisTory of Michael Jackson's Face. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Jackson.html>.


"Kevin Warwick - Home Page." Kevin Warwick - Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://www.kevinwarwick.com/index.asp>.

Week 3 Blog post: Mechanization and Art

The topic for this week is mechanization and art. In the lecture, Professor Vesna mentions describes Walter Benjamin’s ideas as “he analyzes how mechanical reproduction destroys or put an end to the idea of uniqueness or authenticity or aura as he labeled it, in the work of art. The withering of aura is inevitable. The idea of originality is broken down. The idea of tradition is not as important and the idea of mechanical reproduction in his eyes emancipates the work of art from the dependence of the ritual.” I agree with Walter that mechanical reproduction devalues the idea of uniqueness and originality. I did a google search on “reproduction artwork”, and I got a list of art companies who reproduced artwork. The reproduction technology is so widespread, thus it depreciates the uniqueness. The picture below is a person in a art reproduction company trying to take a digital copy of the work.

http://www.fineprintimaging.com/images/artcopy1.jpg

However, I feel that there are also many great points brought up by the reproduction. A single artwork now can be viewed by people living in different places at the same time. The mechanization plays a huge role in promoting and advertising the art. People who have no prior contact with artworks can get more opportunities to comprehend the complexity and subtlety of art. The below is a list of web address for online museums. The public does not need to commute and can get access to see great art pieces easily from their houses.

http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/images/halverson_exh_banner.jpg

This is a photo available in the online museum.

Automobile industry is another example of showing the positive mutual influence of mechanization and art. Other the regular cars, different kinds of concept cars are produced to showcase new styling and new technology. For example, Buick Y-Job, widely regarded as the first concept vehicle in the world, is designed by the famous General Motors designer Harley Earl. It has great impact on the subsequent Buick cars and the concept of Buick Blackhawk. The imaginative and futuristic concepts of these cars wow audiences all around the world and give us a glimpse in to the future.

http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Buick/38-Buick-Y-Job-Concept-DV-08_PBC_01.jpg

This is a picture of a Buick Y-Job concept car.

All in all, I agree with Walter Benjamin that mechanization is detrimental to the development of artistic uniqueness and originality, but we cannot neglect the positive effects of mechanization on art.







Work sited:

Vesna, Victoria, Robotics pt1. Web. 18 Oct 2013.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew&feature=player_embedded>

Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” . UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Web. 18 Oct 2013
<http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm>.

"Art Copy Services for Fine Art Reproductions." Digital Art Copy. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.fineprintimaging.com/print_services/art_copy/>.

"Exhibitions." Online / American Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/>.

"Concept Cars and Prototype Vehicles - Vehicle Information from Concept to Production."Concept Cars and Automobile Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://files.conceptcarz.com/>.

Week 2 Blog Post: Mathematics and Art

The lectures and the readings for this week focus on elaborating the close relationship between Mathematics and Art. Most people take mathematics and art to be two very different subjects. In fact, there are a lot of intersections between these them. The artists incorporate mathematical concepts into their artistic work. The creative work done by mathematicians can be considered as a special form of art. In this weekly blog post, I will be discussing the interaction between mathematics and art in following two aspects: mathematics and architecture, mathematics and music.

This is a picture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The architect incorporates the concepts of non-Euclidean geometry into the Deconstrctivist architecture of the building. On its official website, the deeper meaning of the design is described as “resembling silver sails, the curves echo the billows in the auditorium and play off the bowed cornice of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, forging a link between new and old.” The penetration of geometry into architecture is definitely one of the greatest developments of architecture.

Nowadays, mathematics has even “invaded” music production. In the above video clip, it seems that the short piece of music is produced by different kinds of music instruments. In fact, this song is made by mathematical computer software, Matlab.

Furthermore, the above is a student Matlab project, “automatic piano music player”, which produced music from any input music text file. This shows that applying mathematics in music production is not a work of the best mathematician in the world. College students with good mathematical and computing knowledge will be able to get involved in the production of “mathematical music”!




Work Sited:


"ARCHITECTURE." Architecture. Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. <http://www.laphil.com/wdch10/wdch/architecture.html>.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles California. 2003. Photograph. PDPhoto, Los Angeles.

Anainanosh."matlab music wav" Online video clip. Youtube, Feb 27, 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

Rknox13."Automatic Piano Player - Engineering 6 Final Project" Online video clip. Youtube, Dec 4, 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

O'Connor, John; Robertson, Edmund F (July 2012). "Mathematics and Architecture". University of St Andrews. Retrieved December 11, 2012.

Blog Entry Week 1

The part III of the lecture touches me most. Gradually, the perpetuation of the stereotype into the education has affected the life of each and every individual student. The change in architecture is a sign of the influence of the corporate world to the schools. There are many other aspects where modern technology has “invaded” the old-schooled education systems. In this blog entry, I would like to discuss about the impact of the use of technology in general for education.I will touch heavily on iPad, as it is a symbolic product of modern technology. 

The shift in architecture reminds me of a piece of news in my high school regarding the adoption of iPad in the classroom environment. The school decided to use iPad instead of the textbook in the classroom.  We can see that some parents and the school administration held opposite opinions on the usefulness of modern technology.

Intuitively, people may think that the technology will make teaching and learning more efficient. 

Here is a video clip showing the various iPad apps which can help the students in schooling.

Every human can think of several benefits of using modern technology for education. However, I find a series of online video clips produced by Matthew Gudenius, an educational technologist illustrating why we should say no to iPad for education. 

The cost of using ipad to replace textbooks is $430,000.
http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/blogs/ipads-vs-textbooks-main.jpg

Although a few of his viewpoints may not be relevant to what I have been talking about, some others are unique and valid. He mentioned that iPad users do not have access to many websites, and iPads do not have USB or storage card slots. Thus, one of the most advanced technology-based products, iPad, has its limitations for education.

Since there is not strong prevalence in the use of iPad for education, we cannot really gain a clear conclusion about whether iPad is useful or not. In fact, the original idea of using modern technology for education is definitely to enhance teaching and learning. However, just like iPad, the application of science and technology may have its own limitations. Even for this class, we cannot really say if having an online course is better or worse than the real classroom setting. All in all, I feel that technology can be a double-sided sword which may create unnecessary obstacles for both teaching and learning. We have to be careful about the use of technology for education.



Work Sited:

uconlineprogram."TwoCultures pt3" Online video clip. Youtube, Apr 2, 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

"IPad 1:1 Programme." Web log post. River Valley High School Official Website. River Valley High School, n.d. Web.

Sim, Bryna. "News | Asiaone News." News | Asiaone News. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120201-325254.html>.

Nikki Egdamin. "iPad Apps for School: Planning, Reading, Notes, PDFs - School Tips" Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, Feb 12, 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Matthew Gudenius."Just Say NO to iPad for Education: Introduction & Overview" Online video clip. Youtube, May 8, 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.