Week 4: Medtech + Art - Everything is About our Bodies

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the human body, especially the processes that go about repairing damage both internally and cosmetically. These processes have created a major factor driving me to pursue a career in medicine and the care of the human body. Viewing the body has always been a point of interest for physicians, as imaging of the body has evolved from drawings of dissections to 3D scans. The portrayal of the human body all depends on the nature of the person viewing the image: do they want to see the internal organs of the body, do they want to see the proportion of the body relative to its function, or do they just want to see the exterior to capture the beauty of a human body.

The homunculus, and the corresponding cortical regions
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html

Having a background in neuroscience, I have been exposed to the importance of neural control of our body. This brings me to the homunculus - a graphic representation of the importance of what sections of our body require the most brainpower. As seen here and in many other representations, the human brain prioritizes certain parts of the body, mainly the limbs that have dexterity and the mouth. The reason certain parts of the body have more brain region dedicated to it is that we rely a lot on our ability to handle objects as well as to taste food. The homunculus is an excellent example of an illustration based on function, which many physicians use today for assessing brain injuries.

A patient with Surgical Marker indicating areas meant for surgery

With the advancement of medical practices also comes the evolution of the roles that physicians play in general. The Hippocratic Oath that physicians have made since the time of the ancient Greeks is an example of this change in principle. What used to be a simple promise to treat patients to the best of their abilities has become bogged down by legal liability and changes in perspective on sensitive issues like abortion and euthanasia. Another ethical dilemma that certain specialized physicians encounter is the possibility of plastic surgery. Originally invented to return veterans with severe wounds to normal appearances, reconstructive surgery began being implemented on everyday citizens who wished to change something cosmetic about their body. Issues include the possibility for minors to get plastic surgery and the risks outweighing the benefits.

A cadaver in position for the shot.
http://itsnogrannysmith.com/2012/07/19/bodies

Another ethical dilemma for human bodies and art is the portrayal of actual humans as art exhibits. The main ones I refer to are exhibits that have human bodies on display. It has real people who have died portrayed in daily activities. The ethical concern comes from how the bodies are obtained: there is no clear proof of consent for the sources of many bodies that are exhibited in shows like this. Despite the origin of the bodies, the portrayals of people in everyday situations has a kind of beauty to it when you know what your body looks like and how it works when you shoot a basketball.



Reference:

Derycke, Pieter. "Feeding Your Homunculus: Food for Thought."WordPress.com. WordPress.com. 14 Oct 2013. Web. 22 April 2015

"Forever Young: The Rise of Plastic Surgery in the Age of the Selfie." redorbit.com. RedOrbit.com 30 Nov 2014. Web. 22 April 2015

Mousavi, Seyed-Reza. "The Ethics of Aesthetic Surgery." Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery. 2010 Jan-Apr 3(1): 38-40 Web. 22 April 2015

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." NOVA. PBS. 27 March 2001. Web. 22 April 2015

Ulaby, Neda. "Origins of Exhibited Cadavers Questioned." npr.com/science. NPR.com. 11 Aug 2006. Web. 22 April 2015

Week 3: Robotics + Art - In Our Own Image

Turner, Joseph mallard William. Rain, Steam and
Speed-The Great Western Railway. (1844)

Have you noticed how many robots in films and other forms of art have a close resemblance to humans? From Frankenstein to Sonny, robots given to us through the years appear to have some representation of humanity whether it is anatomically or behaviorally. These robots are usually not alone - they are usually part of a product line, and idea that stems back to the introduction of the assembly line made known by Henry Ford. The ability to create multiple copies of something started back with the onset of the Industrial age. But why is this? I think that our creation of robots is evidence of humanity's desire to become gods - we want the ability to create life.

Likewise, artists try to create life from their pieces of work, however the ability to produce identical copies of anything have led to what some call the loss of 'aura' in art. According to Walter Benjamin, "by making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence." Benjamin argues that because we are becoming more and more accustomed to seeing identical copies of pictures the same object, it does not allow for different interpretations of the same idea. Douglas Davis points out that this feared event never happened, and it can be seen in the many art forms that blossomed during the Industrial Revolution, such as Romanticism. One of the major art forms of the time and noted as perhaps the most emotionally driven, the Industrial Revolution allowed for a plethora of new perspectives of the same scene to appear, all based on the artists' impression of their environment.

The Industrial Revolution along with the advent of the assembly line helped lay the groundwork for our path to create multiple products with precision. The purpose for creating smarter and smarter machines stems from the want to make our own lives easier. For example, in the movie I, Robot, robots are made with the intention of serving humans while following Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics highlighted in his short essay "Runaround":

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. 

Our continuous desire to create life, specifically intelligent life, is seen with the production of smarter and smarter technology. This all began with the creation of simple machine, ones that require human interaction in order for them to work. These differ from modern "smart" machines - robots close to reaching autonomy. The reasoning for creating an 'artificial intelligence' stems from both the desire to to make our lives easier as well as the desire to create another thinking entity A great example is the IBM machine Watson as seen on the game show Jeopardy. This supercomputer soundly trounced the two human champions, which brings up the question of if/when the computer intelligence we have created will surpass that of humans. 

Watson dominates Jeopardy. 

Reference:

Asimov, Isaac. "Runaround." Astounding Science Fiction. 1942. Print.

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Shocked/Random House. 1936. Print.

Best, Jo. "IBM Watson: The inside story of how the Jeopardy-winning supercomputer was born, and what it wants to do next." TechRepublic. No date. Web. 18 April 2015

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction." Leonardo. Third Annual NewYork Digital Salon. 28(5): 381-386

Drum, Kevin. "The Robotic Revolution will not be a Rerun of the Industrial Revolution." Mother Jones. 30 Aug 2013. Web. 18 April 2015

Week 2: Math + Art -- It's All About Perspective

I never viewed math as a separate entity compared to art, and there have been many classes throughout my life that have intertwined the two. Physics, using math, explains how different harmonics are used in music, and many forms of architecture are found to have its foundations derived from geometry. What I have come to notice is that as mathematics evolves and paradigms shift, it is reflected in both science and art, as scientists and artists apply the newly found rules to their fields. Particularly, the introduction of perspective began a brand new way of creating art, giving the viewer a sense of distance into the artwork, something that I failed to see in artwork before.

An example of perspective illustration, where all lines lead to a single point

Advancements in mathematics changed everything - they changed the way art was created and they expanded the ideas of both science and world culture among other things. With the introduction of perspective, artists began to make very realistic paintings. Brunelleschi applied the use of a vanishing point in his art, using geometry in many of his works. Alberti followed up on his work in perspective, saying that mathematics is the common ground between science and art. Personally, I like this form of art, as it brings to life the reality of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional medium.


No one, in my opinion, better applied mathematics to both art and science than the great Leonardo da Vinci. In one of his most famous paintings, the Last Supper, da Vinci used perspective to subtly draw all attention to the center figure in Jesus Christ. His application of one-point perspective demonstrates how the greatest minds of the time were influenced by this new art form. He used perspective as well as other mathematically based forms to create many of the world's most famous paintings, such as the golden ratio. This form combined with the ideal proportions of the human body can be seen in the Vitruvian man. Based on the ideas of the Roman architect Vitruvius, this illustration combines both science and art, as the anatomy of a man can be seen outreached to touch the edges of a square and the circumference of a circle.

This illustration demonstrates the close association between math, art, and science. Da Vinci was one  who could apply mathematical concepts to work, the results of which have immortalized his name. His example shows that there is still overlap between the two seemingly separate worlds of both science and art, bridged together through the science/art of mathematics.

References:

Edgerton, Samuel Y. "One-Point Perspective." The Renaissance Rediscovery of Linear Perspective. Basic Books (1975).

Henderson, Linda D. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion." Leonardo. 17-3 (1984): 205-210

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt-1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov" Cole UC online. Youtube. 9 April 2012. Web. 11 April 2015.

"One-Point Perspective." 2Draw Wiki. 5 July 2005. Web. 11 April 2015

"Vitruvian Man - The Proportions of the Human Figure." davincilife.com. Web. 11 April 2015. http://www.davincilife.com/vitruvianman.html

War of Images, Images of War - Getty Museum

"There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity. Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene."

-Ernest Hemingway

This quote by American novelist and World War 1 veteran Ernest Hemingway summarizes a shifted attitude towards what many people now call the Great War. In the beginning millions of young men flocked to local recruitment centers, thinking that the conflict would be a rite of passage, a quick test of bravery as their nation quickly overwhelmed the opposition. Little did they know of the horror and suffering that would linger over Europe for years to come. This was the first war where modern technology was applied on an industrial level: it was the first time that the world saw chemical weapons and the widespread use of machine guns. One of the themes I noticed while looking at the artwork of the time was the shift of hatred towards the enemy to a warning about the perils of war.

A map depicting the Triple Entente defending itself from invaders

The portrayal of a German gunning down a helpless child.

To create national pride, countries tried to channel their energy into fighting a national enemy. French propaganda portrays Germany as a bully in an attempt to instill hatred. Published in  1915, this scene represents the enormity of Germany's threat to France and all others. Likewise, the French were not the only ones to use this tactic. The Triple Alliance, made of Germany, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, depict themselves as the hero and the enemy as the instigator.

Later artwork of the time featured a more disturbing perspective of the war. Many artists who went to war looking for inspiration found suffering and darkness, a theme that is consistent over the later part of the war. They saw the mechanization of war in the form of mass death from the international, industrial war machines. Chemical weapons, machine guns, flamethrowers, and tanks revolutionized how wars would be fought from that point forward. With the increase in killing capability came an increase in the death toll in the war. Artwork from this time reflects the fear and chaos surrounding the Great War. With the beginning of a new age in terms of warfare and industry, the art associated with this time frame saw a shift from optimism and nationalism to a darker theme marking the effects war can have on the human psyche.


References:

de Groux, Henry. Massacre. 1914-1916. Etching with soft ground etching. Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Iribe, Paul. After The Execution. Jan 1915. Color woodcut and letterpress. Getty Museum, Los Angeles

"Prologue." The Great War, and the Shaping of the 20th Century. PBS. KCET/Los Angeles and BBC. 10 Nov 1996. Television

Sass, Erik. "12 Technological Advances of World War 1." Mental Floss. Mental_floss.com. 17 Oct 2013. Web. 11 Apr 2015

Trier, Walter. Map of Europe in the Year 1914. Nov 1915. Map/illustration. Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Week 1: Two Cultures

"The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution" highlights a growing separation between the scientific and artistic lifestyles, a divide that has grown rather prevalent in my life. Snow points out how each culture holds stereotypes about the other, and the ones that are retained throughout the years are the more negative viewpoints. His concern that the two are separating even further is warranted - I have noticed on the UCLA campus that "South Campus" majors (Science, Engineering) hold some negative stigmas about "North Campus" majors (Humanities), and the same can be said for vice versa as well.

An artist's interpretation of the cross between science and art.

In these two large, mostly separate circles of influence I believe there lies a fairly popular common ground: science fiction. This small overlap of science and fantasy allows for the creativity of the improbable to blend with the science of alternate realities. I think science fiction is a great bridge between the two, and I think it negotiates "the gap between the canon of rationality and the fluid poetic" as said in Vesna's "Toward a Third Culture: Being in between." This article speaks towards the communication between scientists and humanists, a relationship I feel is particularly strong in this particular culture.

A starship from recent sic-fi film Guardians of the Galaxy

My brother and I in Alaska

I come from a family that is divided between the two cultures. My brother pursues Animation and Graphic Design, while I attempt to walk the path of medicine and biology. As a "left-minded" thinker, I like to analyze everything that I do, sometimes to my detriment. As a "right-minded" person, my brother has extremely creative ideas although he often does not account for the practicality of his ideas. A major motivation for taking this class is to learn how science and art can better co-exist so that my family can have more in common.


References:

Cullen, E. "Science vs Arts: Is There Any Contest?" universitytimes.ie 23 Oct 2013. Web. 03 Apr 2015 

Leong, S. "College Boys in Alaska." 07 July 2013. Web. 04 Apr 2015

McWeeny, D. "Star-Lord' and his spaceship are front and center in New Guardians of the Galaxy Images." hitfix.com. 17 Feb 2014. Web. 03 Apr 2015

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web.