KatherineMcNamaraDESMA9

Katherine McNamara  Event 1: Color, Light, and Motion Featuring Ryszard Kluszcyński Our wonderful speaker, Ryszard W. Kluszcyński      I attended the Color, Light, and Motion virtual event on Zoom on Saturday, April 27th. This event was special because it focussed on cybernetics in contemporary art and the works of Wen-Ying Tsai. With Ryszard's introduction to Wen-Ying Tsai and cybernetics, he mentioned a spark of interest in the subject during the 1950s-1960s that has since declined. I immediately wondered if the interest in cybernetics in the 50s and 60s differs from the present day because technology has advanced. In the 50s and 60s, cybernetics could have been perceived with wonder and excitement for what’s possible. Today, I feel that people approach technology with skepticism and fear because there have been major societal changes due to it (and not everyone loves change).  Cybernetic Art! I thought the relationship between cybernetics artists and n...

   Art and MedTech X-Ray Art      When thinking about MedTech and art my first thought was of X-Ray art pieces that use the body and other objects in an X-Ray image. Some artists may alter existing X-Rays and some may manipulate objects to create a specific image that appears on the X-Ray. I always found this type of art to be incredibly compelling because it uses the internal appearance of objects to convey a message.  ACL-Patella Tendon Graft!  This week’s lectures increased my liking and respect for MedTech art because it is incredibly diverse. I never considered surgery as an art form until it was mentioned in a lecture because the purpose is largely to give aid to people. However, surgery is commonly referred to as a performance because surgeons are skillfully reconstructing or repairing body parts to restore or alter them. Even though we focused on plastic surgery in lectures, I think all forms of surgery can qualify as art. Last January, I had A...

 Art and Robotics  My favorite anime, Hunter x Hunter Last quarter I took JAPAN 75 here at UCLA which w as centered around the history of Japanese anime. In JAPAN 75, we spent 3 weeks watching anime films with robot characters because they appeared in early animated films in Japan frequently. Japan is a very technologically advanced country in terms of mechanics, electronics, and transportation. The acceptance of robotic characters in Japan is probably more positive than in a country that is unfamiliar with technology. The reaction to robotic characters is similar in America, the world's second most technologically advanced country.  Astro Boy taking flight! The first robot anime we watched was Astro Boy which Professor Machiko Kusahara spoke largely about. Astro Boy depicted robots as emotional and human-like creations with incredible abilities. There were good robots and bad robots alike but, Astro Boy was mainly a hero for humans. I think this film made robots look cu...

Art and Mathematics       In my mind, art and mathematics existed independently as different tools until this week’s content. Art was abstract and creativ e whereas mathematics was logical and static. When I went through traditional mathematics courses such as geometry and algebra I wasn’t taught about the role they play in art. Additionally, I don't always associate architecture, music, film, photography, and other expressive forms of skill with the word "art" because every art class I took centered around painting. Through Professor Vesna, Flatland, and the various artists we looked at this week I realized art and mathematics are all around me in places I don't recognize. Math In Art      The intertwinement of art and mathematics can be hidden through beauty and perspective. We don’t acknowledge the golden  ratio, fractals, or perspective in front of us at first glance. The angles and proportions are hard to identify when they encompass such cr...

  Katherine McNamara: Week 1 Blog Post Two Cultures: Art and Science        After reading “Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution” by C.P. Snow I viewed his two cultures, art and science, as socially constructed communities for people to fall into. There are elements of categorization and division that come into play with society’s view of science and art. Seeing scientists with peers outside their culture voluntarily hanging around is an unusual image to see in popular culture or real life. Laboratories, research facilities, offices, libraries, classrooms, and art studios are all spaces used intentionally to grant people isolation from the outside world. UCLA Campus Map On our campus, all of our STEM classes are on the South campus separated from humanities classes on the North. While I understand the convenience of having classes near each other for the commute to class, the separation of people through space limits their interactions with those...