Medicine, Technology, and Art

With some perspective into the connection between technology, and art, I find it difficult to find a direct correlation between art and medicine, as a plethora of medical advances are made possible by ingenuity in technology. Art here is a sort of, third element, and for a while, it laid vicariously on the sidelines. After uncovering some connections, the relationship seems to be linear, in which, art sparks technological ingenuity, which spurs advances in medicine, and so on.

The human body has always been the foundation of inspiration for the artist. Artists try their best to understand the world through perspective (ex: Human proportion). The most basic form of understanding the body was dissection, and with the help of modern technology, has helped scientists understand more about the human anatomy, and carved paths for artists to create a new way to see the masterpieces that we are shelled in as humans. I think this is best exemplified in the work done by Body Works, which utilizes the understanding and implications of medicine, technology, and art.

Picture of arteries & veins of a human torso.

The greatest achievement from this process is that we can see just how beautiful life is by looking at our bodies. But this is not always the case. Some medicine processes require more obscure methods of seeking knowledge defiles the human body. Such geniuses like as Wilhelm Rontgen were able to discover the wavelength of x ray's on the electromagnetic spectrum and helped solve the ethical issues of dissection to solve medical issues.

Unfortunately, the x ray wavelength is only able to look at human bones, but other technologies have helped us look at different layers of the human body, and increase our understanding of the masterpieces we reside in.

Works Cited:

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine pt2." Cole UC online. Youtube,  Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine pt3." Cole UC online. Youtube,  Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Body Medicine Lecture." . N.p.. Web. 26 Oct 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEgn-fZQ8po>.

"Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen - Biographical." Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen - Biographical. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

Levine, Jeffery M. "Webinar: Explorations in Medicine & Art." Jefferymlevinemd. Jeffery Levine, 12 July 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

Popova, Maria. "The Art of Medicine: Mapping the Body in 2,000 Years of Images and Imagination." Brain Pickings. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/03/the-art-of-medicine/>.

The Amazing Math

Prior to this week, I thought that I had a significant understanding between the influence of mathematics on science and art. I was wrong, and people, and it's clear that there is much more to understand about their symbiotic relationship. I thought long and hard about what Professor Vesna said about "art being used to teach". I think that this is a magnificent achievement of art as I think back to the days that I would try to learn addition on flash cards. But also, it makes me ponder on the significant role of mathematics in architecture. This vision that artists create makes the world a more beautiful place to live in, and with a little complex math and hydrogen bonding, it's possible to piece together a majestic building or display a giant robot based on a cartoon. Additionally, I think it's this imagination and creativity through art that plays a significant role in creating new technologies as well.

http://www.austria.info/media/13712/hungerburgbahn-innsbruck--oew-andreas-hofer-d.jpg

http://ihatepeacocks.com/resources/giant-gundam-robot-tokyo-22.jpg

While it's only recently that our dreams of walking with synthetic arms and limbs is starting to become a reality, it doesn't hinder our imagination in any way. We have individuals thinking beyond our current technological state and striving to mold their dreams into reality. Now, we have tests of humans controlling robotic arms with their minds, and it only proves that our imagination is limitless, making us confident in a future where dreams can be weld together with a little math.

Works Cited

Rodin, August "The Kiss", 1882 http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/collections/sculptures/kiss

Vesna, Victoria. Robotics Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. 2012. Video. YoutubeWeb. 19 Oct 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJcPtv7tnKY>.

Miller, Lisa. "Underwater Hotels: Five Things You Need To Know (PHOTOS)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 June 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Wickham, Chris. "Mind-controlled Robotic Arm Has Skill and Speed of Human Limb." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

"Mass production - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 19 Oct.

Math + Art DESMA 9

This week we learned how the development of mathematics has influenced the arts. After watching the lectures, I looked back at last week's lecture and remembered that there was a strong relationship between technology and art as well. Continuing with this idea, we can see how instruments such as the printing press were made through advances in technology, with the goal to distribute media to the masses. Additionally, we see how orgami (the art of paper folding) has opened doors in technological design by creating compact packaging solutions for airbags, parachutes, and telescopes.

(Oribtal Origami The James Webb Space Telescope)

(Dragon by Robert Lang) 

I think it's an understatement to say that something as simple as folding a paper crane has changed how people view mathematics, art, and science. I believe it's more proper to say that i technology is at its greatest when it simply disappears, and orgami does just that. Robert Lang stated that " Origami scratches all the itches that physics did and much more". After viewing his TED Talk on orgami, I immediately saw a relationship between art and science. I personally never realized how mathematically complex orgami was. I was never a fan of geometry, but now I see how it can be applied to real world situations. 

(orgaMIT club)

I researched Lang's design technique of "circle packing", and found out that the math algorithms used, revolutionized origami folding for artists, opening a new medium of expression and representation. Additionally, with the continuing research of orgami, scientists have been able to create compact telescopes, stents, and airbags. 

(Airbag tree - orgami - 3d render)

I think it's amazing to see the juxtaposition between art, science, and mathematics. Just as I find mutual friends in my current friends, the relationship between art, science, and mathematics shows me just how small the world. I found that the products around us carry such more thinking than we think. Simple designs like the wallet show us how design is so unappreciated in our world, when really, everything we look at has a little bit of art, science, and math behind it.

Sources:

N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://origamit.scripts.mit.edu/images/chan-mens.jpg>.

Joseph P., Kahn. "Origami finds new dimensions at MIT."Boston.com 02 14 2011, n. pag. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/02/14/at_mit_math_and_engineering_take_origami_to_new_dimensions/>.

John, Matson. "6 Fun Facts about the James Webb Space Telescope [Slide Show]." 03 12 2010, n. pag. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=james-webb-jwst>.

"Robert Lang: The Math and Magic of Origami." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., July 2008. Web. 13 Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami.html>.

Susan, Bell. "Know How to Fold 'Em: How Origami Changed Science, From Heart Stents to Airbags."LAweekly 04 26 2012, n. pag. Print. <http://blogs.laweekly.com/arts/2012/04/origami_japanese_american_nati.php>.

N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://www.origami-resource-center.com/images/scienceAirbag.jpg>.

The idea of "two cultures" begins with the notion that there is a separation in Art and Science. While one culture is defined with linear logic, practicality, and control, the other is yearning for creativity, passion, and boundless imagination. Bohm points out that even though a division of these two cultures are clear, they overlap more often than people believe. However, this is only one reason, and I believe that both cultures cannot live without each other, and actually need each other to foster.

Wilson stated in his article that, "artists seek to appropriate contemporary technologies to create new kinds of images, sounds, installations and performances" pushing us to believe that Artists need scientific minds to create new outputs of expression. On the other hand, scientific minds are always seeking innovation, and artists offer that kind of thinking. The artist is free and open-minded; not bounded by rules or paradigms.

This culture is clear at UCLA where students identify as either North or South campus majors. The identity doesn't have to be completely black and white. It's good to be balanced on both ends of the spectrum, and be a little gray. If the two cultures were to mix, they could challenge each other creativity, scientific, and mentally, thus creating a hybrid, and balancing out the artist, and scientist within all of us.

Citations

Bohm, David. "On Creativity." Pergamon Press. 1. (1968): 137-149. Print.

Wilson, Stephen. "Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

N.d. Photograph. Web. <http://kineticculture.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/rightbrainleftbrain.jpg>.

ZYMET, SALIM. "Lighter Workload for North Campus Students Provides Flexibility to Explore, Critically Think about Real-world Issues." Daily Bruin. N.p., 3 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.