Unit 7: Neuroscience + Art

Unit 7: Neuroscience + Art

The brain has always intrigued me because it is so complex and not fully understood. There are so many intricate structures and neural pathways that a cross section of the brain is a beautiful and detailed sight to see.

Photo from: http://www.ccis.edu/courses/psyc101a/brain.htm

This week, the topic of dreams in Lecture II stood out to me most. Since I have gotten to college, my sleep schedule has gone completely awry and is extremely inconsistent. The fact that there are so many experiments and so much data collected through sleep studies yet we still are not even close to understanding how dreams work is a frightening and interesting thought. Sigmund Freud’s career pursuing knowledge of the unconscious established the foundation for the last century of researchers to find out more about the process of human sleeping. Personally, I struggle to fall asleep every night and have tried an array of different techniques which all ultimately fail. My self-sleep studies have proven ineffective but I hope to one day read about a researcher who has found a universal key to falling asleep.

Photo from: http://www.charlestonpulmonology.com/?p=348

Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker describe in their article how the interaction between art and neuroscience is more commonly seen in the public forum. These artful depictions allow for the spread of knowledge around the scientific topic. Through more and more discussion, neuroscience can gain traction to create careers and opportunities for breakthroughs in the field, while also making us aware of the social and ethical implications that come along with advances in the neuroscience world. This is something that has impacted me directly as I have looked for sleep strategies to calm my brain and feel more rested.

 Photo from: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/1221972

REFERENCES

"Art, Mind, And Brain: A Cognitive Approach To Creativity." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016.

Bargh, John A. "Our Unconscious Mind." Scientific American. 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 May 2016.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "PERSPECTIVES." Arms Control Today 4.6 (1974): 3-4. Web.

"Greg Dunn Design | Visual Art | Neuroscience Art | Gold Leaf Painting." Greg Dunn Design. Web. 15 May 2016.

Meghnagi, D. "From the Dreams of a Generation to the Theory of Dreams: Freud's Roman Dreams."INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS 92.3 (2011): 675-94. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience + Art Lectures." Desma 9 Lecture. Los Angeles. 11 May 2015. Lecture. Online

Unit 6: BioTech + Art

Unit 6: BioTech + Art

As both fields of art and biotechnology continue to grow and advance, we as humans begin to transcend what was once considered impossible. Parts 2 and 3 of this week's lecture, along with some of the work done by Joe Davis, reminded me of a movie I saw over 10 years ago called Gattaca.

Gattaca

This Sci-Fi film presents a futuristic society where children are made through genetic modification in a lab to ensure the most desirable genes will be inherited, instead of the traditional way of having sex and leaving the rest to chance. This film is an artistic expression is an example of selective breeding through the use of biotechnology.  

An example of genetic inheritance

We now live in such a modernist world where technology can mimic reality or even feel more real than reality, and this power is now tying into the arts and biotechnology. I think life itself is a valid expressive medium, but I think we are now able to control so many more aspects of life that people are using this control to take artistic expression to new forms. Some of these modern forms are artistic, entertaining and beneficial but others like animal testing seem to be radical, unhealthy and unethical. I think the line between biotechnology and art is becoming blurrier as they influence one another. Victorian Gentlemen’s article demonstrates how with the presence of the modern world’s accessible technologies, biologist outlaws are growing in popularity. When we are able to easily control things, especially genetics, I fear for the future of the human population.

A photo of a potential future that frightens me

Works Cited

Agar, Nicholas. “Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations.”ActionBioscience. N.p.. Web. 5 Nov 2012. <http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html>.

Davis, Joe. "Genesthetics: Molecular Biology and Microbiology in the Arts." Genetics and Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.

Kelty, C. M. (2010). Outlaw, hackers, victorian amateurs: diagnosing public participation in the life sciences today. Jcom, 9(1), 1-8.

Outlaws Symposium, "Meanings of Participation:Outlaw Biology? Outlaws, Hackers, Victorian Gentlemen." 1-8. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. DESMA 9. Web. 6 May 2012.

Pictures

"Everyday Scientist." » RC Humans. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.

"Gattaca: Humanizing Research and Evolving." Splice. N.p., 28 July 2015. Web. 09 May 2016.

"Musings of a Palaeolinguist." : Genetics and the Last Human Common Ancestor. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.

Event 1: Rain Room

Event 1: Rain Room at LACMA

For my first event, I attended the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) with my friend who is a DESMA major herself. She had been to the museum countless times before and showed me all of her personal favorite exhibits.

 

A photo of me at one of the more fun, interactive exhibits at LACMA

The one exhibit that stood out for me was the Rain Room. I had heard about it from some family friends and had been eager to see it for months. I was absolutely amazed when I waked in. Firstly, the continuous falling water that pauses when you are under it from sensors in the ceiling was a truly amazing feat in modern technology. After grasping the technological aspects of the exhibit, I realized how truly artistic this room of rain really is. It felt like I was in control of both the rain and myself as I moved around the room remaining dry. This dichotomy of wet and dry, light and dark and technology and art had a profound effect on me. This specific combination of technology and art made me question reality, control and nature and how we have evolved as humans to influence, control and adapt. This environment that mimicked the natural event of rain was actually one of the most technologically advanced rooms I have ever been inside of.

Me staying dry in the Rain Room

The Rain Room was extremely helpful in me furthering my understanding of this class because it was a concrete example that I could personally experience. I would definitely recommend my classmates going to this exhibit to experience it for themselves.

A close up photo of me in the Rain Room with the pink ticket on my jacket and a big smile on my face

Unit 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

Medicine + Technology + Art

This week’s lecture videos made me think myself. As a member of the UCLA men’s volleyball team, I am extremely prone to injury and often am injured. In the last 4 months, I have had 3 X-rays and 1 MRI on both of my ankles and my right hand. Just like Professor Vesna stated in lecture, I view these operations as normal and take them for granted but the materials presented this week made me realize how much work has been put into this field and how lucky I am today to have access to these technologies so my athletic trainers can work to properly heal my injuries.

A photo of what a typical ankle X-Ray looks like

http://eorif.com/ankle-xray

Silvia Casini’s article on the MRI truly resonated with me because it delves into such depth about the process and meaning behind the imaging technology. I know many people are often frightened of the machine because it is loud, large and intimidating, but I think its medical contribution is unparalleled and completely necessary to further understand one’s human anatomy to ensure the body can function properly. The fact that this machine allows us to create a visual and acoustic portrait allow us to reify our identity construction.

An MRI of an ankle, even more detailed than an X-ray

http://mtb4her.com/its-the-final-countdown/mri-ankle-right-non-enhanced-0001/

I also connected with Diane Gromala in the sense that every day I live with chronic pain. This is mainly due to the impact from my sport, but after watching her TedTalk, I can see how the inner sensations within my body possess the power to influence my overall well-being and state of happiness. Her research influenced my understanding of this week’s topic by forming an abstract connection between art, technology and medicine that goes beyond just physical, complex machinery. I think her perspective allows people to question their own inner sensations and work towards living healthier and happier lives through different means of healing processes involving bio-med feedback.

Meditation is one method used to confront one's inner sensations

http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/10-big-companies-that-promote-employee-meditation/

Works Cited

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdarMz--Pw (TedTalk)

https://www.acmi.net.au/drew_berry.htm

Casini, Silvia. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

Fontcuberta, Joan. "Genome Research." Genome Research RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.