Evan Zhu Week 10 Event 3

3 June 2018

This week I had the opportunity to experience the exhibit called “Weak or No Signal”. Weak or No Signal is the UCLA DESMA final MFA showcase for the graduate’s work of 2018. This exhibit was located in the New Wight Gallery at the Broad Art Center here at UCLA. This was my first time going to the New Wight Gallery. I feel fortunate that I now know about this amazing resource.

This exhibit had a wide variety of different art. I really enjoyed this specific exhibit because some of the art pieces were interactive. This interactivity really immersed me into the art instead of just me observing it. My favorite piece was probably the one by Christina Yglesias who is a visual arts creator from Los Angeles (linkedin). She showed how romance is shown in film by focusing on a romance scene from Flesh and the Devil (Flesh and the Devil). She essentially made her own interpretation of the scene.

I personally enjoyed Weak or No Signal because of the technology aspect of the art. There was a wide variety so which gives everyone something to enjoy. Much of it was also interactive which made you feel as though you were participating in the art rather than just observing it. I really appreciate this type of assignment as it exposed me to a whole world of technology and art as well as resources on this campus.

Sources

“Broad Art Center.” UST Projects-UCLA, www.ust.ucla.edu/ustweb/Projects/PROJECTS/ucla/broad_img1.htm.

“Flesh and the Devil (1926).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0016884/

www.linkedin.com/in/christinayglesias.

Evan Zhu Week 9 Blog Discussion 1C

May 31, 2018

I think that the connection between art and space is the most complex one that we have had all course. It is only right that we talk about this topic as our last one. Space uses several different types of technology such as, robotics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology (Vesna). Artists who combine space and time must be skillful enough to know how to correctly integrate these technologies into their art in order to conjure their desired result.

A great example of the combination of space and art is the project Dancing On The Ceiling. Forde says about her project, “Thoughtful lightness is the common denominator of the work in Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity. The artists represented in this exhibition explore--and on occasion create--the condition of weightlessness on earth, using photography, sculpture, installation, film, and video. Their pieces feature floating performers, a public flotation tank, and skateboarders who flout the laws of physics. They evoke the golden age of space exploration and the dreams of the counter-culture” (Forde).

Another example of space and art is the work of Richard Clar. “Richard Clar’s current work encompasses site-specific environmental issues ranging from orbital debris to water-management on Earth; war and peace; and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)” (Clar). Clar has accomplished a lot for the combination of space and art. I think that like many of the other topics we have learned about, there are many different subjects that are not only combined with art but even enhance it.

References

Richard, Clar. "Website of Richard Clar and Art Technologies, a collaboration between Space

Technology and the Arts." Website of Richard Clar and Art Technologies, a collaboration between Space Technology and the Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2017.

Forde, Kathleen . "Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity curated by Kathleen Forde :

EMPAC Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center : Troy, NY

USA." Dancing on the Ceiling: Art & Zero Gravity curated by Kathleen Forde : EMPAC

Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center : Troy, NY USA. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 30 May 2017.

"Technology." NASA. NASA, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 May 2017.

Vesna, Victoria . "Space + Art ."  30 May. 2017. Lecture.

Wikipedia contributors. "Space art." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia, 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 5 Jun. 2017

Evan Zhu Week 8 Blog Discussion 1C

May 27, 2018

After going over this week’s topic, I am even more sure that science plays a huge part in creating new and different forms of art. Nanotechnology is technology that is done at the nano level. For example, there are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch so you can imagine how small of a scale we are discussing (Nano). Scientists have been advancing nanotechnology and have found that for it to work, it was all about reinventing how science works and it is what has pushed technology over the edge and into the twenty first century (Vesna).

Today, there are many consumer products that incorporates nanotechnology. Items such as socks and a lot of sportswear contain nanoparticles that don’t small and can be used for a long period of time. According to Christian Orfescu, a nanotechnologist and artist, “more than 70% of the people in the U.S. use nanotech products and nobody knows exactly how safe they are” (Feder).

Nanotechnology is also used to improve the quality of life for a human. There are nanomeds such as Abraxan which is an anti-breast cancer medicine. I think they people should be more aware of and open to nanotechnology as it has a lot of benefits and can really make a difference in global health. I think we also need to be careful because new complications come new technologies which can be dangerous if not take care of.

Sources

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.Base. Art.Base, 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 May

     28, 2017.

AZoM, Written By. "Tennis Balls with Improved Property Retention Thanks to

Nanocomposite Coating." AZoM.com. AZoNetwork, 11 June 2013. Web. 27 May 28,  2017.

Baldwin, Gary. "What Is Nanomedicine." Welcome to Nanomedicine. British Society

    for Nanomedicine, 2012. Web. 27 May 2017.

Corsairs, Iain. "Nanotechnology." ScienceAndReligion.com. Wordpress, 11 Dec. 2011.

    Web. 27 May 2017.

Feder, Barnaby J. "The Art of Nanotech." The New York Times. The New York Times,

    25 Jan. 2008. Web. 27 May 2017.

Gimzewski, Jim.  Narr. “Nanotech + Art Lectures I – VI.” N.p., web.  May 2012

Anonymous. "Nanotechnology in Art and Film." Revolution Fibres. N.p., 01 Nov. 2015.

Web. 28 May 2017.

Curtin, John. "Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.Base. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May

2017.

Feder, Barnaby J. "The Art of Nanotech." The New York Times. The New York Times,

25 Jan. 2008. Web. 28 May 2017.

Nano. "What is Nanotechnology?" What is Nanotechnology? | Nano. N.p., n.d. Web. 21

May 2017.

Vesna, Victoria . "Nanotechnology + Art ."  21 May. 2017. Lecture.