Week 4: Art, Technology, and Medicine

Art, medicine, and technology have been greatly influenced by each other.

One of the more extreme ways that artists use medicine for art is through body modifications. Quite a few people already modify their bodies through piercings and tattoos but certain artists take their art a bit further and surgically modify their bodies. One such artist is Orlan. From 1990 to 1995, she underwent nine surgical operations in order to gain features of women from famous artwork like the Mona Lisa or Botticelli’s Venus (Jeffries). She did this not to make herself beautiful but to “disrupt the standards of beauty” (Frank).

Professor Kevin Warwick underwent an unconventional surgery in order to advance the advance the field of cybernetics. In his procedure he implanted a device into the medial nerves of his left arm that allows him to link his nervous system to a computer ("Kevin Warwick - Home Page." ). This work has potential implications in creating cybernetic limbs for amputees. I am further impressed by this medical procedure because I did not know we even had the technology to allow a person’s nervous system to communicate with computers.

Virtual reality is a rapidly advancing technology which has been found to have soothing functions for patients. Professor Diane Gromala suffers from chronic pain but has that virtual reality programs actually help reduce the pain she experiences. (Gromala) Virtual reality has also found an application in treating burn victims. Some patients still suffering from pain from old burns have responded positively to virtual experiences that place them in a cold environment ("Virtual Penguins A Prescription For Pain?").

Works Cited

Frank, Priscilla. "ORLAN Talks Plastic Surgery, Beauty Standards And Giving Her Fat To        

Madonna (PHOTOS, INTERVIEW, NSFW)." TheHuffingtonPost, 29 Jan. 2013. Web.   26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/performance-artist-orlan-  interview-beauty-surgery_n_2526077.html>.

Gromala, Diane. "Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." TEDxAmericanRiviera. 26 Apr. 2015. Lecture.

Jeffries, Stuart. "Orlan's Art of Sex and Surgery." The Guardian, 1 May 2009. Web. 26 Apr.     2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jul/01/orlan-performance-artist-    carnal-art>.

"Kevin Warwick - Home Page." Kevin Warwick. The University of Reading, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.kevinwarwick.org/>.

"Virtual Penguins A Prescription For Pain?" NPR, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.             <http://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/146775049/virtual-penguins-a-prescription-for-pain>.

Week 3: Art and Robotics           

Technological advancement has put humanity in position to destroy the world if we misuse our inventions. Nuclear weapons can intentionally destroy us while carbon emissions can cause global warming that will slowly and unintentionally put an end to human society as we know it. Our fear of the consequences of our technological achievements can be seen in the depiction of robots in books and movies.

Science fiction is filled with stories of robots turning against their creators ("Do We Need Asimov's Laws?"). Isaac Asimov was a science fiction writer that wrote extensively on robotics. He is often associated with the Laws of Robotics that he first created in his short story “Runaround” (“Why Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics Can't Protect Us”). The Asimov's Laws of Robotics state that robots must not harm humans, obey humans, and ensure their own self-preservation, in that order of importance.

One of Asimov’s most famous stories was I, Robot, a story collection released in 1950 ("Isaac Asimov Biography."). The stories in this collection focused on the interactions between humans and robots when robots. Elements from this collection was later used in a 2004 movie also titled I, Robot which told the story of a futuristic society in which robots found a way to bypass the Laws of Robotics. This movie captured the fear that human invention can lead to our destruction.

Science fiction has also explored the moral implications of creating intelligent robots. As time goes on humans can program increasingly more complicated algorithms into machines ("Artificial Intelligence: How Algorithms Make Systems Smart."). This raises a few complicated questions. Will there be a point when humanity can create a robot with a “soul”? If humanity can do this, will humanity do this accidentally or on purpose? In 2012, game developer Quantic Dream released a tech demo for the PS3 ("Heavy Rain Developer Unleashes Short Film 'Kara'"). The demo was graphically impressive and it also had a story that addressed some of the implications of creating a robot with a “soul”. The demo, named "Kara" after the robot in it, focused on a personal assistant robot that accidentally develops a mind beyond what has been programmed into her, to the shock of the engineer running final checks on her. Stories like those told through "Kara" shows society’s struggle with the fact that sometime very soon, humanity might play God and start creating robots with a
“soul”.

Works Cited

Deangelis, Stephen F. "Artificial Intelligence: How Algorithms Make Systems Smart." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.wired.com/2014/09/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-2/>.

"Do We Need Asimov's Laws?" Technology Review. MIT, 16 May 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.technologyreview.com/view/527336/do-we-need-asimovs-laws/>.

Dvorsky, George. "Why Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics Can't Protect Us." Io9. N.p., 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://io9.com/why-asimovs-three-laws-of-robotics-cant-protect-us-1553665410>.

"Heavy Rain Developer Unleashes Short Film 'Kara'" IGN, 7 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/07/heavy-rain-developer-unleashes-short-film-kara>.

"Isaac Asimov Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/isaac-asimov-9190737>.

                

Week 2: Mathematics

It is fairly easy to see math being used in the field of science since scientists frequently must apply mathematical formulas in their research. On the other hand, I used to not think that math played an essential role in art and the social sciences. However, I have recently come to the conclusion that this point of view is incorrect. In art, the understanding of geometry plays a huge role in creating pictures that appear to show a three-dimensional space. By having the edges of objects in the picture converge on a vanishing point, this creates the illusion of perspective (Frantz). 

In addition, math can be used to determine the theory behind origami art and to determine the solutions for origami problems. These solutions can in turn be used in engineering that deals with changing the shape of thin material (Lang). 

Even in Jackson Pollock’s splattered paint art, art that seem to embrace randomness over all else, mathematical fractals can be found under differing levels of magnification (Oulellete). Furthermore, the Fibonacci sequence can be used to make predictions for trends in the stock market (“Fibonacci Trading”). It is clear to me now that math plays an essential role in understanding the social sciences.

I was looking at artist Nathan Selikoff’s website and I was fascinated by his interactive software art called Beautiful Chaos. In this piece of art, mathematical formulas create different designs on a screen. There is a motion control device in front of the screen that changes the coefficient of the formulas based on user input. This creates an interactive art that is amazing to behold. Beautiful Chaos is art that is derived entirely from mathematics.

Works Cited

"Fibonacci Trading." Fibonacci Trading. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.<http://www.elliottwave.com/fibonacci/leonardo_fibonacci_numbers_sequence/fibonacci-trading.aspx?code=yt>.

Frantz, Marc, “Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art” 2000

Lang, Robert J. "Robert J. Lang Origami." Robert J. Lang Origami. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://www.langorigami.com/>.

Ouellette, Jennifer. "Pollock's Fractals." Discover Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.<http://discovermagazine.com/2001/nov/featpollock>.

Selikoff, Nathan. "Beautiful Chaos." Nathan Selikoff. N.p., 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.<http://nathanselikoff.com/works/beautiful-chaos>.

Week 1: Two Cultures

The division of natural scientists and literary intellectuals into two different cultures is an issue discussed by C. P. Snow in his Rede lecture at Cambridge in 1959. Snow especially disapproved of the way literary intellectuals approached science, going as far as to call them “natural Luddites” (Snow). He believed that society would benefit if the two cultures were able to overcome their differences and come together.

Kevin Kelly proposes that this connection between scientists and intellectuals has come together in a third culture which he refers to as nerd culture. This “pop culture based in technology” has served to bring science from the edge of society to the forefront of culture (Kelly). This shift has made it so a large part of culture is influenced by the science and technology that has become an essential part of our lives.

In my personal experience at UCLA, scientists and intellectuals are still very much divided from one another. The humanities and the sciences are taught in two different parts of campus that look extremely different from one another. 

However, there are plenty of people I have met that fall into this third culture. For example, a computer science major who spends his free time making games or an English major who is fascinated with robotics. These are people who cannot simply be defined as simply just a scientist or an intellectual.

As for myself, I am a Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major with a minor in Political Science who also is a contributor for the video section of the Daily Bruin. While I am not sure if I fit in the third culture outlined by Kelly, I do believe that I am influenced by both the humanities and the science. I used to think that my humanities education, while personally fulfilling, would not be useful in my career goal of becoming a doctor. However, as I was reading up on medicine and art, I found an article on Forbes on the benefits a humanities can have in developing doctors. Studying the humanities can help with problem solving, visual pattern recognition, and understanding different perspectives, all qualities that are important to modern medicine (Glatter). 

It turns out that by being influenced by both cultures, I may have unintentionally worked towards my professional goals.

Works Cited

Collini, Stefan. "Science: Two Cultures: Still Natural Enemies?" The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 15 Nov. 1993. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.

Glatter, Robert. "Can Studying Art Help Medical Students Become Better Doctors?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 Nov. 13. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. Science, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.

Snow, C. P. The two cultures and the scientific revolution. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1959. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being in between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. JSTOR. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.