Week 4 Medicine + Art

In this week, the professor Vesna explains various topics, which include medical instruments, anatomy, genetics and plastic surgery. I learn how the science historically influences the medicine, and how we become involved in the culture.   

Especially, I had interests for the relationship between the medical science and the art (imagination). The development of medicine gives us many opportunities to improve our society as the Human Genome Project.

According to the Vesna’s lecture, the goal of this project was the identification of 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, and then it judged the order of the 3 billion chemical base pairs which is for human DNA. This project was planned for 15 years.

 

This project makes me recall “iPS cell”. It was created by the team of Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University. He got the 2012 Nobel Prize in this project. iPS cell has many potentialities in order to change into "various cell" such as organs and tissues. It can lead to the solution of intractable diseases.  

From 20,000 – 25,000 genes, Yamanaka fortunately found four factors (Yamanaka factors) which make up for iPS cell. So, this project was based on the Human Genome Project. Even though iPS cell still has some troubles like the moral value, I assume that we can overcome them as the Hippocratic Oath, which changed the classical concepts into the modern one over the times (Tyson).

For me, it is the fantastic world for the relationships between the Human Genome Project and the iPS cell. If the United States did not plan for the Human Genome Project, iPS cell was not generated. At that time, unless Yamanaka has creativity to find out Yamanaka factors (4 genes) from much DNA, we would not see iPS cell.

Throughout week 4’s lecture,“imagination” must be very significant for not only “the art” but also “the medical world”. Without imagination or creativity, our society cannot be developed. I hope that my creativity can grow up by this class.

Reference

1. UConlineprogram. “Medicine pt1.” YouTube. YouTube. 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

2. Sharma, Madhuri. “Human Genome Project.” GuruKPO. 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.blog.gurukpo.com/human-genome-project >

3. “The Human Genome Project, Part 1 What is the Human Genome Project?” Knowledgene. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. < http://www.knowledgene.com/ >

4. “JST Basic Research Programs Yamanaka iPS Cell Project.” iPS Trend. Japan Science and Technology Agency. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

< http://www.jst.go.jp/ips-trend/en/network/summary/ipsproject.html >

5. SceilYou. “iPS Cell revolution.” YouTube. YouTube. 04 Jul. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj63nYl7h3E&spfreload=1>  

6. “Embryology History- Shinya Yamanaka.” UNSW Embryology. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

<https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Embryology_History_-_Shinya_Yamanaka>

7. Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

8. “Activate Your Imagination.” Unlearning 101. 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

< http://www.unlearning101.com/fuhgetaboutit_the_art_of_/imagination/ >

Event 1: Hammer Museum

I visited Hammer Museum which located in Westwood.

While seeing various the works of art there, it makes me recognize that the interrelations between the art and are very important for our society.

Especially, I got the opportunity to explore “Thomas Heatherwick” who is English designer and the founder of Heatherwick Studio in 1994.

He has various works of art related to national or local identity.  

This is “U.K. Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo”. It is the shimmering anemone-like. Heatherwick creates organic forms that transform public spaces. His aims for this project are “relax” and “unique”.

This is the close-up photo of the shimmering anemone, and the inside of this building.

Next, this building is "Learning Hub, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore."

Heatherwick designed a university building without "miles of corridors linking box-like lecture rooms", and he avoided obstacles in the space which stays everyone together. 

The central space in this building allows the air into a room and, and people can view various angles. 

Designer Sir Terence Conran praised Heatherwick as "the Leonardo da Vinci of our times" (Wroe). As what Conran mentioned. His works are very unique. Once I viewed his arts in the museum, I was fascinated with his aesthetic sense because his works make me feel “the beautiful and fun world”. I suggest that the building, Nanyang Technological University, can give the student a wonderful imagination by “relax and unique”.

 Last one is “Spun Chair”.

In the museum, I tried to seat on this chair which can be tilted in 360 degrees, and it makes me fun and comfortable. When seating in the regular chair, I feel that I have to “study” or “work”, but this chair provides me “a feeling of freedom”. At that time, I was amazed with new concept for a chair. This chair reminds me of the concept for the art and math we studied in week 2 because it was geometrically designed in order to keep the valance.

Throughout this event, I understand that our life-style can be changeable by the architecture. Then, the development of the art needs the math, and then it can make our society better. In the future, I hope that our world can be filled with buildings like his designs.  

Reference

1. “Featured designer: Thomas Heatherwick.” Magazine Dezeen. 29 July. 2012. Web. 16 April. 2015.

< http://www.dezeen.com/2012/07/29/featured-designer-thomas-heatherwick/ >

2. “China Expo Heatherwick Studio: UK Pavilion Expo by Heatherwick Studio.” Archiscene. 23 August. 2011. Web. 16 April. 2015

< http://www.archiscene.net/location/china/uk-pavilion-expo-heatherwick-studio/ >

3. “Heatherwick’s textured-tower university building completes in Singapore.” Magazine Dezeen. 10 March. 2015. Web. 16 April. 2015.

<http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/10/thomas-heatherwick-textured-tower-balconies-cpg-consultants-learning-hub-nanyang-technological-university-singapore/ >

4. Wroe, Nicholas. “Thomas Heatherwick: the new Leonardo of design.” The Guardian. 18 May. 2012. Web. 16 April. 2015.

<http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/may/18/thomas-heatherwick-da-vinci-design >

5. “Chair Of The Week: Spun Chair by Thomas Heatherwick.” Gallant Jones. 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 16 April. 2015.

<http://gallantandjonesblog.com/2011/11/17/chair-of-the-week-spun-chair-by-thomas-heatherwick/>

Week 3 Robotics + Art

Throughout Vesna’s lecture of week 3, I learned how technology like robots is connected with industrialization, and how mass production affects the art and our life.

 

In the article “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, the author Walter Benjamin pointed out that the technology of the reproduction influenced works of the art and the film. "Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be. (1)" By mass production, we are not likely to regard the art and film as the value of originality or tradition.

I agree with his perspective, but I suggest that we have to make “uniqueness” beyond mass production. I have a good example for relations between human and robots. In the lecture, the guest speaker Machiko Kusahara mentioned that the robot value is very different between Japan and Western countries. The Westerners seem to regard the robot as an “evil”, yet in my home country Japan, there are many people who think that the robots are “our friend” like what she pointed out.

For example, in Japan, the robot dog AIBO by Sony was very popular fifteen years ago, and then there were many people who bought it which costs ¥250,000(about $2,083) in the first generation. Although it was very expensive as the toy, it sold out within 20 minutes (TOKYOITE). In the term of Art, people liked the design of AIBO like the curve and the texture. 

I heard the news that Japanese who owned AIBO felt shocked because the Sony stopped the repair services for the AIBO. At that time, they must hold the funeral of AIBO like the picture below.

This incident makes me understand that AIBO must be “special” like their family. For me, the concept of “special” is equal with “uniqueness”. Even though AIBO was made by mass production, many Japanese have loved AIBO. It must be the unique existence for them.

Throughout this lecture, I got the chance to think about the relations between Human and the robots which combined the science with the art. Recently, there are many people, particularly Westerners who are suspicious about the robots because they can take the jobs away from human. However, I feel that the robot must be “our friend and partner” like AIBO. The robots have the abilities to solve our social issues such as caring for elder or challenging the disaster. They can help human from the excruciating circumstances. We should focus on how we can make good relations, not see the robots pessimistically. And, we should not forget that the art always becomes the significant element to fascinate people because the art creates uniqueness. 

1. Benjamin, Walter. “The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction.” London: Penguin, 1936. Print.

2. uconlineprogram.  “Robotics Machiko Kusahara 1.” Youtube. Youtube. 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.  < https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=246&v=xQZ_sy-mdEU >

3. “Is Sony cruel for stopping its ‘robot dog’ repair services?” TOKYOITE. Time Out Tokyo. 11 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

<http://blogs.timeout.jp/en/2014/11/11/is-sony-cruel-for-stopping-its-robot-dog-repair-services/>

5. “Japan embraces robot dog funerals.” DIGITAL DYING BY: FUNERALWISE.COM. Funeralwise. 27 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

< https://blogs.funeralwise.com/dying/2015/02/27/japan-embraces-robot-dog-funerals/ >

4. “Aibo ERS 7 Official Promo.” Youtube. Youtube, 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=102&v=2l2P8Uz0LkA>

6. “Industrialization, Immigration, Unbanization.” History Through The Ages. Weebly. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

<http://us2historythroughtheages.weebly.com/industrialization-immigration-urbanization.html>

7. “Walter Benjamin and The Effects of Reproduction.” Social Virion. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

 < https://socialvirion.wordpress.com/tag/warhol/ >

8. Patrick J. Kiger. “10 Evil Robots Bent on Destroying Humanity.” Howstuffworks. Howstuffworks. 19 Apr.2015.

<http://science.howstuffworks.com/10-evil-robots.htm#page=2 >

9. “DORAEMON.” Animation International Ltd. Animation International Ltd. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.  

<http://www.ail.com.hk/character/doraemon.html>

9. “Computers Know You Better Than Your Mates Do.” Huffington Post. 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

< http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/13/computer-knows-you-better_n_6461530.html >

Week 2 Math + Art

The professor Vesna explains us how mathematics becomes the foundation for our life such as the concept of zero or golden ratio, so we cannot divide the science and the art. From ancient times, people are using the concept of mathematics. For example, the Great Pyramid was built in 4,700 B.C., and then it was rooted with “sacred ratio”.

In the 16^th century, Leonardo da Vinci, who was an Italian painter or mathematician and so on, was good at “perspective”. At the Mona Lisa, he arranged sides of the golden proportionality (1:0.618 ).

This video shows us the way to analyze Mona Lisa.

In my opinion, it is a paint Mona Lisa filled with a lot of lively motion. I feel that we can enjoy seeing "the art" more and more by "the golden ratio (mathematics)".  We unconsciously have the aesthetic sense which is based on math such as linear perceptive, vertex and vanishing point. So, there are still many people who are fascinated with the cryptic codes (the concepts of math) of Mona Lisa.

Also, the arts provides us “optical illusion”. It can control organs in our body and brain.

In the optical illusion, we can see the beautiful relations between our eyes and brain. This fantasy world can be produced by the combination between mathematics and arts.

“Artists who are interested in four dimensional spaces are not motivated by a desire to illustrate new physical theories, nor by a desire to solve mathematical problems. We are motivated by a desire to complete our subjective experience by inventing new aesthetic and conceptual capabilities. (Henderson 209)”

His word makes me understand that the concept of mathematics must be essential when artists attempt to trace own desire for aesthetic qualities. Therefore, I believe that the interrelations between the art and math infinitely give our society greater imagination and knowledge.

Reference

1. Obara, Samuel. “Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture.” Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

<http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emt668/EMAT6680.2000/Obara/Emat6690/Golden%20Ratio/golden.html>

2. Plum Street Music. “Mona Lissa (Monna Lisa) – Leonardo Da Vinci’s Use for Sacred Geometry.” Youtube. Youtube, 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFTSAjZEqPw>

3. Nick Pisa, Rome. “Mona Lisa painting ‘contains hidden code’.” The Telegraph. 12 Dec. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/8197896/Mona-Lisa-painting-contains-hidden-code.html>

4. The Richest. “10 Mind Blowing Optical Illusions.” Youtube. Youtube, 05 March. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://youtu.be/-IWk5NkxQF8>

5. Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion.” The MIT Press. Vol. 17, No. 3 (1984), pp. 205-210. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

Week 1 "Two Cultures"

 In the article “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution (1959)”, the author C.P. Snow, who was an English physical chemist and novelist, described that there was “two cultures”: the arts and the sciences. He pointed out that the situation must give us new perspective or solution when we combine the humanities and the sciences in the education.

 As what the Professor Vesna pointed out in the lecture presentation (Part III), there are geographically two districts in the UCLA campus. The buildings for the humanities are located in the North area, whereas the buildings for the sciences are in the South area.

 Before this lecture, I did not think about this issue and have no special idea. However, I find that people like to characterize the typical individuals or groups by this lecture. It is said “stereotype” in the presentation lecture. I analyze that it is uncomfortable for many people not to be able to vocalize (classify). By categorizing, many people tend to find their own identity like the major, but I think that many people would lose the opportunities in order to get a “divergent thinking” (Changing Education Paradigms).

Albert Einstein said, “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.”

 As what he described, the humanities and the sciences should be together because all fields of study are surely connected. The concept of the sciences includes the arts (creativity). Also, the concept of the arts includes the sciences (analyze). It is very complex rather than what we expect, so people should not separate these fields.

                                                                 

 Someday, I hope that I can frequently communicate with not only my friends in the North campus, but also my friends in the South campus. It must create “divergent thinking”, and then I can meet up with lots of answers or perspectives in the world! 

Reference

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

“Cartoon History of Cyberspace.” Mike Mosher’s Community Art Machines. Web. 05 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ylem.org/artists/mmosher/nelsonia.html>

Vesna, Victoria. Two Cultures Lecture Part III. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=23&v=4FOEuxrwxd0>

RAS Animate. Changing Education Paradigms. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U>

“Albert Einstein Quotes.” Think Exist.Com. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.

<http://thinkexist.com/quotation/all_religions-arts_and_sciences_are_branches_of/15445.html>

“Albert Einstein.” Web. 05 Apr. 2015. < https://www.pinterest.com/pin/83035186852719834/>

“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” Web. 05 Apr. 2015.

 < https://www.pinterest.com/pin/153122456056327601/>