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As mentioned by Professor Vesna, this week's unit on space and art ties in all of the previous units of this course. Although we have wondered about the sky and the cosmos since the beginning of human history, serious studying of astronomy began with Nicolaus Copernicus (Vesna). Understanding and exploring space has since become a growing interest in not only politics (through the development of the Cold War between Russia and the US), but also popular culture. Sputnik I was launched on October 4, 1957, and became the first of many advancements in space exploration that triggered the Space Race between the US and Russia. The film Powers of Ten illustrates the universe as an arena of both continuity and change. By changing our view of a single image from macro to micro to nano, the artists demonstrate the depth of space and science itself. In addition, the film demonstrates how perception can change from on perspective to another, particularly philosophically the relative siz

For my third event, I decided to visit the Hammer Museum to see Judith Hopf's exhibition. Prior to visiting the exhibit, I had no idea what to expect given I did not look at any of the descriptions online nor was there a specific title to the exhibit outside the room.  Hopf's depiction of an anthropomorphized laptop, entitled Waiting Laptops . Upon entering, the plain white walls and cement floor contrasted with the works of art in the room, further drawing my eyes to each piece. The first work I noticed were the paintings of laptop, as shown above. The paintings appeared to be a humanized computer with hair, arms, and legs. I interpreted this anthropomorphism of laptops to signify society's growing dependence on technology, to the point that they seem to be constant "companions", waiting for people to interact with them. In doing so, these pieces also reminded me of concepts relating to robotics and art, particularly the idea of humanoids and the humanizatio

Stained glass art uses nanotechnology.  Beginning unknowingly in ancient times through pottery and later stain glassed art, nanotechnology is a field that is fairly new and often misunderstood. As described in this week's article, it is difficult to comprehend the notion of nanotechnology in the traditional philosophical and visual sense in that "there is nothing even remotely visible to create proof of existence" (Gimzewski and Vesna 2003). Beginning with the structuring of carbon to the recent findings in the field, nanotechnology is slowly growing to become a part of everyday life through its applications and uses in art, medicine, and other fields.  In order to visually grasp such small material, many researchers use Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STMs) as the STM images the surfaces of the material at the atomic level. Through the imaging, they use contour mapping to outline the structure. I found this very interesting as it was very applicable to some of the

Neuroscience, or the study of the nervous system, particularly that of the brain, has not only become an integral part of art, but also the concept of identity and human perception. The movement of the brain's neurons and the structure of the brain help us imagine and create art, but also allows us to perceive and interpret art.  I found the article "Neuroculture" really intriguing as it discussed how neuroscience has evolved and become a part of culture, particularly in art, literature, and film. In addition, it discussed how understanding neuroscience may reveal the "underpinnings of our individuality, such as emotions, consciousness, the way we make decisions, and our socio-psychological interactions" (Frazzetto). I believe that this is very important as artists, through their work, can spur further research in uncovering the mind, as there is still much research to be conducted in understanding the brain. Art such as fMRI Suzanne Anker's fMRI Butterf

Selfie with the artist, Elí Joteva.  For my second event, I attended Elí Joteva's art exhibit entitled, "Mnemoawari". I was initially intrigued as I had never heard of such a word, and upon looking up the meaning, I could not find anything. I later learned that the title came from the Greek goddess Mnemosyne, and the Japanese saying "Mono no aware", which translates to "the pathos of things" (Lomas). This idea of memory and time was reflected throughout the exhibit. Map of the Exhibit Upon entering the event, I first saw  "Dream Augur", which projected the brain waves of someone as they recalled a dream. My initial impression was a sense of tranquility and focus through the blue waves and as I continued to peer at the image. Ironically enough, I later learned that the intense blue waves reflected long waves in the brain, which occurred under great focus. This tied into the concepts of the fourth week's unit of medicine in