Midterm Project - "Lipstick With A Bite"

Event 1 - Art + Science Through Restoration and Conservation

            For my first event, I decided to look further into the topic of art, science, and technology. Throughout the lectures, we mainly focused on how mathematical principles are used by artists to create their final piece, how technology and robots could create art or destroy its authenticity, and the ways in which anatomy and dissection sit at the intersection of art and science. I wanted to expand on these ideas of how art and science are related. The relationship between art and science is not only important in creating a final product, but also maintaining it for future generations to see. Numerous restoration and preservation techniques utilize chemical properties in order to properly maintain the artwork.

Mona Lisa Reconstruction Steps
https://ceroart.revues.org/3828

            I chose to go to the Getty because of the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), which uses and develops scientific advances to preserve and restore art of all ages. Some of the many types of conservation, restoration, and examination techniques include ultraviolet illumination, X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, infrared imaging, raman spectroscopy, laser ablation, etc. The gleaming white buildings and pristine paintings in the Getty often times overshadow the tireless efforts of the conservation institute; however, without these modern scientific advancements in preservation many of the beloved masterpieces by Van Gough, Monet, Picasso, and others would be lost in history. Preservation allows artwork to transcend generations and, in doing so, allows modern day society to “paint a picture” of the life long ago. The Getty’s conservation institute opened my eyes to the difficulty of artistic preservation and viewing the fabulous artwork helped me to understand its importance.

The Getty Conservation Institute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuUKv5V-BHk

An Inside Look at GCI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p49EZB09aGg

            Scientists and artists team together to keep art in the most pristine condition possible. The mixing of chemicals and inventions of new technological devices to preserve and restore art require the knowledge and ability of renowned scientists and art experts to work together.

Citations

Bagwell, Sam. "The Beauty of Science: New Technologies in Art Restoration." USC Viterbi. Illumin, 08 Dec. 2004. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. 

            <http://illumin.usc.edu/34/the-beauty-of-science-new-technologies-in-art-restoration/>.

"Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) | The Getty." Getty Conservation Institute. The J. Paul Getty Trust, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2016 

            <http://www.getty.edu/conservation/>.

Proof of Event

Me at Getty Conservation Institute (GCI)

Me in front of Monet's Wheatstacks, Now Effect, Morning

Me with worker at The Getty

My parking ticket to prove the date

Week 4 - Medicine + Technology + Art

This week, art, medicine, and technology were all connected. I have never really considered the many ways in which these three fields could all be meshed into one, but now it all seems very clear. Whether it is anatomy and dissection, the Body Worlds show, X-ray machines, or plastic surgery, future possibilities are endless when you bring art, medicine, and technology together.

            I thought it was very interesting when Professor Vesna brought up how plastic surgery is not a new procedure, and that it has been around for nearly 4,000 years. I thought plastic surgery was a procedure that began in the 20^th Century, so it surprised me that physicians in ancient India used skin graphs. Another surprising point was that WWI made plastic surgery necessary due to the new chemical and electrical weapons used in war. I know this war caused terrible injuries, but I never considered the treatments for injuries as plastic surgery. To me, injuries which require “fixing” are classified as necessary reconstruction, while I view plastic surgery as something that is pure choice by the client because they want to look a certain way even though there is no health related reason to get the surgery done.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxw42hv

            Although I do not have personal experience with plastic surgery, since moving to Los Angeles I have seen many people who have clearly had this work done on them. I understand the insecurities people have with their bodies and looks, but people always look prettier as their natural selves. No matter how good the doctor, you can pretty much always tell if someone has gotten plastic surgery. My roommate watches the TV show Botched and is fascinated by it, but to me it is sad that so many people feel they need to change their appearance when they are already beautiful the way that they are. Plastic surgery is an art form because you actually mold a person as a painter would paint a picture or a sculptor would sculpt a sculpture. This is especially clear through Orlan, who done body performance art since the 70s. She wants to obtain the beauty created by renowned artists, so her facial features resemble a certain feature from different famous paintings, for example, she has Mona Lisa’s forehead. I do believe that this is an art form, but it is hard for me to accept that people dislike the way they look so much that they feel pressure to change.

http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/tvbanners/10819476/p10819476_b_v8_ah.jpg

https://art100.wikispaces.com/OrlanPresentation

Citations:

"Biography." Orlan. Orlan, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://www.orlan.eu/bibliography/biography/>.

Donohoe, Martin, MD, FACP. "Women’s Health in Context: Cosmetic Surgery Past, Present, and Future: Scope, Ethics, and Policy." Medscape. WebMD LLC, 
       2006. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/542448_2>.

"How Do You Fix a Face That’s Been Blown off by Shrapnel?" BBC. BBC, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxw42hv>.

Sarah, Sheldon, and R. Parihar. "Sushruta: The First Plastic Surgeon in 600 B.C." Internet Scientific Publications. Internet Scientific Publications, LLC, 2013. 
       Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://ispub.com/IJPS/4/2/8232>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4#action=share>.

Week 3 - Robotics + Art

This week, I am focusing on the topic of robotics and art. You cannot think about robotics without also thinking about industrialization because nowadays, robotics is in everything that we do in relation to manufacturing. Robotics is a booming field, especially as we enhance their intelligence. Robotics sort of emerged in relation to assembly lines when people like Henry Ford were interested in manufacturing products more quickly and cheaply. In this case of robots for industrialization purposes, the robots played a key role in the created of a finished product, which is an art piece. Another way robotics and art meshed was through movies like Blade Runner, which “invented” cyborgs, a mesh between human and machine.

Henry Ford's Assembly Line. Robots and people working together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLud5XYfY_c            

http://originalvintagemovieposters.com/blade-runner-original-vintage-film-poster/

           While robots were and still are key to creating many different works of art, robots and mechanical reproduction can make you feel like there is not much aura left to art. Walter Benjamin states that:

Mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art . . . [and] A painting has always had an excellent chance to be viewed by one person or by a few. The simultaneous contemplation of paintings by a large public, such developed in the nineteenth century, is an early symptom of the crisis of painting. (Benjamin 3-4).

Benjamin analyzes how mechanical reproduction destroys authenticity in art. He believes that the idea of the original is broken down and the idea of tradition has become less important. Although Benjamin has a valid point that paintings are now accessible to anyone, I disagree with his opinion that this is a bad thing. I do not believe that artwork that artists create for eyes other than their own should be hidden away for only a few people to ever see. I am sure that most artists would be happy to see their artwork being viewed and interpreted by those around and far from them.

An ironic picture of Walter Benjamin
http://www.heathwoodpress.com/on-walter-benjamin-a-critical-life/

Citations:

Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (an Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995)”. Leonardo 28.5 (1995): 381–386. Web.

"Ford Installs First Moving Assembly Line 1913." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dt13as.html>.

Sayej, Nadja. "How a Painting Robot Was Given an Artist's Soul." Motherboard. Vice Media LLC, 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. 

                   <http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/how-a-painting-robot-was-given-an-artists-soul>.

"The History of Robots in Movies." Robots in Film. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://robotsinfilm.com/the-history-of-robots-in-movies/>.