Week 4: MedTech + Art

When we see the evolution of art from cave-paintings to the modern expressionistic pieces we see today, we can clearly see how deeply medicinal technology and a deeper understanding of human anatomy has benefited artists over the years. The more details about the structure of the human body, both inner and outer, that artists have come to know off, the better their representation of the human body has become. In fact, the inner workings of the human body are so complex and intricate that they have often become an inspiration to many artists who base their work on it.

Vitruvian Man, by Leornado Da Vinci, one of the earliest pieces based on human anatomy.

Contrary to popular belief, the relationship between medicinal technology and art is symbiotic. Literary and imaginative art have had a huge impact on medical technology as well. With the concept of bionic limbs, advanced medical screening techniques and other developments all coming from literary or artistic pieces. Art helped open the minds of scientists to help them think of non-conventional solutions to problems and so helped the development of the MedTech industry.

A bionic limb as inspired by art.

Art can also have a more direct effect on the med-tech industry through the field of plastic surgery. A lot of artists have turned the human body into a canvas and use alterations to it to express themselves. People have also turned to plastic surgery in the effort to have a better appearance and 'conform' to our society's ideals of beauty. Plastic surgery is especially helpful after accidents and medical emergencies, such as burns or deformity leaving situations, as it helps victims integrate back into our society and feel more comfortable in their own skin again.

A burn victim before and after plastic surgery.

As we can see, art and the med-tech industry have both been beneficial in each others development and together have led to a better world.

Resources

1) Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. 

2) Robocop. Dir. Paul Verhoeven. Orion Pictures Corporation, 1987.

3)"Zoran Todorovic Artist Portrait." Culturebase.net - a Unique Online Source on Contemporary International Artists. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?188>.

4) Salcido, Jannelle. "The History of Plastic Surgery." PlasticSurgery.com. PlasticSurgery.com, 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

5) X-Men. Dir. Bryan Singer. Decca Records, 2000.

Week 3: Robotics + Art

As the world slowly becomes more complex, with advanced machinery handling most of our daily tasks, we need to consider how art has developed with industrialization and the rise of the digital age. Works of art have become easy to reproduce through machinery and have lost their authenticity. However, Walter Benjamin believes that no matter how many times a work of art is reproduced, the original is still considered authentic because of its 'aura' ^[1].

The Evolution of Art as technology advanced

The movie that best represents societys reaction to modernization is 'I, Robot'. In the movie, humans develop robots with AI to run most tasks, including law enforcement. The robots however, develop into strong intelligent beings with the ability to feel. This movie has often made me wonder how art, sculpture and music will be affected when humans are able to make robots with true artificial intelligence. Would the robots be able to make more intricate and fascinating pieces of art or would they lack the originality that can only come from a human brain? I postulate, that even though robots would be brutally efficient in copying pieces of art that they observe, it would be nearly impossible to create robots who could truly influence art as we can't program creativity and imagination.

Robots from 'I, Robot'

Even though AI probably can not contribute to the evolution of art, technology has played a massive role in its development. The development of machinery and technology has lead to new, more intricate techniques to create art. It's also made art more accessible as the development of technology has led to more people being able to create art, even though they probably aren't good with penmanship, painting, etc. This has led to more people being able to express themselves creatively as it removes the restriction of needing to know how to draw, paint, etc.

Art made solely through a computer

Thus we can see that even though industrialization and the development of technology has helped art advance, there is a limit to what it can do.

Resources

1) Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
2) Building "self-aware" Robots. Dir. Hod Lipson. 2007. Ted Talk. <http://www.ted.com/talks/hod_lipson_builds_self_aware_robots>
3) Robots That "show Emotion" Dir. David Hanson. 2009. Ted Talk. <http://www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_relate_to_you>
4) "ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show." ArtBots. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://artbots.org/2002/>.
5) Ji Xie Gong Di = I,robot. By James Cromwell, Laurence Mark, Bridget Moynahan, and Will Smith. De Li Ying Shi., 2004.

Week 2: Math + Art

I remember the first time I noticed how deeply ingrained mathematics is in art, sculpture and the design world in general. I was watching 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull', and I came across the fabled Nazca Lines. These lines built thousand of years ago only make sense if seen from above, but the people who built them had no way of flying at that time. This indicates careful mathematics involved in their design and implementation, as they essentially could not see the 'big picture' of what they were making.^[1]  I was so fascinated by this phenomenon that on further research I began seeing mathematical patterns in the design of all wonders of the world, indicating that mathematics has been deeply ingrained in art and design for millennia.

A part of the fabled 'Nazca Lines'

Both art and science have multiple concepts and theories that can only be properly evaluated through mathematics. For example, depth and dimension, as explained by Linda Henderson^[2], can only be accurately represented in works of art through careful mathematical interpretation. However, the one point I'd like to make here is that this mathematical interpretation is sometimes intuitive for artists and they do not realize that they're using it as heavily as they do.^[4]

Dimensions being represented in Art through Intuitive Math

There is only one artist that comes to mind when you think about the combination of art, science and math. Clearly, Leonardo Da Vinci was a visionary. He was one of the few people to have ever understood the intricate connections between art and math and how we can apply them to science. One of the best illustrations of this use is in “The Last Supper,” painted in the late 15th century. Various design and architectural features show very clear golden ratios.

Geometry used to show symmetry in Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa'

Based on my research and knowledge, mathematics is closely ingrained in both art and science. Sometimes it presents itself in more obvious ways such as formulas in Science or measurement of length, breadth, etc dimensions and scaling in Art. At other times it has a more intuitive role like 3-D representation in Art. However, the close relation between the three is undeniable.

Resources

1. "The Nazca Lines Are An Enigma." The Nazca Lines Are An Enigma. Web. 09 Apr. 2016 <http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/nazca/esp_lineas_nazca_15.htm>.
2.  Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. Leonardo. 3rd ed. Vol. 17. MIT, 1984. Pages 205-210. Print.
3. Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube,9 April 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>
4. Abbott, Edwin Abbott. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1963. Print.
5. "Divine Proportion/Golden Ratio in the Art of Da Vinci." The Golden Ratio Phi 1618. 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2016. <http://www.goldennumber.net/leonardo-da-vinci-golden-ratio-art/>.