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  The first event I have chosen to attend is the online event, “COLOR LIGHT MOTION: Ryszard Kluszczyński – presenting artist Wen-Ying Tsai.” The type of art that was presented is known as Cybernetic Art. Ryszard Kluszczyński is the Head of Department of New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Lodz, Poland. Wen-Ying Tsai was an American artist born in China. He is one of the forerunners of Cybernetic Art, having graduated as an engineer then studying art. Painting was his main interest for decades–optical painting and optical perceptual painting with a technical engineering approach.  1968 was a very prolific period for Wen-Ying Tsai. Pictured below is one of his first works entitled  Harmonic Sculpture #10 .  Wen-Ying Tsai  Harmonic Sculpture #10 This event was an excellent example of how science and art can come together in the “third culture” referred to by C.P. Snow (Snow,  The Two Cultures ) and I highly recommend it to other students as a ...

  Humans have been cutting open bodies since almost the beginning of history (Vesna Week 4 Lecture, Part 1 ). Scientists used to cut sections of cadavers and photograph them (see below) until the 20 th century brought new technologies to help us look inside bodies without cutting them open. Scientist preparing to photograph transverse section of human head (Vesna Week 4, Part 1 ) Two familiar methods of looking inside the body without cutting it open are the x-ray and the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) which was invented by Raymond Vahan Damadian. Dr. Damadian became his own first MRI patient because nobody else was willing to get inside the MRI. However, when he got into the machine it didn’t work and the reason turned out to be that he was too big, so a student had to get in instead. As stated by Silvia Casini in her article, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts , “magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its f...

The topic this week that I found most interesting was “robotics and art.” I am researching ethics in AI so last week I rewatched Terminator 2: Judgement Day . It is easy to see why a lot of people are afraid of AI technology and robotics. The robots in the movie have been invented by humans but they have taken over the world and are destroying humanity. (Terminator 2: Judgement Day) Walter Benjamin writes in his book, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction , that “the destructiveness of war furnished proof that society has not been mature enough to incorporate technology as its organ” ( Benjamin , p.6). I think violence and destruction were present before technologies existed. Ancient technologies such as slingshots and cannon did damage, too. Sure, older technologies are less devastating, but the positive effects of technology do increase alongside its destructive potential. Would Walter Benjamin have us abandon “technology as our organ” and lose our ability to make...

The insights I have gained this week about how mathematics has influenced art and science include learning about the golden ratio and eurythmy. The golden ratio is depicted by a rectangle whose breadth is in the same proportion to its length as its length is to its whole. Eurythmy is the harmonious effect produced by this ratio which is found in nature and employed in myriad works of art and design because numerous cultures have found it to be aesthetically appealing (1). As soon as I saw that this week’s topic was “art & math” I immediately thought of Leonardo DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man , a drawing created in 1487, of a male figure in two superimposed positions with arms and legs apart. This is the quintessential piece of art that demonstrates the juxtaposition of art, math, and science. Leonardo DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man Further discoveries I made about how artists/scientists use mathematics in their creative work and expression were works produced using computers, including Natha...

Hi, everyone! My name is Laura and I have experience of both cultures. I grew up in an artistic household. My dad was a music teacher, and my mum is a fine artist. I began playing music when I was 3. The first thing I remember liking at school was painting. I loved writing stories when I was a child. However, I, like many of us, was told at a young age that pursuing a career in the Arts was less sensible due to the financial aspect. It was interesting to learn that, as Kevin Kelly writes, “Science has traditionally accepted…money with fewest political strings attached” (1). I went to university for Law but quickly realized it wasn’t for me. Next, I went to university for Applied Physics. The same thing happened again so I left Scotland and moved to Ireland. There I began a career in acting, which brought me to Los Angeles. During the pandemic, I decided to go back to college. First, I did Psychology, but it turned out that Philosophy was my favorite subject. I am now a Philosophy major...

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