Week 1: Two Cultures

Learning about the "two cultures" in this week's lectures and readings has pushed me to reflect on my major as whole. As a second year student studying business economics, I realized that as CP Snow discussed, the separation of sciences and the arts is evident to the point that we often overlook the necessity of applying both cultures in the real world. Despite that my major does not involve the arts, I have noticed that many of my lectures take place on the north side of campus, particularly in the Broad Art Center. I feel that this is especially profound relative to the idea of the separation of two cultures because it symbolizes an effort to encourage students to take the time to appreciate all parts of the campus as they make their frequent commutes to class. Personally for me, I have developed a greater appreciation for art at UCLA as I continue to walk past various sculptures and differing styles of architecture on the north side of campus.

Eli & Edythe Broad Art Center UCLA — STUDIOpractice Architects
Broad Art Center at UCLA

With regards to the idea of connecting the sciences and the arts, I definitely agree with John Brockman's statement that "contemporary scientists" are the third culture capable of bridging the gap. We can see this application in many aspects of life such as the media we enjoy as well as artistic expressions in the form of NFTs. Many of these projects require a sufficient understanding of technology and skillsets such as software engineering, in which in these environments the two cultures work collaboratively. For instance, the creation of NFT art requires not only artistic ability, but also the skills of a computer scientist.

Sotheby's to Present Landmark Live Evening Auction For Single Lot of 104 CryptoPunk NFTs | Press Release | Sotheby's
Collection of 104 NFT "CryptoPunks" worth upwards of $30 million

The most interesting idea to me is Victoria Vesna's emphasis on the need for professions related to the sciences to establish an understanding of the arts. For instance, as a business economics major aspiring to obtain a managerial position at a firm, I found the study of linguistics as well as public speaking to be helpful in developing myself into a more well-spoken and well-rounded individual.

"Major Levels of Linguistics"

Sources:

Brockman, John. “The Third Culture.” N.p.: n.d., 1995. Print.

Kazakina, Katya. “Sotheby's Expected to Sell 104 CryptoPunks for a Record $30 Million. Instead, the Collection Was Pulled Just before the Sale.” Artnet News, Artnet News, 24 Feb. 2022, https://news.artnet.com/market/cryptopunk-sale-withdrawn-2077147. 

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures ; and the Scientific Revolution. University Press, 1959.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.

“Eli & Edythe Broad Art Center UCLA.” STUDIOpractice Architects, https://www.studiopractice.com/eli-edythe-broad-art-center-ucla. 

“Linguistics: Home.” Library Guides, University of Washington, https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/linguistics. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Event 2

Image
Often when we think of art, we associate it with drawing, painting, or sculpting. However, as discussed in today's event by Ann McCoy, art can take many interesting forms such as the manipulation of light with motion. Initially I had never thought much about the involvement of light in art, but after being introduced to numerous extravagant works and modern day examples, I was fascinated by the dynamics and effects that the combination of light and motion possesses. Theater lighting is a prominent example of how people can use light and motion in the present to produce an immersive environment for audiences.  Ann McCoy Explaining Theater Lighting GOBO Learning about Otto Piene and his works was especially interesting to me. His dedication to incorporate tech into art was inspiring and was what distinguished him from many artists. The fact that he utilizes only light and motion to create artwork is what makes his style so unique. The premise of his art is so simple because it utiliz
Read more

Week 3: Robotics + Art

Image
There is no doubt that the advent of machines and industrialization have resulted in necessary advancements in society. For example, the printing press established by Johannes Gutenberg unlocked the potential to print texts on mass scales and Ford's Assembly line allowed automobiles to become more affordable to the average consumer. The fact is that machines allowed many industries to operate more efficiently and effectively by replacing aspects of human labor with machine labor. However, the downside to mechanization is the risk for many workers to potentially lose their job when they can easily be replaced by machines. Thus, as the world becomes more involved with machines, the concern of unemployment arises. Ford's assembly line Machines have also become involved in the way art can be produced or reproduced. Walter Benjamin, author of  “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” believes that the involvement of machinery in art is problematic because its reprodu
Read more

Week 9: Space + Art

Image
Though it is challenging to pursue space exploration, the world has always remained fascinated with reaching greater achievements in relation to the universe. Space is a largely unfamiliar frontier for us, and throughout the years many nations have focused on developing technologies to gather a better understanding of what lies beyond our planet. Speculation of space theories date back to as early as the 1500s where Nicolaus Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system with the Sun at the center. At the time people disagreed with the heliocentric model, however, Copernicus' act of courage in sharing his theory has since then revolutionized our understanding of space and led to more fascinating discoveries. Heliocentric Model As our fascination with space grew, we began developing and using tools to assist our discovery of space. Perhaps the most influential tool was the telescope which was first used in the 17th century. The telescope provided a foundation to uncove
Read more