Event 3: Fowler Museum

As a student at UCLA, I have never heard a single thing about the Fowler Museum until I took this class. I think it is a shame that nobody speaks of it because it is truly an amazing place with fascinating exhibits. I made my short walk from Lot 7 over to Fowler Museum, walked inside, and was immediately. I walked in and headed straight. It just so happened that my favorite exhibit was the first one I saw. I was very fascinated by the sculptures in the first room I went in. It was an exhibit called making strange by Vivan Sundarum. I was told by one of the people working in the room that the first project, known as Gagawaka, was made up of twenty-seven sculptural garments made up of medical supplies and recycled materials. This was amazing to me that one could be so resourceful and still make such amazing art. 

By using medical supplies to create the pieces, VIvan Sundarum showed the connection between art and medicine in a way that I would have never imagined. When taking the class, I only thought art and medicine were connected through the actual practice of medicine. After seeing this exhibit, I was proved wrong. Medical pieces actually made up the art which proved to me that art and medicine can quite literally be connected. 

All in all, I feel like I got a greater understanding of how resourceful, and how unexpected art can be. I would have never known these pieces were made up of recycled materials and medical supplies if it were not for the worker telling me. It proves to show the creativity that some artists have. If I were to look at a medical supply, I would never be able to see art in it, but people like Sundarum do just that. 

Event 2: The Getty

The next place I went to was The Getty. Unlike the Hammer Museum, I had actually heard of the Getty before, and heard that it was a very cool place. I was looking forward to going even though i was not sure what to expect. I expected it to be a regular museum with some nice paintings and some nice sculptures, but when I got there I was blown away. It was so much more than a regular museum. It was a beautiful center with both art and architecture. I had no idea that it would have so much to it. Most museums I have been to have been entirely indoors, so when I saw this amazing place in Malibu, I was in awe.

I was most attracted to this beautiful outdoor area in the middle of the villa. Naturally I am much more drawn to the outdoors than I am to the paintings inside, so this is where I spent a majority of my time. The architecture outside was truly jaw-dropping. The building reminded me of a European building, and all of the plants were perfectly trimmed. This reminded me of our lesson on nature, as it really reflected the art there is in nature. 

Although I spent most of my time outside, I did also go inside to admire some of the artwork. All of the sculptures were precise and extremely well done. The time and effort put into those sculptures clearly paid off. They were all extremely nice, and like the villa they reflected some of the European sculptures I have seen before. I really enjoyed my time at The Getty.

Event 1: Hammer Museum

I did not know what to expect before arriving at the Hammer Museum, as I had no idea what they had there. To be honest, I went because it was close to campus, but I could not be happier that it is one of the place I chose to go to. It was a very cool place with a lot of art that caught my attention.

One of the things in this class that always intrigued me was the connection between technology and art, and there were plenty of examples of this at the museum. As strange as it sounds, the first thing that caught my eye at the Hammer Museum were these weird things on the ground that looked like a spinning top. I would have never known what their use was if there were not other people sitting down in them. You could sit down in them and spin around without ever falling over. Although it may not be extremely advanced technology, it really impressed me. I had some fun in my little chair and then moved on throughout the museum.

There were also other pieces that really caught my eye. The rolling London Bridge amazed me. It was one of the most advanced ideas I had ever seen in something as basic as a bridge. The bridge has the ability to lay out completely flat for people to go over, but if a boat needs to pass by, it can roll up into a ball. I would have never thought it was even possible if I had never seen this display. The Hammer Museum presented lots of cool and fun displays that really related to what I learned in this class.

Space+Art

Space is something that really intrigues me, as it is so limitless and so unknown. My whole life I have wondered what space has to offer. With technology, we have seen what space is like, but we really have no idea what is outside of our own universe. It is truly mind boggling to think about, and is something that will always interest me. Thanks to technological advancements, I can get a better idea of what space is like. In the “Powers of Ten” video from this week’s materials, we can see a mathematical approach on how to scale our universe as a factor of ten. This video presents technology that would have been unheard of not too long ago. The video maps out our universe by focusing in on a small spot on earth and then expanding out by ten meters. From the small spot on earth, to the entire universe, and then focusing back in on the small spot, mathematics helps us survey space in a way that is comprehendible through the factor of ten. As discussed in previous weeks, technology, math, and science are all linked to art. We now see that space is also linked to art. 

Space is just another form of nature. Various pictures taken of space have shown the beautiful crevices and craters that space, and specifically, the moon have. these pieces of art are truly wonderful. We have all sorts of pictures from space, taken by satellites, space crafts, and even men on the moon. Saying it simply, art captures beauty. Art can transform our perception of objects into something completely different. Without art, we would have no perception of space whatsoever. 

Movies have also caught on to the trend of delving into space. Most recently, one of my favorite movies, Interstellar, depicted space and its association with time relativity beautifully. It was truly a work of art, and could have never happened without all of the technological advancements we have made in the past years. 

Sources: 

"Powers of ten." Youtube. Eames Office, 26 Aug 2010. Web. 29 May 2015. 

Sagan, Carl. "A Pale Blue Dot Quotes." Good Reads. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2015.

Rauschenberg, Robert. Stoned Moon. Digital image. Rauschenberg. Robert Rauschenberg       

Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 May 2015.

Fulmer, Kyle. "Space and Art." - NSA Watch. NASA, 5 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 May 20

Vensa, Victoria. "Space Exploration Plus Art." Youtube. Uconlineprogram, 29 Jul 2013. Web. 29 

May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. DESMA 9. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.