Event Blog #3: Art and Technology Exhibit at LACMA

For one of my events this quarter, I decided to go to LACMA and visit their “Art and Technology” exhibit. This exhibit pays tribute to the Art and Technology Program at LACMA created by curator Maurice Tuchman (LACMA). The program paired artists with major technology and engineering corporations in an attempt to help artists explore new boundaries in art and science (Chang). This exhibit encompasses the ideas of this course, unifying two seemingly polar concepts to create something expressive and thought provoking. The program included about 80 projects (Bonin).

"Rain Machine" by Andy Warhol

One of these projects called “Rain Machine” was designed by none other than Andy Warhol. Warhol worked with three prototypes of artificial-weather machines to stimulate snow, wind, and rain. Warhol’s vision was to pair up these machines with holographic or 3D images. Warhol was able to make this happen with the help of Gardner Cowles, who developed a 3D printing process. What resulted was a 3D print of four daises with two layers of rain on top. This project reminds me of the Week 3 “Robotics + Art” (Vesna) lessons. The idea of creating a weather machine to stimulate modes of weather is similar to something out of a movie. Being able to control weather is an occurring theme of science fiction movies. Warhol was able to create a piece that is a shadow of a weather machine and at the same time, aesthetically pleasing. That is what’s so great about the combination of art and science—the project doesn’t necessarily have to work from a scientific point of view, but the idea is in a physical form ready to be interpreted by whoever views it. 

"Five Plates, Two Poles" by Richard Serra

Another project, called “Skullcracker” scrapyard, was created by Richard Serra to generate sculptures by stacking and balancing large slabs and plates of steel (Seidner). One of these sculptures, “Five Plates, Two Poles,” also unites two other polar themes—chaos and harmony. The chaos refers to the different pieces used to create the sculpture while the harmony refers to the balance of each piece needed for the sculpture to stay upright. This exhibit shows that some of the most creative projects can come about from combining two opposing ideals.

Me at the exhibit

Citations

Bonin, Vincent. "Maurice Tuchman, A Report on the Art and Technology Program of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Fondation. Web. 8 June 2015.

Chang, Andrea. "LACMA Announces Art Technology Lab, with Support from Google, SpaceX." Los Angeles Times. 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 June 2015.

"From the Archives: Art and Technology at LACMA, 1967–1971." LACMA. Web. 8 June 2015.

Seidner, David. "Richard Serra." BOMB Magazine. Web. 8 June 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. “Unit 3: Robotics + Art” 2012. Lecture.

Event Blog #2: Making Strange Exhibit at the Fowler Museum

For one of my events, I went to the “Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem” Exhibit at the Fowler Museum (LA Weekly). This exhibit consisted of pieces constructed by major contemporary Indian artist Vivan Sundaram (The Art Minion). Dissecting the name, I interpreted a bit of what message the pieces attempt to convey—“Gagawaka” is a combination of Lady Gaga and the 2010 World Cup anthem Waka Waka (Fowler Museum). Lady Gaga refers to the fashion that she herself adorns, reflecting the idea of American pop culture beauty. Waka Waka refers to the cultural aspect of the exhibit and the word itself conveys a sense of absurdity. 

Effigy, 2011 (Paper cups, metal frames)

I believe that when combined, the purpose of this exhibit appears to be to comment on the superficiality of pop culture and the absurdity of it. The garments that these pieces are modeled after belong to those who are regarded as “rich” and the irony of this exhibit is the use of ordinary, everyday objects to generate these pieces. The second part of the exhibit refers to “Postmortem” part of the title. Postmortem refers to “after death” as seen in Sundaram’s use of mannequins and the human body (Patel). 

Wired Torso, 2013 (Mannequin fiberglass)

The purpose of this half of the exhibit is to focus on the “clothing’s relationship to the body, and the body’s relationship to itself (Davis).” In my eyes, I see the juxtaposition between “Gagawaka” and “Postmortem” as a commentary on how humans care very much about the superficial aspects of life, but none of this matters in the end of life. I interpret this exhibit as meant to open the eyes of today’s generation to what is truly important in life—ourselves and each other, as we are.

Me at the exhibit

Citations

""Making Strange" by Vivan Sundaram at The Fowler Museum." The Art Minion. 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 8 June 2015.

Dambrot, Shana Nys. "Making Strange: Gagawaka Postmortem." L.A. Weekly. Web. 8 June 2015.

Davis, Sarah. "Making Strange: Vivan Sundaram at the Fowler Museum." Art Slant. 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 8 June 2015.

"Making Strange: Gagawaka Postmortem by Vivan Sundaram." Fowler Museum at UCLA. Web. 8 June 2015.

Patel, Ruhee. "Fowler’s ‘Making Strange’ Exhibit Brings Together Artist’s Projects." Daily Bruin. 22 May 2015. Web. 8 June 2015.

Event Blog #1: Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces Exhibit by Robert Gero

I was able to attend the Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces Exhibit by Robert Gero on May 21^st at Professor Vesna’s suggestions. The exhibit was unique straight off the bat as it utilized the entire room in order to convey a sense of infiniteness (Gero). 

Structure takes up entire room

This exhibit ties in well with Week 2 – “Math + Art” (Vesna) lessons as it was grounded in mathematical concepts in order to generate the infinity structures. Gero most definitely used concepts of vanishing points, proportions, horizontal and orthogonal lines, and the laws of optics to superimpose a feeling of limitlessness in the room (Museum of Science). The take away message of the exhibit was the ability to unify the theory of finite and infinite into a physical structure. As seen from the pictures, the structure consists of Styrofoam beams, strategically placed pillows, and rotating light. 

Addition of dark pillows

All of these combine to create a “stable interior and an infinitely expanding interior” (UCLA Art | Sci Center). The Styrofoam beams were placed in an interwoven pattern that gave the room a boundless appearance—every direction you turned, you were met with this pattern of beams. The dark pillows contrasted nicely against the white of the Styrofoam, allowing the viewers to differentiate different viewpoints within the structure. The light projection added to the ethereal feeling of the exhibit, as if you were floating in an infinite space. It also gave the beams an appearance of movement, contributing to the idea of infinity. 

Use of rotating lights

The true feat was creating such a “seemingly impossible structure whose internal dimensions exceed its external ones” (World Eventer). There is a kind of beautiful harmony in uniting to polar concepts, much like the idea of Yin and Yang.

Citations

"EXHIBITION: Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces by Robert Gero." UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab. Web.

Gero, Robert. "Robert Gero." RobertGero.net. Web.

"Infinity Structures: Paradoxical Spaces by Robert Gero." World Eventer. Web.

"Museum of Science, Boston." Exploring Linear Perspective. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. "Unit 2: Math + Art" 2012. Lecture.