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.