Week 4: Medicine, Art and Technology

With the end of Word War I, America found many of its young soldiers to be harmed and physically disfigured. Plastic surgery of the head and face became popular as it allowed soldiers to return to a normal life, without being reminded every day of their physical deformities.

World War 1 veteran, a victim of facial disfigurement

Plastic surgery in itself is a form of art. Highly trained professionals allow patients to depict their desired physical appearance and they bring it to life. There has been a shift in the world of plastic surgery from a focus on reconstructive surgery to elective cosmetic surgery.  In 2012 the number one cosmetic surgery performed was breast augmentation. According to the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, 286,274 patients received this procedure. In 2012 the number one reconstructive surgery performed was for patients suffering from a disfiguring dog bite. 27,272 patients in 2012 received this surgery. The difference in the amount of people receiving cosmetic surgery versus reconstructive surgery is astounding.

Reconstructive Surgery: Cleft Lip 

Cosmetic Surgery: Face Lift 

Medicine can also be found in the art of television. Medical dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy, House, and Scrubs have been some of the most popular shows on television. These shows depict life-like stories about patients while following the professional and personal lives of the main characters. These shows dramatize the world of medicine, oftentimes putting a negative spin on typical stereotypes (i.e. only female nurses, mostly male physicians, hierarchies). Despite this, these shows dramatize the art of saving a human life.

The DaVinci surgical robot is a piece of medical technology that is changing the lives of many patients today. It allows for minimally invasive surgery, a higher recovery rate, and less scaring of the body. This machine combines the worlds of medicine, technology and art by allowing patients to receive better treatment and surgical outcomes without having to dramatically disfigure or scar any portion of the beautiful human body.  

No more surgeries like this!

The DaVinci

Recources: 

1. Plastic Surgery Statistics: http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news-and-resources/2012-plastic-surgery-statistics.html

2. World War 1 and plastic surgery: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9396435/Pioneering-plastic-surgery-records-from-First-World-War-published.html

3. Concepts for the plastic surgeon from art and sculpture: http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/3652606/reload=0;jsessionid=fBXN1QFAoU7mT4wyWJxg.44

4. A classic reprint: Plastic and cosmetic surgery of the face: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01570378

5. Medical and Nursing Students’ Television Viewing Habits: Potential Implications for Bioethics :

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056774/

6. DaVinci Surgery: http://www.davincisurgery.com/

Week 3: Art and the Industrial Revolution

In Walter Benjamin’s, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, he states, “Around 1900 technical reproduction had reached a standard that not only permitted it to reproduce all transmitted works of art and thus to cause the must profound change in their impact upon the public; it also had captured a place of its own among the artistic processes”.

This quote can be related to Henry Ford’s development of the first car in the United States. In 1903 Henry Ford stated, “I will build a car for the greater multitude” and with that the factory assembly line was put into full swing.

Henry Ford in his first car

Assembly lines developed during the Industrial Revolution and remain here in the United States and other countries today. They represent the most unartistic way of creating art. 

Ford's assembly line

In Henry Ford’s time the car was considered a beautiful form of luxurious art. Before his version of the assembly line and America’s first affordable car, only the rich could afford them. These cars were handmade, taking weeks to complete and required a single craftsman to create the entire project. Each craftsman would work under his own time with his own creative mind. These cars were truly artistic.

This Video describes the difference between the assembly line cars and previous luxurious models in Henry Ford's lifetime.  

Today, the world of industry still represents artwork. The hierarchy of car ownership has not changed since Ford’s time. Today, while the average American can own a Toyota Camry made in an assembly line and similar to every other Toyota Camry of its year, only the rich can order custom made cars or “custom made art such as a Tesla which are all custom made and take four months to complete. 

Custom Made Tesla 

Toyota Camry 

Fun Fact! Today October 16, 2013 marks the 100^th anniversary of the conveyor belt designed for Henry Ford’s assembly line!

Resources:

1. Henry Ford Biography: http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventors/a/HenryFord.htm

2. Benjamin, Walter, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Revolution” https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/files/3492308/download?wrap=1

3. The Industrial Revolution: http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution

4. 100^th Anniversary: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/10/16/assembly-line-anniversary

5. Video Biography of Walter Benjamin: http://www.openculture.com/2013/07/mystical-thought-of-german-theorist-walter-benjamin.html

Event 1 The Cardiac Dance: The Spirals of Life

This week I had the opportunity to attend The Cardiac Dance: The Spirals of Life by Dr. Gerald Buckberg on campus on Wednesday, October 9^th. Dr. Buckberg spoke about his new surgical approach for congestive heart failure. He has combined the worlds of science and art and has depicted his surgical approach with a visual aid known as the cardiac dance. The cardiac dance is a one act ballet that depicts the “spirals of life” or the natural pulsations of the heart muscles. Dr. Buckberg’s revolutionary idea shows the twisting and pulsating rhythms of the human heart in motion through dance, music and multimedia.

The Cardiac Dance

His new surgical procedure is based on the idea that the natural pulsations of the heart are not what scientists have originally thought. He uses the ballet dancers to depict the motions of the heart muscle. Dr. Buckberg’s thinking was inspired by French philosopher, scientist, and surgeon, Dr. Francisco (Paco) Torrent-Guasp who taught him how the heart muscle can be compared to the shape of a string. The shape includes one wrap and then a spiral looking similar to a figure eight. In the world of science the heart muscle is always show as a four vesicle model with muscle surrounding each of the vesicles. It is most commonly depicted on a vertical plane.

Congestive heart failure changes the shape of the heart muscle from a healthy “football” style shape to an unhealthy spherical shape. When the heart muscles shape changes, the heart muscle begins to fail. Dr. Buckberg’s new surgical approach would physically change the shape of a heart in congestive failure back to its “football” shape.

This new approach is not fully accepted in the world of cardiac surgery. Dr. Buckberg even stated that when he first learned of it from Dr. Torrent Guasp he was not convinced. Before taking this class I thought that there was no way that science and art could be combined. A quote by Dr. Buckberg helped me to realize I need to keep an open mind when he said, “Don’t be afraid to let somebody prove you wrong. You need to keep an open mind. If you pull back on new ideas you will simply be passed over.”

Week 2: Mathematics in Art

Before this week’s lecture I would have never said that Math and Art have something in common. At the end of the 12th century Art and Math were considered to be very separate; however, in the 13th century artists began to use the principles of mathematics in their drawings. Not only did this combination make the pieces of art look much more realistic but it created a new way of thinking for both the artist and his/her audience. Separately, art and science each have amazing qualities to contribute to humanity, but when combined they have the ability to create something that the world has never before seen.

M.C. Escher "Relativity"

M.C. Escher’s drawing, “Relativity”, is a perfect example of how math can be depicted in art. Escher focused on the division of planes to create an image that is scientifically impossible (ascending and descending at the same time) yet perfectly realistic to the human eye.

M.C. Escher also depicted the mathematical branch of Topology, which focused on visual aspects of space that is uncharged by distortions. In this drawing, "Mobius Strip II", the ants are all walking along the same side of the path; however geometric shapes and the use of space make the ants appear to be on different sides.

M.C. Escher's "Mobius Strip II"

Robert J. Lang is a unique artist who depicts the combination of art and science through origami. He uses geometric and algebraic principles to create intricate origami pieces. Huzita-Hatori axiom is a mathematical style of folding. He uses this technique to make beautiful origami pieces such as this one below.

Does this look like art to you? 

A result of mathematical origami 

 I learned a lot this week about the combination of art, science and mathematics.This combination allows for a type of creativity that would not be possible with just art, science or mathematics depicted on their own. Mathematics plays a vital role in the creating of artistic images.

Before I took this class I would have never said that art, science, and math could be compared side by side because they are completely different areas of interest. After what I learned this week, I have changed my mind. I believe that math, art and science can indeed be placed beside each other as not only do they all have something in common but they seem compliment each other in so many unique ways. 

Resources: 

1. Bickley-Green, Cynthia. "Math and Art Curriculum Integration: A Post Modern Foundation." Studies in Art Education. 37.1 (1996): 6-18. Print. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1320488>.

2. Math Academy Online, . The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher. 1997. Photograph. http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/minitext/escher/Web. 9 Oct 2013.

3. Glydon, Natasha. "The Mathematics of Art." Math Central. Math Central. Web. 9 Oct 2013.  <http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/beyond/articles/Art/art1.html>.

4. Lang, Robert. "Huzita-Justin Axioms." Robert J. Lang Origami. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct 2013. <http://www.langorigami.com/science/math/hja/hja.php>.

5.M.C. Escher Company, . "Recognition and Success 1955-1972." The Official M.C. Escher Website. The M.C. Escher Company. Web. 9 Oct 2013. <http://www.mcescher.com/>.

Blog Post #1

C.P. Snow’s coined idea of the separation of two cultures is something that can be seen directly in everyday life. The UCLA campus perfectly implements the idea of “two cultures” by physically separating its grounds into North Campus (Humanities, Arts and Social Science) and South Campus (Math and Sciences) without much room for the intertwining of these two “cultures”. It does not take a very artistic eye to notice the difference between the architecture of the north campus and south campus buildings. While the north campus buildings are comprised of beautiful red brick and intricate details the south campus buildings often resemble concrete blocks. Before entering UCLA I had a strong love for science; however, still did well in social science and humanities classes. After coming to UCLA these two subjects were completely separated and was quite a shock for me. The separation between these two campuses is simply astounding; yet, these two cultures are indeed very similar. Both cultures are made up of dedicated students working towards their dreams of a better future.

South Campus

North Campus

As a first generation American I consider myself to be a part of two cultures. My parents are Irish immigrants who raised me and my siblings in America, yet with the culture and traditions of Ireland. As a child I often found myself confused as I would learn one thing from my parents (particularly different words for an object ex: shopping cart vs. trolley) and then another from my peers. In order “satisfy” both cultures I would have to change my wording depending on the audience to which I was speaking. As I grew older I realized the similarities between these two cultures and found a way to mix them together so that they are a true representative of who I am as a whole.

This new idea of trying to diminish the line between two cultures has given me a greater perspective to the world as a whole. Two cultures may reveal  entirely separate things or one big picture. Take a lot at these pictures below.. What do you see? One or two images?

Resources:

-Snow, C.P. 'The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution 

-Wilson, Stephen.'Myths and Confusion in Thinking About Art/Science/Technology

-A Dangerous Divide: The Two Cultures in the 21st Century

-Google Images www.google.com/images

-Whiteney Dale. Reflective Summary: Two Cultures  http://jumpsuitsandteleporters.com/post/1412859591/reflective-summary-the-two-cultures

-Kevin Kelly - The Third Culture