Week 4: Medicine +Technology + Art

It is hard for me to see the connection to between medicine, technology, and art. Of course, this was before I reviewed the materials for week four. However, from what I could gather I believe technology and medicine’s connection with art stems from their obvious connection to life itself.  And life, to me, is art put into multiple forms at a constant and continuous rate. I also want to add in that it is not only life as in someone/a thing who is living, but even after death. We can see this through the forms of art that have taken place throughout the course of history with corpses. We can also see this in not only a physical sense, but also in the metaphysical sense when concerning transcendence, nirvana, heaven, etc.

            

Other than the videos we were required to watch, I think it was the Hippocratic Oath article that made me realize the relationship between art and medicine the most; I am taking from the modern Hippocratic Oath. They emphasize human beings, life, and art. I believe that they emphasized those three subjects because in taking care of a human being, one cannot be…un-human…so in order to carry out the responsibilities of a doctor, he or she must be human; which requires he/she to see the beauty in their practice (before and after).

          I guess what I am trying to say is bit confusing, but I hope whoever reads this will get the gist of it. 

Works Cited

Casini, Silvia. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between

            Science and the Arts. N.p.: Ca' Foscari Universita Di Venezla, n.d. PDF.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Week 3: Robotics and Art. An Observation of Eastern Attitudes towards the Mechanical Man

As someone who used to study in Japan, I have learned a few cultural aspects of Japanese society that has become part of the universal knowledge of Japanese persons; some may be true, some may be not. One of the aspects include how the Japanese are “unemotional” or hide their feelings. Another includes the society or a great number in the society to be isolated; withdrawal from society.

These thoughts stem from a series of events that take place in Japanese society.

In regards to the feelings of isolation and being antisocial, you have the term, “Hikikomori”, which describes reclusive adolescents or adults that, “…withdraw from social life…seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement (Hikikomori).” It is a phenomenon in Japan. 

In relations to hiding one’s feelings you have the term “Yes Man”, which is used to describe Japanese persons; regardless of how they may feel about a certain situation or event, they would say, "Yes," to it. For example, when A and B (Japanese) have a discussion and B's opinion differs A, to avoid conflict A would not voice their opinion on the matter.This is mostly concerning Japanese corporate culture. (Sugimoto).

I could give a few more examples, but space is limited.

Machiko Kusahara comments that Japan’s view of robots/ humanoids, is as a friend. When created in Japan, they are usually created with a friendly face. In contrast, to the West, the view of robots is seen as something scary and unwanted. (Vesna).

Why?

I think this derives from the psychological issues of living in a society where technology takes precedence over human relations (There is definitely a connection concerning economic and educational factors.). That is why there is strong desire to create a humanoid, a mechanical human being. Someone who could there for someone when actual humans could not. This does not only in involve physical robots, but also virtual based beings. 

And I believe we see this through various games from Japan; for instance, virtual reality games. A popular type is the Otome, meaning, "Girl game," because it is created for girls. It is basically story games where one gets to interact with computer characters. (Otome). 

You also have multiple manga and anime series that involve the joining of human and machine; for example the anime series, Gundam, where humans fuse with their machine to save the world and for other purposes.

So in the end, what I am trying to say is that I believe Japan’s interest in creating the humanoid is due to isolation factors that are prominent in Japanese society; using the creation of a mechanical/virtual being to fill the void of human interaction.

On another end note, I wish to say that through anime and manga as well as the contemporary creations and interpretations of humanoids or the mechanical man, I feel that Japan is a mirror to how the future will be in regards to harmoniously living aside mechanical/virtual beings (a human and technological combination) as well as a future where human interaction will slowly decrease due to environmental issues and technological advances.

Virtual Games: http://virtualworldsforteens.com/review_category/flirting-games/

Works Cited

/hikki/ - Hikikomori. Digital image. /hikki/ - Hikikomori. Anonymous Discussion Board for Reclusive People, 1 May 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Good Night, Tokyo! Digital image. Good Night, Tokyo! Good Night, Tokyo!, 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 Apr.

                2015.

"Hikikomori." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

"Otaku." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

"Otome Game." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

"Otome Games and Flirting Games - Virtual Worlds for Teens." Virtual Worlds for Teens RSS. Virtual

                Worlds for Teens, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

RGX-D3 D Gundam "Third" Digital image. The Gundam Wiki. Wikia, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Sugimoto, Yoshio. An Introduction to Japanese Society. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. Print.

Vesna, Victoria, and Kusahara Machiko. "Robotics MachikoKusahara 1." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr.

                2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Week 2: Math + ART

The combination of math, art, and science was never a realization I came across; although, it has been in my face most of my life. It was like... art and science...hmm…I can see that, but adding math into it too? It was not really noticeable from the beginning. Thus, it was interesting to learn and see how it all fits together. For example, the vanishing point in pictures, drawings, and paintings and the divine ratio given by Da Vinci that helps in the building of monumental structures and the depiction of human bodies in works of art.

What really stood out to me from this week’s materials was the concepts that Da Vinci discovered concerning perspective; geometry of perspective, artificial perspective, natural perspective, compound perspective. Perspective is definitely something I have learned as a lover of writing fictional stories. I guess to put it into the perspective of an art expression (painting, drawing, sculpting) was rather interesting to me.

I think a good example of an art piece that brings the perspectives to life would be Da Vinci’s  The Last Supper. One could see the use of natural perspective (in the people, the nature through the windows), artificial perspective (objects and people in the painting), and compound perspective (all together).

In regards to the juxtaposition of mathematics, art, and science, I believe that math is the base of multiple, if not all, forms of art and it is through that that art and science could be portrayed in the multiple manners it has been. 

Works Cited

Da Vinci, Leonardo. The Last Supper. N.d. Wikipedia. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Movement Design Principle. N.d. Pixshark. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Paralle. Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art (2000): 1-11. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

"Perspective (graphical)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Principle Movement. N.d. Pixshark. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria9. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 9 Apr.

                2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Week One: Two Cultures, Third Culture...How About None?

The question that floats in my mind about all of the materials use for week one is…does there have to be a divide? In other words, in regards to the concepts and realities of the “Two Cultures” and the “Third Culture”, do they even have to exist?

The division or the “creation” of art and science becoming two separate entities came into existence during the industrial and enlightenment period (Vesna) and it was from then that the current education system is running. I agree with Robinson that that is where the problem lies. Children of today are learning from an education system whose purpose was aimed at the, “…economic circumstance of the industrial revolution (RSA).” So today it is all about STEM and little attention is being to the arts. Through continuing the education system of the past, the divide between art and science is always going to be separated and although they are two different things, after week one’s readings and videos, I feel as if art, science, and technology are almost synonymous with one another in that they each play hand in hand with one another.

So if the current education system is changed, would the “Two Cultures” or “Third Culture” even have to exist? Should we work on making this a reality?

I guess I’m taking it from the perspective of gender and sexuality. Humans are put into two groups. You have male on one end and female on the other, but where do you place those born in between the two sexes; for instance, herms, merms, and ferms? Now society is isolating the sexes that are in-between and created separate categories for them which in return creates psychological and physical problems (physical, if given surgery at birth to change their sexual organ) when the child does not know how or which gender group (woman or man) to fit in to.

So now we have the separation of art and science (Two Cultures). For the people who are mixing the two we have added a “Third Culture”. Possibly if the world doesn't change their way of educating, there might just be a fourth, fifth, and sixth culture. What exactly those cultures will consist of is beyond me; however, I hope that in the future the two disciplines will cease to exist because at the end of the day a certain level of intelligence is attached to art and science. You are so-so if you can do the arts and you must be really smart to do science. What is going to happen to the people who fall into the artist category or who can’t even get to that one? 

Works Cited:

"John Brockman: Matchmaking with Science and Art." Interview by Duncan G. Rowe. Wired.co.uk.

            N.p., 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <wired.co.uk>.

N.d. Abbeville Press: Fine Art and Illustrated Books. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

            <http://www.abbeville.com/bookpage.asp?isbn=0789207133>. Mona Lisa and Davinchi.

N.d. Personalloberty.com. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. Transgender Activist Wants All Children Born

            Genderless.

N.d. Wikia. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <http://lab-rats.wikia.com/wiki/File:Confused_baby.jpg>. Confused

            Baby.

 "RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 06 Apr.

            2015.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. Cambridge: U, 1959. Print. 

Vesna, Victoria. "TwoCultures Part1." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.

This is my first blog entry.