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EVENT 5: INTERSEX: BEYOND THE BINARY

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This was a very different event compared to the others I have attended this quarter. This event was not about art and neither was it about the intersection of art and technology. However, it follows a similar theme, which is the intersection of two contrasting fields. In this case the discussion is focused on the intersex, and how both the social and medicinal worlds play a role in their life. I found this to be a very important event primarily because I found myself terribly under informed about intersex. Although I attribute this partially to my own ignorance but there is also the fact that knowledge regarding intersex is not that common, and there is a need to address this issue. Proof of attendance This event was organized by EPIDAPO, an organization that focuses on the new field of epigenetics, which is the study of changes in organisms due to modification in gene expression. The representative from EPIDAPO, started the discussion by talking about the clinical terminology
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EVENT 4: LASER

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Proof of Attendance This was a very fun event, and extremely useful for this class. LASER stands for Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous, which as the name suggests, is a evening get together of art and science professionals, where they give a short presentation on their research. This event constituted of professionals from different fields explaining how using both art and science together has been crucial for their research. The cool thing about this event was that all the presenters are connected to UCLA such as professors, students or artists in residency here, so you get to exposure to the research that is being done here. Agent Unicorn The event began with a presentation from Dr. Claudia Schnugg, a researcher who works in the intersecting space of science and art. She is currently research the benefits of collaboration of artists and scientists to each other as well as to the institutions that host these collaborations. She if focusing on the exact mechanism
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EVENT 3: CREATING FERTILE GROUND BY DR. CLAUDIA SCHNUGG

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Proof of attendance This was a very interesting and useful event, because Dr. Claudia Schnugg is trying to answer a question that we have been trying to answer this quarter: “Why should scientists bother to collaborate with artists?”. Dr. Claudia Schnugg is a researcher in intersections of art and aesthetics with science, technology and business, and producer of art and science collaboration. During her research many scientists and corporations asked her the same question. Through her research she found out that through collaboration with artists, both scientists and corporations can experience their own work differently and gain new perspectives. Furthermore, they also gain access to new knowledge, methods and technologies, which could lead to more idea generation and creativity. This is a very effective way to ensure constant advancement in the scientific, corporate and the artistic worlds. An example that Dr. Schnugg discussed is called Agent Unicorn, which is a collaborati
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WEEK 9: SPACE AND ART

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Having discussed almost all the important fields for the future such as robotics and nanotechnology, it only seems apt that we discussed the relation between space and art. Space exploration is a field that is expected to grow immensely in the coming years, and art will play a crucial role in this growth, as it has in other fields. It is fascinating to see how important art was to inspire space exploration. The artist, Chesley Bonestell, was one of the important figures who helped popularize manned space travel. He published paintings in popular magazines such as “Saturn as seen from Titan”, as well as writing books such as “The Conquest of Space” and creating special effects painting for movies like “War of the Worlds”. His work, along with the work of other artists, writers and scientists generated the national interest in space in the US. Artists are continuing to lead the lines with more ideas. For example, an idea published in a science fiction work by Arthur C Clarke, calle
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WEEK 8: NANOTECH AND ART

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Nanotechnology is a field of incredible potential. It is surprising that a field such as nanotechnology, which has revolutionized all aspects of our life, from food to our clothes to medicines, is known so little. It was fascinating to see the mere number of subfields that have been created under the umbrella of nanotechnology, such as nanomedicine, nanoelectronics and nanophotonics. One of the most surprising examples of use of nanotechnology by the Romans in the Lycurgus Cup. The cup will appear green when lit from front, but if it were lit from the back it would change color to red. This change in color happens due to presence of gold and silver particles that are 50 nanometers in diameter. The fact that romans were able to do this 1600 years ago is absolutely amazing. Furthermore, nanotechnology is also present in nature. The wings of the Blue morpho butterfly seem to have a blue iridescent color but are in fact transparent. Their wings consist of many nano-scale structure
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