Event #2

Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous

Last night I attended an event at the CNSI building on Campus at the Art Sci Centre. Professor Vesna was there, and introduced the artists and scientists who were speaking including Toni Dove, Taylor Aubry, Clarisse Bardiot, Laura Cechanowicz, Erkki Huhtamo, Marco Pinter and Shannon Willis. Each person spoke for around 5-7 minutes about what they are working on, or what they have learned through research.

(The podium where the artists and scientists spoke)

(My sister and I at the Art Sci Centre)

(Inside the Art Sci Gallery)

I had never been to an event like this before so I found it very fascinating. One of the speakers was Shannon Willis, an art student at USCB had to leave her daughter for her studies. She focuses on the exchange between philosophy, quantum physics, art and emotion. Her pieces of art are interactive videos and sculptures that incorporate depth, illusion, and touch to spark emotions. In her works, art, science and technology work together to create sculptures that entice human emotion. This reminds me of Professor Vesna's lecture from week one, talking about the intersection of the two cultures to create art. In these sculptures, without science or technology, the interactive aspects of the art would be impossible. 

(Shannon Willis - Clusterf#ck)

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The speaker that stuck out to me the most was Marco Pinter, an artist with a PhD in Media Arts and Technology from UCSB. He spoke about the mechanisms of visual perception and object permanence. We learned about this a little bit in Vesna's lecture on Math & Art. We talked about perspective, and artists attempts of creating perception of depth in their paintings dating back to the 1300's. Marco Pinter's project, 'Object Permanence' explores our perception of objects and their existence over time.

 

(Marco Pinter - The Object Permanence)

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He also talked about the use of robotics in art. He creates sculptures using robotic choreography so that they can be manipulated with your hands. We learned about robotics and art in Vesna's lectures from Week 3. Robotics has influenced artists over time, and is a way for them to create unique, interactive sculptures. Below is an image of Marco Pinter and Shannon Willis and a robotic responsive sculpture that they created. 

(Marco Pinter and Shannon Willis)

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I would definitely recommend this event to my classmates. It was convenient as it was on campus and it was very interesting to hear from Professor Vesna, not only through video's but in person. Hearing from the artists and scientists really tied together a lot of the materials that we have learned about so far this quarter. 

Citations

"Object Permanence." Marco Pinter. marcopinter.com, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics.” Lecture. YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 8 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics.” Lecture. YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 8 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. 

Vesna, Victoria. "TwoCultures part1." Youtube. Uconlineprogram, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt.3." Youtube. Uconlineprogram. 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.