Event 1: LASER

I attended the Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) event on April 21st. There were 8 speakers at this event who talked about their recent projects for 5-7 minutes each. Most of these speakers had projects that incorporated art along with science or technology, which was really exciting. I got to see a lot of overlap between some of the speakers' projects and what we learned in lecture. The speakers Taylor Aubry, Marco Pinter, Shannon Willis, and Toni Dove all had projects that really interested me and connected to the course material.

Taylor Aubry's project was called "The Future of our Energy Landscape: Could Plastic Solar Cells Meet our Energy Needs?" Taylor and her lab are working on creating electricity through the implementation of plastic solar cells. This is a perfect overlap between art and science, as these plastic cells can be used in artistic innovations, but science is what allows the plastic solar cells to generate electricity. The reason that we don't have plastic solar cells on our rooftops is due to the cost of creating them. However, mass production can be done to lessen the costs. Although this destroys uniqueness, as mentioned by Walter Benjamin, the production of these plastic solar cells may not be as costly (Benjamin 2008). As for now, an immediate use of these plastic solar cells will be for smaller projects such as wearable electronics. As they become more popular, we may one day see plastic solar cell rooftops.

Taylor Aubry talking about the future of plastic solar cells

Plastic Solar Cells

(Beach 2015)

Marco Pinter talked about his dissertation research at UC Santa Barbara. His work was on combining dance and technology to create sculptures and ordinary objects such as scarves that danced. I thought this was extremely unique, as it not only incorporated a form of art (dance), but also had an aspect of robotics to it as these objects would move on their own.

The artwork done by Marco Pinter where objects are moving on their own

Shannon Willis' work was about how she feels separated from her daughter. Her art was a compilation of different videos. These video clips were of her daughter and her watching those clips of her daughter. I thought her art was very abstract and unique. I could really feel the connection she has with her daughter while watching the video. This piece used technology and compiled different videos to create a work of art.

Lastly, Toni Dove talked about her recent project - an interactive narrative. There are 9 screens around the room with different projections on each. Furthermore, the main character on stage who is singing has a dress that is part robotic and can be projected on. This project incorporated art (music/costume/videos) and technology (robotics/projections) in a creative way and really complements what we have been learning in class.

Toni Dove talking about the robotic dress 

Overall, I really enjoyed the event. I learned a lot about recent projects that use art, science, and technology. I never knew how much technology and science was incorporated in art until after this event. C.P. Snow introduces a third culture, one that combines the sciences and art (Snow 1959). It became prevalent that this third culture C.P. Snow talks about is already being incorporated in our world today, as artists are using technology and science more and more in their projects.

Toni Dove and I at the LASER event 

Professor Vesna and I at the LASER event

Event Link: http://artsci.ucla.edu/?q=laser-leonardo-art-science-evening-rendezvous

Bibliography:

Beach, Greg. "Paper-thin Printed Solar Cells Could Provide Power for 1.3 Billion People." Inhabitat Green Design Innovation Architecture Green Building. 17 June 2015. Web. 04 May 2016. <http://inhabitat.com/paper-thin-printed-solar-cells-could-provide-power-for-1-3-billion/>.

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

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

"UCLA Art|Sci Center: LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous)." YouTube. Computing Technologies Research Lab Streaming, 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 May 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCJcAFGckQg>

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.