Week 1: Third Culture
Victoria Vesna’s perspective in the article we read is that there is already a third culture emerging of scientific artists. C. P. Snow’s perspective is that there are two cultures and they disagree with each other but should not as they are both ‘intellectuals’. He also believed we needed to change our education system, noting the British, Russian, and American education systems. I grew up in England, and during our GCSEs (higher exams that take place aged 15-17) the maths and sciences were mandatory, whilst english, history and art were supplementary. I consider what I do at UCLA to be part of the third culture as described by Vesna, but I also belong to the third culture described by Kelly, the ‘nerd culture’. I believe the design media arts major is part of the third culture, and I see examples of Kelly’s ‘nerd culture’ every time I’m online, that bring to life both art and science.
Bloom by John Edmark. Edmark 3D prints sculptures he designed using math and Fibonacci's Sequence. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxTGyWJF14o&t=27s)
xkcd is a popular webcomic that jokes about science and literature (xkcd.com)
Tasha Sturm asked her 8 year old son to place his hand in a petri dish after he had played in the dirt, creating this stunning piece. (https://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/petri-handprint?utm_term=.kuAQ31Bwj#.euMwXQxzy)
I currently work mainly with 3D modeling and 3D printing, and that is what I plan to go into once I graduate. These to me are the meshing of art and science, as described by Wilson. I am also doing a piece where I’m 3D modeling jewelry based off of side effects of popular medications. I have done numerous hours of research on medication already, including trips to the Biomedical library.
At UCLA, Bruin Walk draws a line between the humanities and the sciences. When a classmate tells me they are a South Campus major, I feel like a wall is placed between us; I don’t understand their college experience and they don’t understand mine.
I have always had this mode of thinking that the forefront of art is to embrace science, the readings and lectures have affirmed that for me. I plan on using this perspective in my work long after I graduate.
Adam Stieg, Dr. "The Third Culture: Science, Art & Ideas: Dr. Adam Stieg at TEDxYouth@Conejo." YouTube. TedxTalks, 29 Aug. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrCIIEyaL
Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 1998
Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.
Wilson, Stephen D. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” College Art Association Meetings. New York, New York, 2000. Print
Kayla, it's wonderful to be able to get your perspective from the point of a person coming from a British educational system. What further differences or similarities do you see between the separation of the two cultures in the British Educational system and American education system? I find this particularly interesting in respect to how UCLA is designed structurally since there is a large divide between the intermingling of the humanities and sciences as you've mentioned. I've never thought about the fact that the design media arts is a mixture of the third culture concepts from Vesna and Kelly regarding the arts and technology. You mentioned that you would like to work on 3D printing which is an excellent "bridge" between the art, technology, and scientific cultures, but what do you plan on specifically doing to better connect the separate system we currently have?
ReplyDeleteI loved you pictures and the video make me feel awestruck by the things we can do with technology now and in the future.
I loved hearing about how you embody the "third culture." You are a perfect example of how the two can combine and complement each other so well. It was also interesting to get an inside view of how another country values the arts vs. sciences, and clearly the science prevailed. The project you are working on right now is such an interesting idea. The medical research you are doing is inspiring such a cool art piece; this was a great example of the two cultures thriving in your life. You are going into such an innovative field that will continue to get popular as more and more people realize the potential that can be reached by blending art and science. I also made the reference of north vs. south campus majors and the divide it creates on UCLA's campus, and I think it's a great example that we as students live out everyday.
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