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 Cosmological Elements #2     This week I attended the second Cosmological Elements zoom. The speaker who  resonated with me the most was Cath Le Coteur. Prior to this zoom session, I had no knowledge or awareness of the term "space junk" and its existence. However, now I understand that it refers to human-made debris in space that orbits our earth. It is estimated that there are now over 100 trillion bits of space junk revolving around our planet (Carter). It was interesting to learn that only "27,000  p ieces of orbital debris, or “space junk,” are tracked by the Department of Defense’s global Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensors. Much more debris -- too small to be tracked, but large enough to threaten human spaceflight and robotic missions -- exists in the near-Earth space environment"(Garcia). Although in the image below, this junk has a sort of beauty to it and holds a lot of history, like the spatula story Cath mentioned, it can be quite dangerou...

Medicine + Technology + Art     From the lectures this week, one aspect that stood out to me most was Vesna's explanation of Diane Gromala's work and research on the treatment of chronic pain through visualization and biofeedback therapy.  Visualization involves using the power of the mind to create mental images that promote relaxation and reduce anxiety, whereas biofeedback therapy uses technology to help one learn how to control their physiological responses to stress. Gromala "uses her own body to try to find solutions while creating an art piece for others to experience" with the aim of aiding those who also experience chronic pain. Currently, she is working to certify two of her VR systems with Health Canada and the FDA in order to deploy them in the real world (SFU). This reminded me of a video I watched in week one that discussed how the percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD has risen with the growth of standardized testing (Robinson). In agreement ...

Robotics + Art      It has become increasingly common to see robots in our everyday lives. For example, there are robots at UCLA called Starships that deliver food and beverages. Each year, we see new advancements in technology with the intention of making our lives easier and more efficient. Robotic engineers take inspiration from nature and art, designing robots with lifelike movements and interactions. This creation of new and innovative projects requires a fusion of robotics and art.       Creativity and artistry are required "to make robots extremely human-like in their physical presence and their capabilities" (Hanson). In his Ted Talk, David Hanson elucidates the advantages of designing machines to resemble humans, citing the innate human tendency to react to faces as a key factor. Consequently, not only can robots be viewed as works of art, but they also have the ability to produce art, as demonstrated in the video below.      Wh...

 Math + Art     In this week's lecture video, Professor Vesna spoke of the importance of math in different art mediums, explicitly pointing to larger concepts like perspective, depth, and proportion.  I was especially interested in the connection between math and art through architecture. The golden ratio is "the ultimate connection of math and art", which is first appearing with the pyramids in Egypt (Vesna). This ratio is depicted in the images below, most famously portrayed in a form called the golden rectangle. In essence, it is known for being an aesthetically pleasing proportion in architecture (Studio).              The video above explains simply how important it is that mathematics is correct in regard to architecture in order to ensure that buildings are safe and secure. The video also explained that math can also be used to calculate heat loss and wasted energy, which reminded me of a physics project I did during my junio...

Two Cultures      CP Snow first introduced the term 'two cultures' in 1959. Two cultures is the unnatural separation between art and science. This separation continues to be perpetuated in modern day society, when in reality, art and science go hand in hand. When I think of an individual that directly displays the connection between art and science through their work, Leonardo da Vinci comes to mind. Da Vinci is well known for his renowned artwork, but he was also an engineer, scientist, sculptor, and architect. The image below of da Vinci's Vitruvian Man uses realistic human proportions. In his notebook there are multiple drawings of muscles, organs, and other body parts which demonstrate that da Vinci studied human anatomy. The Mona Lisa, one of the most famous art pieces in the world, is so intriguing because of the psychology behind the mysterious woman's facial expression.  Nayeri, Farah. “Italy to Lend Leonardo Da Vinci Works to France in a Masterpiece Swap.” T...