Week 1

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.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Sept. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/24/arts/design/da-vinci-vitruvian-man.html.

        Learning about how the education system furthers the divide between arts and sciences was particularly eye opening for me. At UCLA, North Campus is designated for social sciences and humanities, whereas South Campus is physical and life sciences. An article from the Daily Bruin discusses how the separation between the campuses can negatively affect and further divide the students themselves. One student stated that he "felt hurt by a prevailing stereotype that North Campus students are unintelligent" (Daily Bruin). 
    The shift in educational structure is also displayed through architecture. For most universities the older buildings, like Royce, for example are modeled after churches. Modern day buildings are based off of corporate buildings, like Marion Anderson Hall. 
“Royce Hall at UCLA.” Public Policy Institute of California, Public Policy Institute of California, 4 May 2017, https://www.ppic.org/blog/free-university-tuition-how-many-california-students-would-benefit/royce-hall-at-ucla/.

“Marion Anderson Hall, UCLA Anderson School of Management: Higher Education/Research.” Engineering NewsRecord RSS, Engineering News-Record, 28 Oct. 2020, https://www.enr.com/articles/50220-marion-anderson-hall-ucla-anderson-school-of-management-higher-educationresearch.

    Out of all of the Week 1 articles and videos, I related most with the "Changing Education Paradigms" video. This video touched on the idea of standardization and conformity. The current education system does not teach the individual, but rather groups everyone together as a whole. Everyone learns at a different rate and has different strengths and weaknesses therefore it doesn't make sense that students are being taught as one. It was especially intriguing to learn that the percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD has risen with the growth of standardized testing. Standardized testing is becoming less significant than it was previously, so it would be interesting to see whether this affects the diagnoses. 

Sources:

“A Campus Divided.” PRIME, https://prime.dailybruin.com/justinnorth&southcampus.

Lim, Alexa. “Leonardo Da Vinci: Master of Art and Science.” Science Friday, 27 Oct. 2017, https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/leonardo-da-vinci-master-of-art-and-science/.

“RSA Animate: Changing Education Paradigms.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Oct. 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&t=700s.

“Twocultures part1.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Mar. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNI7dF3DIAM&t=32s.

“TwoCultures PT3.” YouTube, YouTube, 2 Apr. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FOEuxrwxd0&t=52s.

































Comments

  1. Elyse LemkeApril 9, 2023 at 11:12 PM

    Hi Sofia! This is a really thoughtful analysis of this week's materials! I found your connection between the course concepts and Da Vinci to be very insightful and relevant. I find it very interesting that there is such a strong polarization between the sciences and the arts even in today's society and our campus at UCLA.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Event 2 Blog

Image
 Cosmological Elements #3                I recently attended the third Cosmological Elements event on May 5th. The initial presentation featured a captivating short documentary titled "The Moon Goose Analogue." Its central concept revolved around the training of geese for lunar missions. Initially, I found myself perplexed, but Professor Vesna later elucidated that the video served as a thought-provoking commentary on the training of humans for space exploration and beyond.      A major question brought about by this Zoom exhibition that interested me was: How do we store data for the future? Preparation for a possible future outside of Earth proved to be a recurring theme emerged across various projects. Sebastian Neitsch delved into the challenge of long-term data storage, emphasizing the limitations of achieving universality in data preservation. Conversely, during the Zoom session, another guest, Ellen Levy, intro...
Read more

Week 7

Image
 Neuroscience + Art     This week we delved into the history of neuroscience and the many ways it connects to art and can be considered art itself. I particularly enjoyed Suzanne Anker's work with FMRI butterflies and sea sponges. From this, I learned the remarkable fact that  humans share 70% of their genetic makeup with sea sponges (Vesna). Neuroscience explores the processes that occur when we engage with artistic creations. After watching Dr. Daniel Jay's Zoom, I learned more about how the brain perceives and interprets art. By studying the nervous system, artists can manipulate their artwork in order to stimulate the brain in different ways. One example of this is neo-impressionism.     Neo-impressionism emphasizes the scientific principles behind perception and the exploration of color theory. The technique involves applying small dots or strokes of unmixed colors on the canvas. When viewed from a distance, it creates a sense of luminosity and vibranc...
Read more

Week 8

Image
 Nanotech + Art        Dr. Gimzewski's six-part lecture taught us about nanotechnology, which focuses on manipulating and controlling matter at the nanoscale. To help visualize the size, Dr. Gimzewski displayed a chart, showing where things lie on the power of tens scale. For example, a sugar molecule is about 1 nanometer. One concept I found interesting was the idea of biomimicry. Scientists have attempted to replicate the nanostructure of gecko's feet as they are able to easily adhere to surfaces and hold their body weights.  He, of course, discussed nanotechnology's interconnection with art, however what I found particularly significant was its connection with medicine, known as nanomedicine. He highlighted the immense future potential of nanomedicine, exemplifying one instance where it offers a solution to mitigate the toxicity of chemotherapy in cancer patients.      One way in which nanotechnology is greatly impacting the art ...
Read more