Friday, 30 August 2024 - 2:00pm to Sunday, 27 October 2024 - 5:00pm
Exhibitors / Artists:
Victoria Vesna | Walter Gekelman | Haley Marks
We are thrilled to announce the premier of [SUN]Flower Plasma, a collaborative project by media artist Victoria Vesna, plasma physicist Walter Gekelman, and biomedical engineer Haley Marks.
This piece will be featured in the Elements! in Art and Tech exhibition, organized by Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center as part of their Art and Technology Program on Governors Island.
Opening August 30, 2024 – Closing October 27, 2024
Artist Opening Saturday, August 31, from 2 – 4:30 pm
Location: Harvestworks Art and Technology Program Building 10a, Nolan Park Governors Island
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This project resulted from years of dialogue between Victoria Vesna and plasma physicist Dr. Walter Gekelman, an expert in Alfvén waves who built one of the largest basic plasma machines in the world. In addition to gathering materials from the plasma lab, Victoria worked together with biomedical engineer Dr. Haley Marks to image sunflower parts, revealing their remarkable microscopic structures resembling the sun.
Building on the “Art + Physics = Energy” explorations, [SUN] Flower Waves delves into the ecological and geopolitical significance of sunflowers and the scientific importance of Alfvén waves. The installation features sound and images from the Large Plasma Device, solar wind data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, and natural recordings, offering an immersive meditation on solar energy and the cycle of creation and destruction. The sound was mixed at Harvestworks NY, adding an additional layer of depth to the experience.
Consider the sunflower, with its radiant bloom following the sun, and Alfvén waves, which are magnetohydrodynamic waves in plasma traveling along magnetic field lines. Both the sunflower and Alfvén waves exemplify a harmonious interaction between natural elements and forces, illustrating how art and science can intertwine to reveal deeper understandings.
The sunflower’s heliotropic movement, where it follows the path of the sun across the sky, is a natural manifestation of phototropism, a biological response to light. This elegant dance with the sun not only optimizes the plant’s ability to photosynthesize but also symbolizes growth, energy, and the intricate patterns found in nature.
Similarly, Alfvén waves propagate through the plasma of the sun’s corona and the interstellar medium, transporting energy along magnetic field lines. These waves play a crucial role in space weather phenomena, influencing solar wind and magnetic fields that impact our planet. The study of Alfvén waves provides insights into the dynamics of the sun and other astrophysical bodies, highlighting the delicate balance of forces at play in the universe.
By drawing parallels between the sunflower’s interaction with sunlight and the behavior of Alfvén waves in cosmic plasma, we can appreciate the interconnectedness of all things, from the smallest biological systems to the vast expanse of space. This connection underscores the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, where the principles of art and science converge to deepen our understanding of the world and inspire solutions to global challenges.
UCLA Art|Sci Center Presents Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption | Part of Getty’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative, related programs and exhibitions will run Sept 14, 2024, through June 7, 2025, launching with "Silent Echoes: Notre-Dame and the Dachstein Glaciersite" a site-specific sound installation by Bill Fontana
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 14
UCLA Royce Hall, Room 306 (Floor 3)
10745 Dickson Ct,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
>>Royce Hall
September 14-October 5, 2024: Bill Fontana’s Silent Echoes: Notre-Dame and the Dachstein Glacier is a duet between two sites of field recording: the melting Dachstein glacier in Austria, and the dormant bells of Notre-Dame after the 2019 fire. Together, they thread a sound sculpture that builds upon Fontana’s historic exploration of acoustic cubism through layered sound. The six-channel sound sculpture will be audible from Dickson Court adjacent to Royce Hall’s south entrance.
>>Nimoy Theater
September 14-October 5: At CAP UCLA’s Nimoy Theater, Bill Fontana will screen a two-channel version of Silent Echoes: Notre-Dame and the Dachstein Glacier on the building’s large outdoor marquee screens.
>>About "Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption:"
Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption is a series of exhibitions and performances, an app, and a publication highlighting eight Art|Sci artists in residence: Sholeh Asgary, Patricia Cadavid, Bill Fontana,Yolande Harris, Anna Nacher, Joel Ong, Iman Person, and Robertina Šebjanič; along with five local artists: Katie Grinnan, Rachel Mayeri, Christina McPhee, Amber Stucke, and Nina Waisman.
Read more: http://artsci.ucla.edu/node/1621 https://soundofatmosphere.com https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?e=%5BUNIQID%5D&u=9baf6baeafa7dd6c42a6d...
Directions and Parking:
Parking for Royce Hall is available in Parking Structure 5 located at: 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
Guest drop is closest at the turnaround at the front of Royce Hall located at: 10745 Dickson Court, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
As part of UCLA Honors Seminar Series on "Biotechnology and Art," taught by Prof. Victoria Vesna, we are excited to welcome artist and writer Ellen K. Levy for a captivating lecture. Known for her innovative exploration of science and technology through art, Levy's insights will enrich our understanding of the intersection between these fields. You are welcome to join the discussion.
The ideas and collections of D’Arcy Thompson, the University’s first Professor of Biology, have profoundly influenced many artists and writers who re-interpret natural history, projecting it through the lens of evolution, fantasy, consumption, fear or desire. This unique exhibition features a site-specific installation in the Tower Foyer Gallery with additional elements in the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum. “Seeing Through” proposes tours of Thompson’s collection visualised as if through the lenses of futurist author J G Ballard and pop-artist Richard Hamilton. We visit the collection through dizzying perspectival renderings of merged organic/machine hybrids, eco-catastrophes and space travel, as alluded to by Hamilton and Ballard. Levy’s speculative exhibition explores our synergistic relationship with technology, including our aspirations and its threats. Our notions of evolution are, themselves, evolving.
Anne Niemetz is a media artist and designer working in the fields of wearable technology, interactive installation and audio-visual design. She is particularly fascinated by the convergence of art, science, design and technology, and she pursues collaborative and cross-disciplinary projects.
Anne holds a Media Arts degree from the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe, with a focus in digital media and interactive sound installation, and an MFA in Design|Media Arts from the University of California Los Angeles. Since 2007 she’s been living and working in New Zealand, where she holds the position of Senior Lecturer in the Media Design programme at Victoria University of Wellington.
Location: UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA (Experimental Digital Arts)
240 Charles E Young Dr N,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
EDA (Experimental Digital Arts) is located in room 1250 adjacent to the main entrance of the Broad Arts Center at UCLA.
Parking is available in Lot 3, across the street from the Broad Art Center.
Visitors may use the “Pay by Plate” option in Lot 3 to purchase short-term daily parking permits.
For more parking information please call: 310-825-9007.
The Broad Arts Center is easily reachable by several Los Angeles County public bus lines, including the Metro Rapid, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, and the Culver City Bus. For a list of specific transit providers and routes, please visit the Public Transit at UCLA.
'In the Belly of the Beast - Southern California Art, Technology, Science and Society Nexus- A Historical Landscape'
Marko Peljhan is a distinguished artist, researcher, and professor whose work spans the fields of art, technology, and science. Born in 1969 in Slovenia, he has significantly contributed to new media art through his innovative projects and research. Peljhan co-founded the arts and technology organization Projekt Atol in 1992 and played a crucial role in establishing the Ljubljana-based new-media laboratory Ljudmila a year later.
One of his most notable projects is Makrolab, an autonomous communications and research laboratory focused on weather, climate, telecommunications and migrations research, First presented at Documenta X in Kassel in 1997. Makrolab has since operated in various locations around the world, including Western Australia, Venetian Lagoon and the Scottish Highlands. Peljhan's work often addresses themes of surveillance, geopolitics, and environmental issues. Among others he co-founded the Interpolar Transnational Art Science Constellation in 2002 and in 2008 with fellow artist and colleague Matthew Biederman the Arctic Perspective Initiative. He is the recipient of many prizes for his work, including the 2001 Golden Nica Prize at Ars Electronica with Carsten Nicolai and his work has been exhibited internationally at multiple biennales (Venice, Lyon, Istanbul, Gwangju, Johannesburg, Moscow…) exhibitions and festivals, such as documenta, ISEA, Ars Electronica and museums and art institutions worldwide YCAM, ICC-NT, PS.1. MOMA, GARAGE...). In 2019 he was the representative of the Republic of Slovenia at the Venice Biennale with the work "Here we go again...SYSTEM-317".
Since 2002, Peljhan also serves as professor and director of the Systemics Lab located in the California Nano Systems Institute at UCSB, he was co-director of the UC Wide Institute for Research in the Arts from 2008-2014 and from 2017-2022 he served as Chair of the Media Arts and Technology Graduate Program at the University of California Santa Barbara. He also served as the coordinator of international cooperation for SPACE-SI Slovenian Centre for Space Sciences and Technologies and helped to conceive and launch the first Slovenian remote sensing satellite, NEMO-HD in 2020. He is also editor at large of the music label rx:tx and is known to operate in the radio spectrum as S54MX.
Join Santiago Torres, a former postdoctoral scholar in UCLA's Physics and Astronomy Department and a member of the ArtSci Collective, for a great lecture on astrophysics, sound, and art.
Santiago Torres is an astrophysicist passionate about the art of making science and the science of making art. His research delves into the dynamical interactions of celestial bodies, from stars to planets and comets, through the stellar life cycle and beyond. Parallel to his research, he explores the intersection between science, art, and society, and he is the founder of the {ScienceArt:Collective}, a space to connect scientists and artists. He is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow | IST-BRIDGE Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and an ArtSci Fellow at the ArtSci Center at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Location: UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA (Experimental Digital Arts)
240 Charles E Young Dr N,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
EDA (Experimental Digital Arts) is located in room 1250 adjacent to the main entrance of the Broad Arts Center at UCLA.
Parking is available in Lot 3, across the street from the Broad Art Center.
Visitors may use the “Pay by Plate” option in Lot 3 to purchase short-term daily parking permits.
For more parking information please call: 310-825-9007.
The Broad Arts Center is easily reachable by several Los Angeles County public bus lines, including the Metro Rapid, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, and the Culver City Bus. For a list of specific transit providers and routes, please visit the Public Transit at UCLA.
Hear Joel Ong discuss his recent artistic research into breath, wind, and the ‘frozen sound’ contained within objects. Ong’s project, In Silence, feeds spoken audio recordings into a transductive pool of water, revealing the patterns of connection between community members in cymatic vibration waves. Ong is scheduled to exhibit in our forthcoming Getty PST exhibition, Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption, scheduled to open in September of 2024.
UCLA Broad Art Center, 5pm
Joel Ong is a media artist whose works connect scientific and artistic approaches to the environment, particularly with respect to sound and physical space. Ong’s work explores the way objects and spaces can function as repositories of ‘frozen sound’, and in elucidating these, he is interested in creating what systems theorist Jack Burnham (1968) refers to as “art (that) does not reside in material entities, but in relations between people and between people and the components of their environment”. A serial collaborator, Ong is invested in the broader scope of Art-Science collaborations and is engaged constantly in the discourses and processes that facilitate viewing these two polemical disciplines on similar ground. His graduate interdisciplinary work in nanotechnology and sound was conducted at SymbioticA, the Center of Excellence for Biological Arts at the University of Western Australia. Ong is currently Assistant Professor at the department of Computational Arts at York University in Toronto.
DIRECTIONS:
Location: UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA (Experimental Digital Arts)
240 Charles E Young Dr N,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
EDA (Experimental Digital Arts) is located in room 1250 adjacent to the main entrance of the Broad Arts Center at UCLA.
Parking is available in Lot 3, across the street from the Broad Art Center.
Visitors may use the “Pay by Plate” option in Lot 3 to purchase short-term daily parking permits.
For more parking information please call: 310-825-9007.
The Broad Arts Center is easily reachable by several Los Angeles County public bus lines, including the Metro Rapid, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, and the Culver City Bus. For a list of specific transit providers and routes, please visit the Public Transit at UCLA.
This LASER is connected to the exhibition opening of Pigeon Art Studio & Animal Creativity at the UCLA Art Sc gallery at CNSI – developed by Aaron Blaisdell, UCLA Psychology Professor and Chair of the Behavioral Neuroscience. His lab at UCLA presents an exhibit featuring pigeons creating digital art, exploring the reasons and processes behind it, and inviting insights into human artistry.
Guest responder is neuroscientist and sci artist Siddharth Ramakrishan who will discuss animal consciousness in labs.
Chaired by: Victoria Vesna
ON SITE at UCLA ArtSci Gallery
Dr. Blaisdell is a Psychology Professor and Chair of the Behavioral Neuroscience area at UCLA, overseeing the Comparative Cognition Lab and the Pigeon Art Project. As a member of the UCLA Brain Research Institute, the UCLA Integrative Center for Learning & Memory, and the UCLA Evolutionary Medicine program, Dr. Blaisdell has an extensive academic background with a BA in Anthropology from SUNY Stony Brook, an MS in Anthropology from Kent State University, a Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from SUNY Binghamton, and two years of NIH-funded postdoctoral training at Tufts University.
Siddharth Ramakrishnan, PhD., a Neuroscientist, is an Assistant Professor of Biology and the Jennie M. Caruthers Chair in Neuroscience at the University of Puget Sound. His research interests span the field of developmental biology, neuroendocrinology and sensory-motor integration. He is a recent recipient of the NSF CAREER award for early career scientists to explore modulation of the reproductive axis in the brain by endocrine disruptors. As a research scientist at Columbia University, he designed microchips to record from brain cells and used proteins to create bio-batteries and biosensors. As a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA (2006-2009) he studied the development and physiology of reproductive neurons in the zebrafish brain. His previous research addressed pattern-generating networks in snails and how they were modulated to elicit various behaviors.
Ivana Dama is a sound artist whose work explores the connection between sound, memory, and human experience. Her work includes audiovisual installation, robotics, and musical performance. Often her projects are influenced by her experience growing up in post-communist Belgrade during the time of the bombings. The memory of the sounds and vibrations of destruction has led her to work with air and sound as a primary medium.
More info: https://www.ivanadama.com
Time: 3pm PDT
Location: UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA (Experimental Digital Arts)
240 Charles E Young Dr N,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Watch online:
EDA (Experimental Digital Arts) is located in room 1250 adjacent to the main entrance of the Broad Arts Center at UCLA.
Parking is available in Lot 3, across the street from the Broad Art Center.
Visitors may use the “Pay by Plate” option in Lot 3 to purchase short-term daily parking permits.
For more parking information please call: 310-825-9007.
The Broad Arts Center is easily reachable by several Los Angeles County public bus lines, including the Metro Rapid, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, and the Culver City Bus. For a list of specific transit providers and routes, please visit the Public Transit at UCLA.
Are the experiences of performing live virtually and in analog mutually substitutable? What is lost as a result of mediation? What is gained? How performers can take advantage of the tele-interaction? These and other questions arise for anyone who attempts to be creative with other people remotely in live format. Yet, while taking advantage of the possibility to easily connect with people all over the globe to compose and perform, most of us are missing the “authentic” in-person experience. What is the authenticity that makes the analog performance more rewarding and satisfactory than the remote? Is there a way to turn mediation to our advantage?
Rather than looking down to the past technology as obsolete, we propose to look at what teleperformance was like in the pre-Zoom era. 30 years ago the possibility to jam live across time and space was a cutting-edge practice that required days of preparation and hours of set up as well as embracing the risk that something would not work. Yet, there’s something to learn from the past practice when technology wasn’t commodified/instantaneously available to a general user.
The video-phone technology (Galloway & Rabinowitz) and computerized instruments with remote control (Yamaha Disclavier) were the key elements of a teleperformance. Watching the ’92 improvisation of two pioneers of experimental music, Terry Riley (Nice, France) and David Rosenboom (Electronic Cafe International, Santa Monica), across time and space we aspire to understand how performers navigated telepresence decades ago and how it impacted their creative practice. The ultimate question concerns the tension between art-making, associated with feeling/affective experience, and disembodying technology, which requires rationality and precision. Is there a way to get around these dichotomies?
Attendees are invited to join an introductory lecture followed by the screening of not previously publicly available recording of the 1992 teleimprovisation, and share their impressions of jamming in the pre-Zoom era.
This event is taking place as a part of Victoria Vesna’s Spring ’24 class “Introduction to Art, Science, and Technology.” Arranged by the Art|Sci Center at UCLA, the event is open to public and will be live streamed.
EDA (Experimental Digital Arts) is located in room 1250 adjacent to the main entrance of the Broad Arts Center at UCLA.
Parking is available in Lot 3, across the street from the Broad Art Center.
Visitors may use the “Pay by Plate” option in Lot 3 to purchase short-term daily parking permits.
For more parking information please call: 310-825-9007.
The Broad Arts Center is easily reachable by several Los Angeles County public bus lines, including the Metro Rapid, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, and the Culver City Bus. For a list of specific transit providers and routes, please visit the Public Transit at UCLA.
