Week 9 - Space and Art

           Ending the course on the subject of space and art demonstrates the comprehensive uses of technology and science in space discoveries and travel.  As Dr. Vesna noted in her video lecture, technologies in space research incorporate all the subjects covered thus far from math and biotechnology to nanotechnology.

           

            From Copernicus to the private space travel agency, SpaceX, the world beyond planet Earth has enticed and challenged scientists, engineers, and artists. The “Powers of Ten” video by Charles and Ray Eames really put human beings, Earth, and the galaxy into perspective. For me, the video gave an idea of where human beings are in the scheme of the universe of also created a sense of wonder by allowing me to realize how much we know about the world outside planet Earth.

Looking at the orbits of the planets in the solar system at 10^12 times the distance from a man's hand on Earth. Found here.

Art finds it’s way into research facilities concerning space. The research performed in the Basic Plasma Science Facility at UCLA is breaking ground in the world of plasma science. The images that come out of the facility reminds me of the highly intricate designs from the Mandelbrodt plots in the math unit. Scientific phenomena leads to colorful and beautiful pieces of art. 

Three dimensional field lines taken from a volumetric data set in an experiment at the Plasma Science Facility at UCLA. Found here.

            Science fiction plays a huge role in the intersection of space and art. The innate fascination in space is often satisfied by the stories of novelists and illustrations of artists. Charley Bonstell was a pioneer of astronomical and space art and helped to popularize manned space travel.  In the current time of viral videos, the work of Chris Hadfield has taught the public and popularized manned space travel. 

Commander Chris Hadfield sings David Bowie's Space Oddity in space. 

This work and  drawn interest in manned space travel is especially important during a time when less and less U.S. government funding is being appropriated to space technology.  Despite the cut in funding in the US, I believe the fascination with space will continue to power technology and art as it has in the centuries past.

Sources

 1. Alfed, Peter. "The Mandelbrot Set." (1998): n. page. Print. <http://www.math.utah.edu/~pa/math/mandelbrot/>.

2. UCLA Basic Plasma Science Facility. N.d. Photograph. plasma.physics.ucla.edu, Los Angeles. Web. 29 Nov 2013. <http://plasma.physics.ucla.edu/index.html>.

3. Eames, Charles. Powers of Ten. 2010. Infographic. http://powersof10.com/Web. 29 Nov 2013.

4. Hadfield, Chris. Space Oddity. 2013. Video. Youtube.com, International Space Station, Space. Web. 29 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo>.

5. Vesna, Victoria, and . Space Part 1. 2012. Video. Youtube.com, Los Angeles. Web. 29 Nov 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIqTR332l8>.