extra credit event

EXTRA CREDIT EVENT
DESMA 9

July 2016

My visit to the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada fit in great with this week’s lecture on space exploration. Professor Vesna summarizes how the science and technology we have learned about thus far, has been integrated into   the exploration of space. It has played a big role on the advancement of technology and of broadening the artistic scope.  She also discussed the Space Race and the atomic bomb. Coincidentally, this museum has everything you would ever want to know about atomic energy and the U.S. nuclear bomb. The whole museum is dedicated to sharing cold war history between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was an event that impacted the entire world and the Atomic bombs that had been developed caused threats between the U.S. and U.S.S.R.

This museum is associated with the Smithsonian so everything is done well. There are various exhibits showing the science and technology used in developing atomic bombs as well as the history of testing bombs in the desert near Las Vegas. You will also find information on area 51. Area 51 is about 83 miles from Las Vegas. It is the most famous secret military base in the country with a lot of rumors that circled around it. Although it has never been declared an official “secret military base”, all research and activities conducted there are top secret. There is a limited time “Area 51 Exhibit” going on right now which I found it to be very interesting. As you enter the dark Area 51 room with glow in the dark writing all over the walls, you are greeted by a deep voice who welcomes you but makes you feel as if you are being recruited I read a lot of interesting news articles about UFO’s from the people who first witnessed them. There were a lot of other extraterrestrial related objects such as aliens and other artifacts.  Afterwards you are left asking yourself is there really life on another planet with extraterrestrial objects and beings?

                                                                                                              

PHOTOS FROM MY VISIT TO THE NATIONAL ATOMIC TESTING MUSEUM

The tours are self guided and you can take as many photos as you’d like, however there are no photographs allowed in the Area 51 exhibit. I would recommend this museum to anyone interested in cold war history and the atomic bomb.

Sources

"Atomic Bomb." HISTORY. N.p., 2014. Web. 23 July 2016.

"DarkGovernment." DarkGovernment. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2016.

Vesna , Victoria, dir. Space Part 2. 2015. Film. 22 July 2016

Event 2

Crocker Art Museum Event #2

Desma 9

July 2016

Mindful Meditation was an interesting exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum since I had just learned about meditation and art a few short weeks ago. The Museum had a great exhibit by artist David Ligare. They offered a month-long course on meditation in the gallery, which enabled people to come once a week to meet Dennis Warren, a nearby professor from U.C. Davis to learn techniques of meditating through slow art. During the course students would view selected works of art for an extended period of time while using mindful meditation techniques. The idea is to focus on one piece of art with eyes open and then closed, but still keeping the image of the art in your head in order to train both the concentration and visualization powers of your mind. “To meditate through art is to be fully present with the artwork and to initiate a meaningful conversation between one’s own mind and heart and that of the artist”. (Warren)

                                                                                         

The museum had a collection of coloring books for sale to go along with this exhibit. The books contained amazing intricate patterns and designs of flowers, butterflies, shapes, and several animals. These are not coloring books for kids, they are too detailed and it would be difficult for a child to stay within the lines. These coloring books are meant to be used as a meditative exercise. They provided some samples to try out, I haven’t colored probably since I was about five years old. But, as I started coloring I didn’t want to stop, I wanted to finish the page. I found it to be relaxing and that it increased my mindfulness because I was extra careful not to go outside the lines or mess up my color pattern. “Coloring is a great way to introduce yourself to the concept of mindfulness,” Tiddy Rowan, author of The Little Book Of Mindfulness and Color Yourself Calm tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle. “The interesting thing about mindfulness is that it’s got no allegiance to any spiritual or religious beliefs, it’s about the self, I think that’s perhaps key to the popularity of these coloring books.” (Moss) As discussed previously in our Neuroscience and Art week, researchers at U.C.L.A. have found that mindfulness can increase attention and focus, lower blood pressure, and help those that suffer from anxiety or depression.

Coloring books for sale in Crocker Art Museum to help create mindfulness.

Overall I thought the Crocker Art Museum was pleasant. It is one of the smaller museums I have been to, but has some interesting pieces of work, especially the Glass for the New Millennium exhibit. Not only are there exquisite and amazing artworks made of glass, the museum offers a glass blowing class that offers a hands on glass art experience. One of the unique features of the Crocker Art Museum is that there are many different art classes available to the community. I would recommend this museum to anyone visiting or living in the Sacramento area of all ages, including children because there is a great interactive fun area for kids in the basement of the museum. It

is also very close to Old Sacramento and the Capitol which could make for a great day.

Sources

"Dennis Warren | Mindfulness Meditation Programs." Dennis Warren | Mindfulness Meditation Programs. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2016.

"Mindfulness Awareness Research Center at UCLA - Mindful." Mindful. N.p., 2011. Web. 20 July 2016.

Moss, Rachel. "How Coloring Books Are Helping Adults Beat Stress and Anxiety." The Huffington Post. N.p., 2014. Web. 19 July 2016.

Images

"Crocker Art Museum." Crocker Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2016.

Space & Art

SPACE EXPLORATION & ART

Desma 9

July 2016

I was really looking forward to this week’s lecture because I wasn’t quite sure how space and art could possibly coordinate with one another To my surprise, space artists like Thomas Ruff used images from NASA (the National Aeronautical Space Administration) satellites to illustrate images to give others a view of space. Ruff created the ma.r.s (Mars Reconnaissance Survey), that showed surface depictions of the planet. He then altered these images by adding color to vividly show the planets profoundly cratered topography. This is one way that modern artists are using satellite images to create wonderful works of art 

PHOTOS OF THOMAS RUFF’S IMAGES OF SPACE

The history of space, specifically the Space Race was very interesting to me. Sputnik beating the United States to space ignited a lot of fears in Soviet technology. Between Sputnik and the Apollo, the United States and the USSR poured a lot of money into the Space Race, and many found this to be a huge waste of funds. On the other hand, many new technological advances were made such as laptop computers, satellite television, satellite navigation systems, and even ear thermometers due to the exploration of space.

Satellite Television

A different case of space and art coming together is through pop culture, including movies and television shows. Star Wars, Star Trek, E.T., the Jetsons or Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century all contribute to space and art. The technological advances through shows like the Jetsons made people believe that space colonization wasn’t too far off and was closer than ever before. “The Jetsons” was the distillation of every Space Age promise Americans could muster. People point to “The Jetsons” as the golden age of American futurism because (technologically, at least) it had everything our hearts could desire: jetpacks, flying cars, robot maids, moving sidewalks.” (Smithsonian)

In relation to the videos Carl Sagan’s “A Pale Blue Dot” and the “Powers of Ten”, we are  reminded of how insignificant we really are. When we look at Earth from far far away, we see only a pale blue circle reiterating to us just how enormous our universe really is compared to earth in terms of size and scale. I found these two videos to be the most beneficial for me this week in understanding space and art.

Sources

"10 Tech Breakthroughs to Thank the Space Race for." TechRadar. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2016.

"50 Years of the Jetsons: Why The Show Still Matters." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 22

July 2016.

“A Pale Blue Dot.” A Pale Blue Dot. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2016. <http://www.bigskyastroclub.org/pale_blue_dot.html>.

Darknlooking. "Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot." YouTube. YouTube, 2007. Web. 23 July 2016.

EamesOffice. "Powers of Ten™ (1977)." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Aug 2010. Web. 23 July 2016.

IMAGES

"50 Years of the Jetsons: Why The Show Still Matters." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 22

July 2016.

"Amazing Animated Version of Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot (Video)." Danthropology. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2016.

Artandsciencejournal. "Artandsciencejournal." Art & Science Journal — Thomas Ruff's Ma.r.s. Series German Photographer... N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2016.

"How Does Satellite TV Work?" Pitara Kids Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2016.

"Powers of Ten by Charles & Ray Eames | Short Film." Short of the Week. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2016.