ECO-CENTRIC ART + SCIENCE: Prophesies and Predictions is an open-mic marathon symposium featuring artist and author in residence Linda Weintraub, nanoscientist James Gimzewski, evolutionary biologist Charles Taylor, environmentalist and author Ursula Heise, curator Sophie Lamparter, nano-toxicologist Olivia Osborne, and media art graduate students David Ertel + Symrin Chawla.
Spring artist-in-residence and author, Linda Weintraub’s forthcoming book: “WHAT’S NEXT? Eco Materialism and Contemporary Art” provides the opportunity for professors and students from multiple academic disciplines to share their predictions of the way ecology will impact the theory, practice, insight, re-evaluation, or revision in their discipline in the coming years.
Come whenever you can. Stay as long as you wish. Share your thoughts, too!
During this exciting week centered around the environment, art and science, Linda returns to the UCLA Art|Sci Center for several days of eco-centric events, including a lecture involving her forthcoming book, open workshops and a can't-miss open-mic symposium.
You are invited to an interactive exhibition by Linda Weintraub exploring Ecological Materialism and Contemporary Art, the focus of her forthcoming book. Linda will be present at the UCLA Art|Sci Gallery to meet students, introduce her new project, and guide their interactions. She will hold several hands-on workshops for blocks of 10–12 people at a time on April 19th and 20th:
19 APRIL 2017
12:00pm–1:00pm | open registration
1:00pm–2:00pm | open registration
4:00pm–5:00pm | open registration
5:00pm–6:00pm | open registration
6:00pm–7:00pm | open registration
20 APRIL 2017
12:00pm–1:00pm | open registration
1:00pm–2:00pm | open registration
4:00pm–7:00pm | reserved for UCLA Honors 177: Biotech + Art students only
Linda Weintraub is a curator, educator, artist, and author of several popular books about contemporary art. She has earned her reputation by making the outposts of vanguard art accessible to broad audiences. The current vanguard, she believes, is propelled by environmental consciousness that is not only the defining characteristic of contemporary manufacturing, architecture, science, ethics, politics, and philosophy, it is delineating contemporary art.
Linda Weintraub is a curator, educator, artist, and author of several popular books about contemporary art. She has earned her reputation by making the outposts of vanguard art accessible to broad audiences. The current vanguard, she believes, is propelled by environmental consciousness that is not only the defining characteristic of contemporary manufacturing, architecture, science, ethics, politics, and philosophy, it is delineating contemporary art.
Book of Clouds is a 24-hour durational performance on the Spring Equinox in Los Angeles—equal hours of light and dark. The March 16th performance will be followed by a Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) featuring Machiko Kusahara and Refik Anadol.
A presentation of outstanding wearable technology projects from the School of Design at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. From prototype to final design, Anne Niemetz will be discussing design strategies for creative expressions with wearable technology while presenting projects that have been created by her students, including World of Wearable Art finalist garments.
LEONARDO ART SCIENCE EVENING RENDEZVOUS
7:00–9:00pm | Presentation Space
5th Floor, California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)
Featuring keynote speakers Iain Kerr & Petia Morozov, Mary Flanagan, Mary Tsang, and Daniel Landau.
Eat Your Sidewalk is a ground-breaking, category-defying foraging cookbook!
"It is a manifesto and a call to action. We want to inspire you to find wonder and ecological possibilities directly underfoot. We want to launch a sidewalk-to-table revolution that changes our cities and gives us a new sense of community and place." —SPURSE
Ian Kerr
Location: Montclair, NJ; Detroit, MI;
Core Practices: Systems Analysis & Design, Ecological Design, Workshop Facilitator, Innovation and Creativity, Foraging + Commons Facilitator, Foodways, Commons Facilitator
Petia Morozov
Location: Montclair, NJ; New York City, NY
Core Practices: Urban Ecosystem Designer, Socio-Eco Change Facilitator, Architecture, Urbanism
Beyond the Uncanny Valley of the Dolls
Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley
Thursday, February 9th in the EDA at 6PM
"I want to be a robot." - Andy Warhol
In 1919, a year before the word “robot” was coined, Sigmund Freud published an influential essay, Das Unheimliche, later translated into English as “The Uncanny”. The essay and the concept of the Uncanny are familiar to literary theorists and art historians, who have charted its the literary and theatrical origins of the concept through works by ETA Hoffman, Mary Shelley, Karel Capek, and Eric Asimov, its rich history in psychoanalysis, aesthetics, and philosophy, from Jensch to Freud to to Heidegger to Derrida to Cixous to what Martin Jay described as the “master trope” of the 1990’s.
However, the Uncanny remains esoteric and unfamiliar to engineers, designers, and the public. They are familiar with the Uncanny Valley, a related but distinct concept that originated in 1970. I'll describe the Uncanny in plain language, trace its origins back to Descartes and medieval automata, and show how relates to our contemporary human fear and fascination with a broad variety of technologies from AI to cosmetics to robots to Siri to Google Glass to zombies.
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 28, 2-5pm
On View Through; January 28 - May 13, 2017
Closed February 20 and March 27 - April 3, 2017
Featuring: Cassils, Freewaves, Micol Hebron, Julie Heffernan, Robert Heinecken, Maria Lassnig, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Danial Nord, Hiromi Ozaki (Sputniko!), Alexis Smith, Laetitia Sonami, and Victoria Vesna
This Spring, the Donald R. and Joan F. Beall Center for Art + Technology at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts will present "Masculine ←→ Feminine," an intermedia exhibition featuring twelve international contemporary artists. Curated by David Familian (Artistic Director, Beall Center) with support from Micol Hebron (interdisciplinary artist, curator, and associate professor at Chapman University), "Masculine ←→ Feminine" will open to the public on Saturday, January 28, with an artist reception from 2-5pm. The exhibition will remain on view through Saturday, May 13, 2017.
"Masculine ←→Feminine" focuses on the gendered body, and how artists project gender and sexual identity. Whether it’s historical works like Robert Heineken’s "He/She" series (1979)─in which the artist represents how gender difference affects communication ─ or contemporary pieces like Julie Heffernan’s "Self-Portrait" series (2011)─allegorical oil paintings that often depict the artist in androgynous or non-human states ─ the artworks featured in this exhibition attempt to free us from the masculine/feminine binary. Some works react to a state of being where there is no distinction between masculine and feminine signifiers, as is the case in Victoria Vesna’s new version of "Bodies Incorporated" (1995-2017), a pioneering net.art that allows viewers to design their own avatars using both human and animal features. Others boldly confront ideas about perceived differences between “the sexes,” such as Micol Hebron’s "Barbara" (2011-2017) ─ a site-specific installation of a seven-foot tall crystallized vulva that invites viewers to engage with the seemingly mystical nature of human anatomy, and experience the social dynamics tethered to it. When presented together, the works in "Masculine ←→ Feminine" may reveal a historical timeline of how identity has become increasingly generative as we discover new ways to socially construct ourselves. Especially through the advent of new social, psychological, technological resources, we have unprecedented tools to utilize as we hone our sense of self ─ which ultimately provides greater agency in the evolving notion of a gender spectrum. The artists in this exhibition have advanced this timely and important discourse by actively participating in the current climate of gender politics, and challenging us to do the same.
