Event 1

Tonight I went to an event called "Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick" at the LACMA. This event was a presentation about the 2001 science-fiction movie Space Odyssey and the origins of the idea, creation, and audience's reaction to the film when it premiered. Michael Benson, an author and artist who recently published a book about the creation of this film, discussed specific shots in the movie, such as a repetitive scene where the Jupiter-bound astronauts run on an artificial gravity centrifuge and how the perspective of the shot smoothly transitions from halfway up the wall to on the floor, which was a phenomenal and, according to the audience, boring segment of the film. This segment of the discussion reminded me of lecture 2 in week 2's topic of math in art. Because the perspective of the shot changed, it caused me to recall the golden ratio rule and made me wonder what t

This event was pretty much exactly what this course's topic is about: technology and art. In last week's lecture about robots and art, Professor Vesna mentioned in lecture 3 that the concept of robots actually came from theater and from there went on to, until this day, be an important focus in scientific discovery. Just like robots, science fiction comes from literature and movies, just like Space Odyssey. If anything, a science fiction movie is the culmination of art and science in one. Many of the technological feats scientists are trying to complete at this day in age are concepts that were formed in the writing and creation of science fiction. The ideas that stem from works of art are closer to becoming a reality through science. Just like Douglass and Walter said from the readings from last week, every form of art can be replicated in a mechanical or technological form. This movie is a prime example of just that; artistic ideas being used as inspiration in science. 


This event not only was very interesting, but it furthered my knowledge and understanding about the connection between the sciences and art. I'm becoming to see more and more than a lot of ideas that I generally have associated with just the field of science, such as robots and transporters, actually are ideas that were manifested by artists. I really enjoyed this event and would recommend it to my classmates. 

Resources: 
Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics + Art.” Lecture 3.

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" from Illuminations. New York, Schocken Books, 1968, Pgs. 217-251

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, pp. 381–386. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1576221.

Benson, Michael. "Space Odyssey: Stan Kubrick." LACMA, 23 Apr. 2018, Los Angeles. Speech. 

Space Odyssey. Screenplay by Arthur C. Clarke, 2001.