Week 7: Neurosci + Art

Linda Weintraub started her introduction on the gallery with the question “How often do you spend on human paved surfaces?” I sat there for a few moments, reflecting on the fact that I have spent almost all my life following constructed pavement, road, or sidewalk.

Concrete pavement road (Inhabitat)

Industrialization and mechanization has led to almost all of our interactions in daily life to be with human made and manufactured objects or things. Even a simple paper coffee cup, though derived from a tree, is processed, bleached, distorted, and manufactured, creating a complete disconnect from its origin.

Starbucks coffee cup (USA Today)

She paralleled how just as these manufactured objects dis-attach us from nature, we are becoming more dis-attached from our bodies. She emphasized how our bodies, in this increasingly automated world, just become a machine and we forget the true ability of our bodies. Charlie Chaplin’s commentary on industrial society, as referenced in Dr. Vesna’s lecture, reflects this, by criticizing how humans are turning into a means of an end with the huge increase in mechanization of labor. 

Charlie Chaplin movie shot (Cornell Cinema)

This event, by making the connection between industrialization and humans and nature, gives me more insight into our class topic of industrialization and art. The objective of her gallery mirrors Walter Benjamin’s thoughts on how art is losing its uniqueness as it continues to be reproduced. In a similar way, we as humans are losing or forgetting our unique, powerful, and authentic ability. In fact, it was hard for me to recall the last time I really appreciated my body’s natural ability as I often spend my days sitting in front of a computer or at desk in a classroom. Many jobs are now focused on developing technology to enhance our abilities rather than appreciate it. With automation and inventions of machines, we have lost our need to explore due to our strong dependence on these machines and manufactured products.  This has infiltrated into the art world heavily, by transforming our thoughts on “formal” art, developing new forms of art, and creating artwork centered on these consumerist products such as Andy Warhol’s pieces.

Andy Warhol art piece (MOMA)

This gallery exhibition wanted us to get back to the simplicity of nature and allow us to explore our bodies’ interactions with it. In the gallery, we were instructed to go through 4 boxes at 6 different stations that focused on senses that we as humans innately have: flavor and aroma, smell, touch and feel, and beauty from seeing.

Senses diagram (Weebly)

Each box contained different pieces discovered purely from the Earth such as mushrooms, feathers, rocks, pinecones, plant branches, and tree bark. One task asked to arrange a number of mushrooms of different textures and surfaces to create a visual appealing piece for the individual. Being constantly surrounded by human impacted materials, it is often hard to see any beauty of simple natural things like mushrooms. However, arranging the mushrooms created a unique, distinct pattern that one could call art that I found very beautiful. It was amazing to see the intricate structures and textures of each mushroom, something I would usually never recognize, and how it came together to create art.

Different mushroom types (Ram Pages)

I would definitely recommend this event as her art gallery transformed our traditional outlook in this industrialized age. She encouraged our bodies to use its neglected ability, with the introduction of mechanization of labor, and appreciate the Earth’s substances, which hasn’t been altered by industrialization. For my midterm, I hope to incorporate this same idea of challenging our daily life being ruled by industrialization and mechanization in its relation to nature or our body’s fluidity and capability. I hope to investigate the form of art our body can create to connect this industrialized period to art.

Art through the body and dance (Pinterest)

Selfie proof

References:

Weintraub, Linda. "Welcome to My woods." Art|Scie Eco-centric Art+Science Workshops with Linda Weintraub, 20 April 2017.