Event One

For the first required event, I attempted to go to the Workshop led by Linda Weintraub on the 19^th and the 20^th. My teammates and I first tried to go on the 19^th but did not realize we did not need tickets to get in. On the 20^th, I could attend the first 30 minutes of the workshop and then had to leave for a doctor’s appointment for a post-surgery checkup. I lastly could attend the symposium from 1pm-2pm on Friday. I had the chance to hear opening remarks from James Gimzewski and then a lecture from Linda Weintraub. 

Attempt 2 at Weintraub's Workshop

Attending Linda Weintraub’s lecture helped me to understand more of how technology helps to strengthen art and the messages behind it. While Linda Weintraub’s workshop was more focused on us disconnecting art from technology, by having sensual experiences with different naturally produced items placed in boxes. (Weintraub Lecture). She also picked four artists who used art to help convey some type of message about technology and how it is taking over our society. She chose the ‘Praying Robots” by Kal Spelletich and art from Gebhard Sergmuller. The artist that stood out most to me was Natalie Jeremijenko. Jeremijenko did a project called “Why are the Hudson River Fish and Frogs on Antidepressants”. Her project was placed in bathrooms across the country, the message behind this was whatever humans consumed we were excreting into our ponds, lakes, and oceans. Medicines were one of the highest percent of waste found in the water, Jeremijenko was telling the viewers that the pharmaceutical technology was essentially ruining some of our natural resources and the animals. Humans are not the only ones effected by the creation of new technologies. This project reminded me of Week One’s lecture on the Third Culture. The artist utilized art to express a scientific finding and the technology behind mass producing this artwork allowed for her to deploy this project on a national level. (Vesna P.121-125).

Natalie Jeremijenko "Why are the Hudson River Fish and Frogs on Antidepressants"

As Weintraub’s lecture came to an end, she pointed out a survey in our pamphlets. The survey asked a bunch of different questions about the future, where we thought it was going. It made me think about technology and where it would be going. I was then confronted with an issue of whether I thought technology was good or bad. I think it’s a two-sided coin. On one side, it’s a positive. Technology has allowed me to meet some of my favorite people (Reece, Taylor, Crystal, and Gam). Technology also has helped us in the school setting, allowing us to connect with professors and TAs wirelessly at any time. On the other side, technology has created an increasing fear of face-to-face interactions. We have become more anti-social with the evolution of technology. Humans have started to slowly kill the Earth as technology evolves. I am very torn on whether technology is a positive or negative, it’s a difficult question to answer. I believe that there is no answer to this question as technology has both helped and hurt humanity.  

Kal Spelletich's "Praying Robots"

I would recommend people to experience life without technology and away from any type of mass produced item. I would also recommend people to research Linda Weintraub’s research, books, and workshops. They are very eye-opening and allowed many people to see how much the world is reliant on technology to function throughout daily life. As for how this might help me on the midterm and final, I now have a deeper understanding of how the negatives of technology can be turned into art to send a message out to the public about dangers normally unknown about technology.

Opening Remarks from James Gimzewski

Pamphlet from the Symposium with My Notes

Proof of Event

Works Cited

Jeremijenko, Natalie. “Why Are the Hudson River Fish and Frogs on Antidepressants”. 2006. Artwork. California.

Skibitzki, Madeline. Ecocentric Art + Science Symposium, Los Angeles. Personal photograph by author. 2017.

Spelletich, Kal. "INTENTION MACHINES/PRAYING ROBOTS." Kaltek. N.p., 22 Apr. 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2017. <https://kaltek.wordpress.com/intention-machinespraying-robots/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.

Weintraub, Linda. "What's Next- Eco Materialism and Contemporary Art." Ecocentric Art + Science Symposium. Los Angeles. 21 Apr. 2017. Lecture.