LASER Event

LASER, the event I attended, was hosted by Professor Vesna. It showcased many artists and educators. It’s main purpose was to form a community of artists to discuss the intersection of art and science, to break the stigma around the intersection. I think it’s so amazing to have people come together and talk about the stigmas surrounding around this topic. Each person that spoke presented something completely unique to them. Everything presented was not in any way ordinary. Each speaker came out and presented their work, some of which I will touch on below. 

Dr. Hans Bernard, a professor here at UCLA, was one of the most interesting presenters in my opinion. His talk was about the art practices used in ancient Egypt. Preservations, tombs, and the keeping of the dead was what he touched on. The Egyptians believed that the next life had to have prepared for them. The tombs were decorated with depictions of the deceased at his funerary meal, activities of the estate and countryside, and the abundant offerings necessary to sustain the spirit. He explained how many surviving Egyptian works of art were created to be placed in the tombs of officials and their families. The tombs were decorated to the best of their abilities with paintings, drawings, models, etc. They depicted the finer things in life, which is why they were included in the tombs for the afterlife. I was shocked and fascinated to see how much art surrounded the tombs even in those times. These tombs also help us study the ancient times of Egypt. 

Tamira Elul was another speaker at the event. She was a speaker who talked about Neural Morphogenesis. She explained how Neural Morphology plays a vital role in the computational properties of neural systems. She explained that her research was to study cellular, molecular and biophysical mechanisms that control pathfinding and terminal branching of optic axons in the developing visual circuit and she was applying these morphometric techniques used in the developmental biology research to compared forms in abstract expressionist paintings and in microscopic biological images. Thoughtout this whole talk I was fascinated to see how art played such a huge role. To have such creativity to see an outcome like this is amazing. She definitely has a great deal of artistic ability to see such a result. 

The artists and educators that came together for this event were truly so inspiring to hear speak. I was amazed about how they approached the topic of the intersection of art and science. It was clear how important their own work was to them, and fascinating to see how they could appreciate everyone’s presentations and topics. Art and creativity obviously played a big role in the speakers’ lives, and it was amazing to see it in front of your eyes. 

Egyptian Afterlife Ceremonies, Sarcophagi, Burial Masks - Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2017. 

"LASER [Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous]." LASER [Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous] | UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. June 2017. 

"Research." Developmental Neurobiology Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. June 2017. 

"Art." Developmental Neurobiology Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. June 2017. 

"DATA BURIAL: IN LIVING DUNES." DATA BURIAL: IN LIVING DUNES | UCLA Art | Sci Center Lab. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. June 2017.