EC Event 2: Natural History Museum

As soon as I walked into the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, I could instantly see multiple exhibits that incorporated science, technology, and art.  Taxidermy and paleontology are clearly on display in this museum and are fields that, I think, require both science and art skills.  The most awe-inspiring exhibits for me were the Dinosaur Hall and the halls displaying animals (mostly mammals) in their respective geographical locations.Paleontology is the study of history on Earth, based on fossils.  The numerous dinosaur skeletons, that occupy most of the museum, made me feel miniscule standing next to them.  This reminded me of how I felt watching the “Power or Ten” short film about the vastness of the world we live in.  Paleontologists have to adhere to many steps in order to create the skeletal models of dinosaurs. Fieldwork to carefully recover the fossils is the first step.  Later on, after using many techniques, scientists must employ art when putting together, and organizing the final model to ensure that the positioning and stance is most appealing and credible to the viewer.

Taxidermy is the art of preparing, stuffing, and applying the skin of animals for display, and in this case, in a museum.  Taxidermists are only able to realistically portray animals when they have extensive knowledge of the animals’ anatomy.  Therefore, in order for this art form to be a success science and are must be united.  There are many examples of taxidermy throughout the museum, however my favorite area was the African Mammal Hall.  It is my dream to go on an African safari, and I felt like being in this hall was a sneak peak due to the realistic backgrounds and animals.

Natural History Museum. N.d. Museum. Los Angeles, Exhibition Park.

Savanna Elephant. Digital image. Explore Exhibits. Natural History Museum, n.d. Web. 7 June 2015.

EC Event 1: Fowler Museum

For my first extra credit event, I went to the Fowler Museum at UCLA.  I knew that this museum was here, but without DESMA 9, I probably wouldn’t have ventured to explore this part of campus.

Upon entry, I first looked at the Singular Spaces in Spanish Art Environments exhibit, which wrapped along all the hallways around the courtyard of the building. These photographs were particularly interesting to me because I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain this past summer and was able to see connections between the art and architecture in the photos and my memories of my time there. 

The exhibit that I feel incorporated science and art the most was Making Strange Gagawaka + Postmortem. Gagawaka and Postmortem are paradoxical exhibits. Gagawaka presents 27 “wearable, sculptural garments made from recycled materials and medical supplies.” In the projected movie shown in the exhibit, Sundaram said “anything that doesn’t have a permanence should be dismantled.” In Postmortem, he does this by displaying somewhat broken, anatomical models. Postmortem seeks to explore the inside of human bodies by displaying partially dismembered, hollow mannequins filled with incomplete, plastic organs. Gagawaka displays the outside shell that humans embrace and wear.  Together, these exhibits encompass the external and internal aspects of beauty and the human body.

This exhibit reminded me the most of our DESMA units on medicine and medtech.  Not only did Sundaram use medical supplies to create the majority of garments, but also he sought to modify our external by creating a type of armor.  Although these dresses are obviously only temporary, I can see the same motivation behind the artwork as in body modification surgery.  Additionally, Postmortem exposes the anatomy of the human body just like Vesalius did in the sixteenth century.

Sundaram, Vivan. "Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem." Fowler Museum at UCLA. 06 June 2015.