The San Francisco Exploratorium: Saturday December 7th

On Saturday I drove home from school to Sacramento where my family lives. On the way (kind of), I stopped at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. I remembered having visited as a child and thinking it was really fun but this time when I walked in, I felt like the only adult surrounded by children. It was a little bit like going to Disneyland once you’ve grown up and the magic is gone. Anyway, I spend a good deal of time exploring the Exploratorium. There were a few rooms and “toys” that I really enjoyed.

         The easiest art connection I made was in the “Comfort Zone”. It was located in the “Black Box” which apparently rotates different installations. In this room, people’s bodies and body movement are digitally projected on the black walls with light. The result is an artwork that involves both the human body and movement along with technology and science. All these components come together to form an interactive piece of art. Most of the art here was interactive, which some people may not see as art at all. Expanding my mind to the fact that art does not have to be just a canvas with paint on a wall is the most important thing I have learned in this class.

My other favorite part of the museum was a sign on a wall that asked, “Where does the museum end and the outside world begin?” I thought about it. Then I left and walked to my car and looked out at San Francisco. The world is full of art for those who see it. Even the architecture of buildings or bridges, art in nature and rock formations, the way a leaf is shaped, it is all art. This encouraged me to explore the world as I explored the Exploratorium.

        

Imagery: 

http://www.frequency.com/video/comfort-zone-premiere-exploratorium/126746755/-/5-976

http://reeceharrisonblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/leaves.html

Griffith Observatory: Friday November 29th

Since I stayed in Westwood for Thanksgiving, I decided to visit the Griffith Observatory at the end of 9^th week. This was just as we finished learning about Space and Art so it all fit very well together. I have been to the Griffith Observatory many times and have always enjoyed the view especially once the sun has gone down. I visited the Griffith Observatory this time during the day and saw a different perspective.

         I had never been inside the dome at Griffith before this experience but I decided to attend a show and see what it is all about. I attended the “Water is Life” show in the planetarium and was blown away. The show explored the possibility of life beyond earth, which I have always pondered but I had never thought about the seemingly simple idea of water on other planets. Highlighted through the title “Water is Life”, living organisms need water to survive so if other life forms do exist out there, water is a necessary resource. The visuals were so astounding, I could have honestly watched anything and been happy but to watch something that made me think like that was a very unique and intriguing experience. It was a very real piece of art.

      

 Tied for my favorite part of the experience was looking at the Foucault Pendulum. The pendulum has been swaying since the observatory opened nearly 80 years ago and it represents the Earth’s rotation in a way that leaves you in awe. There are pegs set up that the pendulum apparently knocks down at the end of the day as the Earth rotates, however I did not get to see the peg fall.

         The word awe can very well be attributed to my feelings throughout my visit at the Griffith Observatory.

Imagery:

http://www.thedanielchallenge.com/?p=69

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread598617/pg1

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/1955-review-smc-pentax-da-fish-eye-10-17mm-f3-5-4-5-ed-if.html

The Getty Museum: Friday October 18th

         For my first event, I visited the Getty Center just on the other side of the 405. I found the architecture at the Getty to be breathtaking and I never pay attention to things like that, so it must be even more impressive than I think. After immediately taking myself outside to look out over the city, I wandered around the museum looking for something to be calling my name.

 I found myself in an exhibition called “Poetry of Paper”. At first I walked over because it looked too simple to be art displayed at the Getty. The explanation helped a bit but when I pondered it on my own for a while, I really enjoyed the section. I found it so interesting that the artists incorporated the blank space in their piece of art. It opened my eyes to something I had never thought about before. However, the blank parts of a picture are still major components of the artwork as a whole. My favorite piece was a 1485 painting titled View of a Walled City in a River Landscape by Master LCz. The sky was blank which to me stood for the actually blankness of sky and air. This exhibition made me think about how many different concepts that I learned about in this class had never spoken to me as art. Once I was forced to think of them as part of the art, everything started looking like art. This is how I felt about the “negative space” in the images of the exhibition. At first I looked at the corner of the drawing with no etchings and thought, “Well isn’t that just being a tad lazy” but once I concentrated and brought my mind to focus on the blank paper as art, it made a lot of sense. The world needs the emptiness. It cannot function if all space is consumed or if there is never silence, only noise. That is how I felt after looking at the art in the “Poetry of Paper” exhibition. This blank space was the necessary silence in the art, while the rest of the drawing did the talking.

Getty Image: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/24/entertainment/la-et-cm-getty-research-institute-parking-fees-20120723