Event #2: "Movement" Exhibit @ The CNSI Art Science Gallery

Last week on Tuesday, May 12th, I went to check out the "Movement" exhibition at the CNSI Art Science Gallery. Initially, I thought that this specific exhibition was really cool, seeing as all of the artwork on display was created by fellow Bruins and each display was significantly different based on each artist's individual perception of the notion of "movement." Essentially, all of the artwork on display had something to do with the concept of movement; however, all of the pieces were different in the sense that some were videos, some were paintings & drawings, and others were interactive games. 

One of my favorite pieces of artwork on display was Christina Kong's "The Brain Book," which was a flip-book illustrating the human brain's many functions. Using post-its and a pen, Christina created a brain and divided it into several sections for the purpose of showing exactly where our human functions originate. The piece was interactive, seeing as it encouraged viewers to "flip through" these different sections of the brain to see what function corresponds with its location. Christina's approach to this relatively scientific topic was fun and engaging, but moreover, it allowed for easy understanding of this otherwise difficult-to-remember science. In order to flip through Christina's "Brian Book," I actually had to wait in line because so many other people were fascinated by her approach. 

Like Christina, I too have always been very interested in animation and how important ongoing movement is in terms of creating a cohesive story and/or image. The brain, which pieces together these still images, creates a moving picture in our minds - despite the fact that we KNOW we're looking at a bunch of still images. In this way, our brain deceives us, causing us to think that we're actually looking at a moving picture - it's like an optical illusion! Although I didn't get to meet Christina, I would've loved to have complimented her "Brain Book" and to have gotten to opportunity to ask her more about how this idea developed.

In the end, I really enjoyed attending this exhibition at the CNSI Art Science Gallery. I was extremely impressed by the work of my fellow peers at UCLA and furthermore, I really enjoyed seeing how many different ways the scientific notion of "movement" can be conveyed in the form of art. 

WORKS CITED

"Movement." UCLA Arts Science Undergraduate Society. CNSI Art Science Gallery. 2015.