Event 1

My first event was very close to campus, but somehow felt like such a distant concept and unaccessible  before actually going there. I am not the type to usually visit museums so I didn't think about going before taking DESMA 9. This amazing museum really surprised me with the colorful artwork and peaceful serenity in the midst of a fast-paced, business oriented city. You can see traffic and offices in the reflection of the museum's glass, which made me reflect on my previous choices to avoid visiting museums. There are not just for the artsy hipsters that I imagined, but rather for everyone to appreciate and relate to in their own way. 

After walking inside the first thing you see is elaborate paint patterns of lines on top of each other on the structure's walls. The somewhat harsh, strict lines begin to blur together into one woven, seamless image and the overlay of multiple pictures creates one piece of art, much like there are multiple components and layers to each person that make up the entire individual. The artistic and scientific interests of everyone are not separate characteristics but inclusive interests that work together to embody the whole person - there are not two separate cultures but rather one entity. The actual building is made of art and contains art for viewers to walk through an immerse themselves in.  

My experience continued as I went up the stairs and into the first room. There was art on the wall containing images with flashing lights that look like a pixilated, zoomed in image or TV screen. The artist incorporated technology (electricity, nanotechnology, and lighting) and art (color choice, design, space) to create one piece. 

The next piece, Aluminum Foil, by Welling, included small abstract paintings and photographs of aluminum foil that were crumpled and shaped into obscured, yet recognizable features. It was a two-part work - both of abstraction and representation. Welling also used velvet fabric and phyllo dough to make images that challenge perception and perspective by making the dough mimic geological events. The real importance that I got our of it was the unconventional way that he used art to represent scientific occurrences in nature. 

The technological advancements in lenses and creating cameras was a huge accomplishment that led to printed images that capture moments in life. Welling took it to the next level to manipulate images and invert the colors to make art that resembles railroad racks, which questions realism and transparency, and optics and description, and the material and chemical nature of photography. I end my journey with the black and white images that are similar to two divergent cultures, but that upon further inspection, resemble the continued theme of separate lines that are in fact woven and intersect each other to make a masterpiece. 

 Thank you for reading! I would recommend that you visit this easily accessible museum, especially if you are not a typical museum-goer.