RIEDEL, CASSIDY DIANA's blog

Event 3: Jessica Irish Talk

            This Thursday I attended the talk from Jessica Irish. Her presentation paired very well with the lecture this week from Dr. Gimzewski. I was really interested in her discussion of the history and rise in popularity of plastics. The first synthetic plastic was developed in 1869 as an alternative to ivory (“History and Future of Plastics”).

Sounds and Space

            This week we heard from David Roy, about his art and his current project BLACKNASA. BLACKNASA is a space program “committed to peaceful and meaningful exploration” (“David Roy”). David builds rockets to illustrate how the power of technology can be reclaimed for the good and his rocket launches are meant to unite and inspire his audience while reminding them of the human capacity for joy and wonder (“David Roy”). This project is wonderful. So many children dream of space and want to explore what is out there.

Decolonial Media Art Beyond 530 Years Event Blog

            This Friday I attended the “Decolonial Media Art Beyond 530 Years” event. The discussion included thirteen different presenters whose work centers around the decolonization of art, media, and our understanding of art. This conversation was incredibly interesting. Previously, I had not really considered the impact of the movement towards decolonization on art. Typically, when I think of decolonization, I think of evaluating and changing the way we teach and understand history.

Khipus

            This week I thought the presentation from Patricia was enlightening. Her presentation on the khipu as a form of communication was really interesting. It is difficult to conceptualize a communication system that is not based on the written word. For us, communication comes down to speaking and writing. Furthermore, from our perspective, a system that does not have a written language seems “primitive”. We tend to assume societies and governments cannot operate in ways that do not align with how our systems operate.

Colonizing Mars!

            The time at the planetarium this week was great. One thing I really love about this class is exploring parts of the UCLA campus I did not know existed. Since I transferred to UCLA in the fall of 2020, I have not spent much time on campus, so I have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore all of the cool things the campus has to offer. Below is the picture of me interacting with the alien stardust AR. 

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Bamboo!

            The time at the botanical garden this week was truly eye-opening. Before Wednesday I had not been to that part of campus and did not know UCLA had a botanical garden. Entering the garden was like entering a whole different world, especially when compared to the buildings around it. I love how Cole presented the gardens as a living museum that not only told the history of UCLA but also tells the story of the land that houses UCLA. The California Natives collection was blooming, and all the plants were so beautiful.

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