HRS177|Spring2018

Fueling Creative Minds

When I was first exposed to the ideas of biotechnology and art, I thought: cool! After watching the first video lecture, I realized the many ethical dilemmas that surround the usage of biotechnology as an artistic endeavor and the interweaving projects of the two spheres of work. As a 4th year neuroscience major, the mind never ceases to fascinate me. The brain is the only organ to have named itself. I see that the fields of biotechnology and art serve to provide a platform for curious minds. Minds that don't want to limit themselves to only one discipline or perspective.

Biotech and Art in China

Born and raised in China, I spent 18 years living in my home country where science and engineering receive the most attentions. Art is considered a way to expand one's interest but should not be his or her career goal. For instance, children often learn different forms of art during their elementary school but as soon as they enter the junior school, they are required to forsake their hobbies. The junior school does offer their kids art class, but the time reserved for those class is usually taken away by math or physics teachers (Wang 2015).

Week 1: Bread, Public Engagement and Science

The word “biotechnology” tends to invoke thoughts of computers, genetic technology, test tubes, and other laboratory materials. Bread is a technology, and could be argued to be one of the most important innovations in human history (along with the invention of rice). Nawar’s project, merging the biotechnology of bread with social and political activism, exemplifies the many ways that science and biotechnology infiltrate our everyday lives.

The Cultural and Political Usage of Bread

As a South Asian Indian, I instantly gravitated towards Newar’s exhibit as bread is a highly integral aspect to the Indian cuisine, which itself is heavily rooted in its respective cultures and religions. Indian bread includes roti, paratha, phulke, naan, bhatoora, puri, among many others (Michelin 2017). The various types of breads are used as tools with which to enjoy the curries (soups) and achaars (pickled vegetables) offered alongside in a typical meal, which parallels the way in bread was used as tools of unification and protest as stated by Newar.

Week 1: Biotechnology & Art

The role of art within the sciences is not something that enough people acknowledge as valuable. When I first mentioned that I was taking this class to some of my engineer friends, they scoffed and told me that there was no connection between the two. Before coming to UCLA I would most likely have agreed with this analysis, however upon exposure to classes such as this one, my mind has been changed. Last quarter, I took a class that looked at climate change and art. This was my first formal exposure to the relationship between the sciences and arts.

Week 1: BIOTECH + ART

Growing up in Asia where art receives less of an emphasis in education than science, I have been curious about what it holds, but also feel intimidated trying to venture into that realm where a lot of things need to be inferred, interpreted and comprehended based on my own emotions and experience. I was so used to solve problems that have clear-cut answers, approaching issues with a methodological perspective and trying so hard to get it right.

Week 1: Biotechnology and Art

As the child of Iranian immigrants, bread has always been a uniquely important -- and seemingly omnipresent -- component of my life, helping to bridge the gap between my American culture and my Persian heritage. Bread is an integral, historical, and incredibly central aspect of life in Iran. Traditional Iranian breads (including Barbari, Sangak, Paska, and Taftan) are shared and enjoyed by young and old alike, in both the private and public spheres, and during essentially all times of day.

The influence of Biotechnology & Art on unification and representation

Haytham Nawar’s art project, “Collective Bread Diaries: A Taste of Protest” is based on the importance of bread in different events throughout history and across various cultures. The exhibition showed the unification and representation of cultures throughout the world, as well as the importance of biotechnological tools that allow for such interactions to occur and for such art to be created. 

Week 1: Biotech and Art: A Different Way to Look at the World

Coming from an Indian family, I grew up constantly eating different types of bread. In fact, no meal could occur without bread on the side. Like most other cultures, Indian cuisine relies heavily on different forms of bread, but the type of bread a family eats reveals a lot about where in India they originate from.

Introduction to Biotech and Art: A New Perspective on my Daily Life

Growing up as an Asian American, I had an interesting exposure to bread. As a child, I was like many first generation Chinese-Americans, stuck in between two cultures. At home for dinner, I would eat rice in a bowl with different vegetables and meats, but at school, my parents would pack me a lunchbox of ham and cheese sandwich with a piece of fruit and yogurt. Because of this, I only thought of bread as a necessary food to fill my belly during lunch before I could enjoy a meal with my family.

Week 1: Biotechnology & Art

It is inevitable that there are multiple perceptions and definitions of what the public considers art. Biotechnology entering this world of creativity makes complete sense, understanding that technology itself is craftsmanship. The piece by Jens Hauser confronts different avenues, criticisms, and expectations of an emerging approach to an existing world.

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