Extra Credit Event 4 LACMA

Event 4 LACMA

I visited the LA County Museum as an extra credit event. The museum has a variety of artwork that ties the topics of art to math, science, technology, and medicine. Its entrance contains a huge sculpture called Smoke by Tony Smith, first designed in 1967 and recently fabricated using aluminum in 2005. Smith describes his design in 1962 as "interruptions in an notherwise unbroken flow of space". Its  hexagonal and tetrahedral structure is mathematical, similar to how geometry is used to create the perspective views in  art . 

Smoke by Tony Smith

Another example that was relevant to the class in the LACMA is medicine in relation to art. Kienholz's Illegal Operation looks on the concept of abortion in the past where the operations were not done professionally and rather in dangerous conditions as seen through the chair and dirty medical equipment. Kienholz's work is an intersection of medicine and art. Through this work he protests the state of abortion during his time in the 1960's where abortions were illegal and women had to look to illicit means to get an abortion.

Illegal Operation with functional lamp, chair, and dirty medical equipment to left of the photo

A work similar to what I saw at the Fowler Museum's Making Strange exhibit was the mass of car chassis put together to form a sculpture. Like Making Strange, this exhibit recycled waste to form art, except in this exhibit, the waste was technology waste rather than medical items waste. Another work that involved technology were the Islamic inscriptions  praising Allah that were formed by shaping neon lamps. The use of placing a special mirror behind one of these inscriptions to give the appearance of infinite inscriptions also shows the mathematical concept of infinity and shows the use of mathematics in bringing out artistic techniques. The displays of technology to form art reminds me of how closely these two fields are linked.

Car Parts Sculpture

Neon Inscription stating God is Alive, He Shall Not Die 

Overall, the museum contains many examples of art, science, and technology and I recommend it if you wish to see more examples not mentioned in class. One only has to look for them since there are other examples of art only. 

A copy of my admission ticket into LACMA