the wonder between
science & art
PRODUCTION REPORT #1
These last two weeks have been busy with administrative planning. I've been communicating with a friend to see if I can rent her studio out for a day to do some in-person interviews. I have also reached out to five of my six interviewees and they've all agreed to participate. I have some backups planned as well just in case something were to come up and prevent someone from participating.
Items Completed:
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5 of 6 interviewees confirmed
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Proof of Concept
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Project Agreement
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Production blog up & running
Next Steps:
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Solidify dates with interviewees
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Confirm studio rental
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Begin filming
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Capture campaign related footage for social push
PRODUCTION REPORT #2
This week I've been preparing for my first two interviews with Professor Courtney Redding and Mutanu Mukeku. My first interview will take place on 10/11/21 at 10 a.m. and the second on 10/14/21 at 6:30 p.m. B-roll is also underway.
With Professor Redding, I will be conducting the interview remotely over Zencastr. Some of the questions and topics in discussion will include the following:
- Do you think masterpieces exist?
- If so, what makes a piece of art or an experiment a masterpiece?
- How are artistic and scientific masterpieces related?
- Where do the geniuses of art and science converge?
- As an artist, what part of the "scientific world" inspires you? Nature? Medicine?
Professor Redding has also agreed to get me some footage of her work featured on her social profiles. This footage will be supplemented with my b-roll of painting, and sketching.
With Mutanu, our Biomedical Engineer, we'll be discussing the same questions with a quick lesson on light and how it functions from a scientific standpoint. This will parallel with Professor Redding's work with suncatchers.
In addition to this project I've also been working on a Capstone for DART 412. This means I will be graduating with my BA in Digital Multimedia Design and a Certificate in Digital Art. While my projects are not the same, I am approaching a scientific topic in the other project as well. Through documentary style photographs, I am exploring how society views on certain animals are based on pop-culture references. Some of my images for this project are above this report (bear and wolf). To see more of my wildlife photography, you can visit that page.
PRODUCTION REPORT #3
Overview:
This week has been busy with filming. I conducted two interviews -- one on Monday and one on Thursday. Between the two, I have over two hours of content already, not including b-roll. My next interview will be with Rebekah Sweda, who is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University with an MFA in Ceramics and a BA in Chemistry and Studio Art. Earlier this year she gave a lecture on "Merging STEM and Art" at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have high expectations that she will deliver a great perspective to this project.
Teaser:
This week I also made a rough teaser trailer for the social media campaign. This is a teaser for the first video (to be released November 14th). Again, there are a few more adjustments I want to make to this, but it's getting pretty close to what I would like.
Filming:
The filming process thus far has all been online. Each time, I send the interviewee a link to the Zencastr session. In addition to this recording, we have backups on each end as well. That way, if anyone's internet is acting strangely, we still have footage. Or, we can even use it as a second camera view. I have one more online interview with Leah, but Rebekah and Robin's interviews will be done in person.
Nature & Art:
The photos above are images Professor Redding and I discussed in her interview. These are her original pieces, and the process behind them is very intriguing. She told me that she'll make 20-30 pieces outside, and then let them sit out overnight. The rain will catch them, or leaves will fly through and stick to the canvases. But all of this is part of her layering process. The next morning, she looks at the pieces again, and keeps layering with more paint. Different textures and shapes emerge, encouraged by the outdoor elements. Nature is directly interfering with the work.
Similar Works:
Polish artist Jacek Tylicki started a series in a similar manner back in the 70s. Instead of adding paint though, Tylicki simply laid out pieces of canvas in nature, allowing the elements to do all the work for him.
This work is called "Nature No. 1". The watercolor paper was left for 4 days in a Swedish meadow (1973).
Richard Long is an artist who works in sculpture, drawing, and poems. He deals with nature, even painting with mud. His approach with nature is a little more "shaped" in comparison to Tylicki.
This work is something I never would have believed until I saw proof of it. Sam Van Aken of Syracuse University installed this piece, or rather planted it, in the garden. Through grafting, Van Aken created the Tree of 40 Fruit. Yes, the tree produces 40 different kinds of fruit including: peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, and almonds. Van Aken reports it is primarily created of antique or heirloom varieties, making it a work of conservation. What a fantastic example of art and science working together!
PRODUCTION REPORT #4
Overview:
In these last two weeks I worked on my first in-person interview with Rebekah Sweda (adjunct professor at Wayne State University with an MFA in Ceramics and a BA in Chemistry and Studio Art). And, I worked on organizing my assets to create graphics for the social media campaign on Bravely Learning. This upcoming week, I will be interviewing Robin Stevanovich, automotive engineer.
To view the raw video files and social graphics, click on the button below. It will take you to a Google folder where I'm housing some of my smaller files.
Filming & Schedule:
Filming in person this week was so fun. I've been waiting for an opportunity where I could control more of the lighting and feel of the video. So, I'm grateful that I had that chance with Rebekah. We filmed in her home studio and it provided the perfect, moody lighting I've been waiting for. I used the window as a side/backlight, and then I used a camera-attached light to brighten up her face. For the b-roll, I actually used her existing setup for taking photos of the ceramics. I played with the lights, moving them across the pieces to achieve some movement and visual interest.
I will be honest and say it's been difficult to stay focused this past week. A dear friend of ours passed away, and then my Grandma had a stroke two days later. We've been in and out of the hospital, and attending funeral-related events all week. It's been a challenge. But honestly once I'm able to actually sit down and work on these projects, it gives me a creative outlet to cope with everything going on right now. Art will always be healing for me.
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“Leonardo Da Vinci.” @1stArtGallery, 2017. https://www.leonardoda-vinci.org/Male-Head-In-Profile-With-Proportions.html.
Psychology & Art:
Another aspect of the "science and art world" we haven't discussed too much yet is the relationship of psychology and art. My mom was an Oncology Social Worker for twenty years, and I remember her sharing how some patients had a really hard time opening up about their cancer journey. But once they had access to an art studio, they shared things they never would have otherwise. The act of creativity helped engage them in a new way.
There is actually a lot of research showing how art can benefit people suffering from psychological disorders. Testing the effectiveness of art therapy as a treatment can be difficult, but there are some truths we can define through a research process.
Image credit: “John” (artist) and Juliet King (Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis).
John, the artist behind this painting, sought out art therapy to receive treatment for PTSD (Beans). The Midwest VA Medical Center hosted this program to help combat veterans navigate their new home life and the trauma they endured during deployment. PNAS reports John's attempts to control the watercolor came with frustration, and he kept reassuring the instructor he was fine. But upon further reflection of the situation he stated, "Things aren’t OK, and I say that they are" (Beans). This observational experience shows us how the creative process can uncover hidden truths. But what the biological components of art therapy?
A 2014 study determined after a 45-minute therapy session, 75% of adults had lower cortisol levels in their saliva (Beans). Cortisol is also known as the primary stress hormone (Mayo Clinic). Cortisol puts you at risk for anxiety, depression, digestive issues, headaches, muscle pain, heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep problems, weight gain, and memory impairment (Mayo Clinic).
The UK has actually started prescribing art programs to certain patients (Mentalxpress.com). The Mental Health Foundation (UK based) reinforces this and says, "Getting involved with the arts can have powerful and lasting effects on health. It can help to protect against a range of mental health conditions, help manage mental ill health and support recovery" (mentalhealth.uk.org).
Why is cortisol known as the stress hormone? (2020). Markvanderpump.co.uk. https://www.markvanderpump.co.uk/blog/posts/cortisol-what-it-is-and-why-its-commonly-called-the-stress-hormone
Clearly the arts have a major effect on our physical and mental health. Rebekah and I touched on this a little bit in our interview, and we discussed how throwing pottery can be such a relaxing activity. Even just watching the clay spin gives me so much peace. After writing this blog article, I might go get my hands dirty with some clay. I think after the week I've had, I could use the mental break. And now my question for you is, how will you utilize the arts in your self-care routine?
Works Cited
Beans, C. (2019). Science and Culture: Searching for the science behind art therapy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(3), 707–710. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1821297116
Chronic stress puts your health at risk. (2021). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037#:~:text=Cortisol%2C%20the%20primary%20stress%20hormone,fight%2Dor%2Dflight%20situation.
How arts can help improve your mental health. (2019, June 25). Mental Health Foundation. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/how-arts-can-help-improve-your-mental-health
How prescription creativity can improve mental and physical health. (2018). Medicalxpress.com. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-prescription-creativity-mental-physical-health.html
Regev, D., & Cohen-Yatziv, L. (2018). Effectiveness of Art Therapy With Adult Clients in 2018-What Progress Has Been Made?. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1531. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531
Stuckey, H. L., & Nobel, J. (2010). The connection between art, healing, and public health: a review of current literature. American journal of public health, 100(2), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2008.156497
PRODUCTION REPORT #5
Overview:
It's been a very busy week. This PDF contains the outline for Video #1. Unfortunately, Robin had to reschedule our interview for this upcoming week and we will have to do it remotely. My ten year old brother, a classmate of Robin's son Nikolas, caught COVID from someone at school. So needless to say, this PDF does not contain Robin's transcription yet.
If Nikolas gets sick and Robin is unavailable for an interview, I have a back-up plan. I am quarantined with my mom, Jennifer, who happens to be a Social Worker. She has her MSW from Wayne State University, and she works for the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link. She previously worked in the Oncology Unit at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan for twenty years. She started the first deaf cancer support group in the Metro Detroit area and she also has a lot of knowledge in art therapy (Kornak). Even if I am able to get Robin's interview, I might add my mom on the roster to add more of a mental health & psychology perspective.
Circling back to this PDF, there are a lot of pages. I used a transcription service called Descript to get the audio typed out so I could read it, select the parts I need for each video, and piece it together. Some of the transcription isn't perfect, but it's enough to tell me where to cut and edit. At the very end of the document is the two-column script format I'll be using as I'm editing to keep track of visuals and audio (page 39). Once I get Robin's interview (or my Mom's), I'll punch in that first outline in the two-column format.
This week I also filmed an art process Courtney and I discussed in her interview. In the outline, you'll see a portion about how each person views the relationship between science and art. Courtney described her process of painting multiple canvases at once outside, and then leaving them overnight to allow the elements to make impressions on the work. On those impressions, she continues to layer the paint and let nature create interesting patterns. I personally explored her process and filmed my experience with it. This will be the way I bring the different interviews together and close it out in the first video. You can click on the button below and see the raw footage.
Other Projects & Inspiration:
I mentioned in another blog post about my DART 412 thesis project -- how pop culture influences our behavior towards animals. The wolf's slides, write-ups, and collage piece are all complete. The piece you see on the left here is the collage I created to summarize the research and other photos I added for the wolf. Here is the description for the piece:
"This is an artistic collage created with my own original image of the wolf. The wolf is incorporated into a scene filled with folklore, spirituality, and contrasting
cultural worldviews. Little Red Riding Hood resembles the eurocentric perspective of the wolf -- hungry, ferocious, and threatening. Meanwhile the wigwam demonstrates the Ojibwe's reverence and oneness with the wolf."
To see more of the images and research I've finished thus far, click on the button below.
Symmetry in Art and Science
Again, going back to the Video #1 outline, Mutanu gave a really interesting perspective on the connection between science and art. Courtney and Rebekah both talked a little more on the thought process behind the two, but Mutanu talked about artistic principles. Symmetry is consistent in both art and nature. Expanding on the concept, there's a book pictured above by Werner Hahn. The original edition was published in 1863, and the author explored how Vitruvius, Polyclitus, Democritus, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci and Durer viewed symmetry. Hahn saw "symmetry as an evolutionary concept which can lead to a new unity of science" (Amazon).
I also found an article on the subject written by Alexander Voloshinov in 1996. In the abstract he writes, "A unification of the well-known laws of beauty on the basis of the general principle of symmetry makes it possible to refer to symmetry as the most important principle of harmony both in the universe and in art" (Voloshinov). More of this article is included below so I can look back on it later!
When Rebekah introduces herself in Video #1, she references her trip to Indonesia and how the tribal patterns she saw there inspired her to pursue a career in fine arts. It reminded me how many indigenous cultures use symmetry and pattern to create beautiful textiles and art. This piece below is displayed at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and it is a Bandolier Bag, ca. 1890.
According to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, "Native Americans of the Great Lakes region started making bandolier bags in the mid-nineteenth century, modeled on those used by soldiers to carry cartridges. The beaded bags were made by women but typically worn by men for ceremonial occasions. Although sometimes used as bags, they were more important as symbols of wealth and status and were highly valued when trading with other tribes" (Philamuseum.org). Since this object is now a symbol of status and wealth, it crosses into the sociocultural sphere (and science side) as well. It's rich with visual symmetry and the science of how the wearer is perceived.
Works Cited
Bandolier Bag. (2021). Bandolier Bag. Dia.org. https://www.dia.org/art/collection/object/bandolier-bag-95184
Bandolier Bag. (2021). Philamuseum.org. https://www.philamuseum.org/collection/object/92166
Kornak, Jillian. Are Your Patients Really Hearing You? (2018, August 12). https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.FTR2.23032018.52
Symmetry As a Developmental Principle in Nature and Art by Werner Hahn (1998-10-04): Amazon.com: Books. (2021). Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Symmetry-Developmental-Principle-Nature-1998-10-04/dp/B01FKRR65O#detailBullets_feature_div
Voloshinov, A. V. (1996). Symmetry as a Superprinciple of Science and Art. Leonardo, 29(2), 109–113. https://doi.org/10.2307/1576340
PRODUCTION REPORT #6
Overview:
The day has come! I did a soft launch with my first completed video (see above). I followed the outline for the most part, and just made a few additions where I felt better transitions were needed. I have an introduction and a conclusion that helps further connect the interviews together. I just used a "voice of god" technique with b-roll for these portions.
The editing process was pretty straightforward. I didn't run into anything I wasn't expecting. I did run a little longer than my initial five minute plan, but I think it was necessary to tack on the extra three and a half minutes to provide more context and opportunity for the experts to establish their expertise and personal knowledge. As a storyteller, I love hearing other people's stories. So where it fit, I wanted to let our experts share personal moments with us. It helps us connect with them on a deeper level. And when we realize a lot of these voices aren't being heard in art galleries, or in the engineering field, it puts a new level of understanding and accountability on ourselves to strive for change.
I pulled a lot of b-roll for this video, and I wanted to make sure I recognized my sources and gave credit where credit is due. Please see my acknowledgements below:
Acknowledgements:
Thank you to Rebekah Sweda, Mutanu Mukeku, Courtney Redding, Robin S., and Jennifer Gillette for providing interviews for this series.
Music by Mottram and Gagne
Stock footage found at Canva.com
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Video References
Adrian Hill, UK founder of Art Therapy by Morgan Bush, Intern | London Art Therapy Centre. (2015, March 23). London Art Therapy Centre | Pioneer House, 46 Britannia St, London WC1X 9JH | +44 20 3489-9192. https://arttherapycentre.com/blog/adr...
Batik in Indonesia | The Batik Guild. (2011). Batikguild.org.uk. https://www.batikguild.org.uk/batik/i...
BBC Archive. (2019). Facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=588...
Bekah Sweda. (2019). Facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/bekah.sweda/...
Cookie Redding / Likes I Love. (2018). Instagram.com. https://www.instagram.com/likesiloves...
Detroit Free Press. (2018). Freep.com. https://www.freep.com/restricted/?ret...
Kathryn McEwen. (2019). Facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/kathryn.mcew...
Mutanu Mukéku. (2016). Facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/mutanumukeku...
The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link. (2019). Facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/nbmtLINK/pho...
National Museum of Women in the Arts. (2020, July 22). NMWA. https://nmwa.org/support/advocacy/get...
U.S. Census Bureau. (2021, January 26). Women Are Nearly Half of U.S. Workforce but Only 27% of STEM Workers. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/storie...
Upcoming:
I updated the outline for Video #1, and I added the outline for Video #2. I ended up interviewing my mom to add to the art therapy conversation. And with Robin's interview, I'm going to have to do a voiceover recap because we encountered a lot of tech issues during our interview. Our primary recording and secondary back up both got messed up. But, I do have notes from the conversation and b-roll she provided. So I plan on using those resources in Video #2.
Video #2 will focus more on the applications of art & science and the different types of problems we can approach holistically. Video #3 will expand on these conversations and more into the future development of these topics. The challenge with Video #2 will be time. There's a lot to say in this video, and I want to make sure it all comes across clearly. There may be some information from Video #2 that finds its way into the beginning of #3.
Thank you in advance for the feedback. I look forward to hearing what you think. Once I hear back, I'll take on more of a social media presence and let people know the first video is up.
PRODUCTION REPORT #7
Video #1 Revisions:
This week I implemented feedback from the first video and made changes. These are the changes I made, which can be seen here:
1) I worked on the audio with noise removal, single-band compression, and a little bit of the parametric EQ per recommendations. I think this second version sounds much better. (Although admittedly, audio has always been my weakness.)
2) I recut Rebekah's interview a little bit, and some of Cookie's to be more concise and less wordy.
3) I added some more music to break up the sections.
4) I took suggestions for the text and expanded the runtime for those cards. I also added some visual graphs.
5) I added B-roll footage of burning old paintings to help further illustrate Cookie's point.
6) I took out the left brain/right brain part. I totally hear the feedback on it, and I don't think it came out right. I just took it all out because it didn't really add anything anyway.
Upcoming:
My first priority was to edit and refine the existing first video. So I was not able to finish video #2, but I plan on releasing it this upcoming week. Yes, it's Thanksgiving week, but I have some extra time I'd like to put aside for this project.
Further Inspiration:
In my interview with Robin, she talked about how the Egyptian Pyramids have served as inspiration to her throughout her career. The design and symbol is something I'm continuing to research, but here are a few fast facts about these structures:
1) "Most of the stone for the Giza pyramids was quarried on the Giza plateau itself. Some of the limestone casing was brought from Tura, across the Nile, and a few of the rooms were cased with granite from Aswan" (Smithsonian Institution).
2) "A number of astronomical observations were used to precisely align its corners with the four cardinal points" (Canadian Museum of History).
3) The pyramids have been long rumored to be a reflection of the stars. Astronomy.com reports, "in the 1980s, a researcher named Robert Bauval came up with a suggestion that has since buried itself in the minds of the public. He pointed out that there are similarities between the layout of the three pyramids of the Giza Complex and the relative separation between the three stars of Orion’s Belt in the constellation Orion" (Betz). However, this theory has been dismissed as a conspiracy.
4) The narrow shafts from the King's Chamber go out to the pyramid's walls. The function of the shafts have been widely debated. "Some experts have suggested they are air shafts. . . Other researchers, however, think these tunnels served as pathways to heaven" (Betz). I would argue for the latter as we see similar practices in Jewish tradition. "According to the Talmud (Genesis Kabbah 100:7), the soul hovers over the body for three days after death" (Jewishfunerals.org). To accommodate the soul's journey after the three days, a small opening was left to let the spirit leave the body.
By Phillip Benshmuel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34183286
Works Cited
Betz, E. (2021, February 26). Are the Egyptian pyramids aligned with the stars? Astronomy.com. https://astronomy.com/news/2021/02/are-the-egyptian-pyramids-aligned-with-the-stars
Canadian Museum of History. Egyptian civilization - Architecture - Pyramid construction. (2021). Historymuseum.ca. https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egca12e.html
The Egyptian Pyramid. (2012). Smithsonian Institution. https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/pyramid
Shemira – Kavod v’Nichum – Jewish Funerals, Burial and Mourning. (2019). Jewish-Funerals.org. https://www.jewish-funerals.org/shemira/
PRODUCTION REPORT #8
Overview:
The second video is complete. I struggled with cleaning up the audio on this one. I may take another crack at it this week, but I think a lot of it has to do with my microphone. Oddly enough, the "voice of god" portions I did on my phone turned out better than the interview audio. Regardless, I think the content in this video is strong and it carries the foundation from Video #1.
I added about a minute more to this video making it 8:55 minutes long. The last one was 7:55 minutes. I think this video deserved more time since we went deeper into specific science/art applications. My intro & conclusion were much shorter this time around.
I have also started posting about the videos on the Instagram account. I wanted to make sure the first video was edited well before I got too vocal about it. @bravelylearning
I pulled a lot of b-roll for this video, and I wanted to make sure I recognized my sources and gave credit where credit is due. Please see my acknowledgements below:
Acknowledgements:
Thank you to Rebekah Sweda, Mutanu Mukeku, Courtney Redding, Robin S., and Jennifer Gillette for providing interviews for this series.
Music Sourced from Audio Network
Stock footage found at Canva.com
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Video References
10 Facts About Guernica by Pablo Picasso. (2021). Pablopicasso.org. https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica...
Adrian Hill: War Sketcher, Art Therapist, Artist - LevineArtStudio. (2020, September 26). LevineArtStudio. http://levineartstudio.com/adrian-hil...
Britannica.com. (2012). https://cdn.britannica.com/26/151526-...
Dolan, E. W. (2021, September 8). Study suggests that prefrontal cortex damage can have a paradoxical effect on rationality. PsyPost; PsyPost. https://www.psypost.org/2021/09/study...
Imgur. (2019). Every Pixels is one animal. The more pixelated the image, the closer it is to extinction. Imgur. https://imgur.com/gallery/NVNsyel
Kain Ramsay. (2019, March 7). The Three Levels of Human Consciousness - Achology - Medium. Medium; Achology. https://medium.com/achology/the-three...
Kinesthetic Learning Style - Houghton College. (2021, March 4). Houghton College. https://www.houghton.edu/current-stud...
Lakenenland - Lakenenland. (2021, September 7). Lakenenland. https://lakenenland.com/
Leonardo On-Line: The Wonderful Cadis Worm. (2021). Leonardo.info. https://leonardo.info/isast/articles/...
O’Malley, I. (2021, October 12). Paint particles are an “abundant” microplastic in the oceans, study finds. Yahoo.com; Yahoo News. https://news.yahoo.com/paint-particle...
Palazzo Grassi. (2013). Hubert Duprat. Palazzo Grassi. https://www.palazzograssi.it/en/artis...
Quilt creators: 5 contemporary quilt artists - TextileArtist.org. (2016, January 28). TextileArtist.org. https://www.textileartist.org/quilt-c...
Rolling, Jr, James. (2014). Artistic Method in Research as a Flexible Architecture for Theory-Building. International Review of Qualitative Research. 7. 161-168. 10.1525/irqr.2014.7.2.161. Using cute animals in pop culture makes public think they’re not endangered – study. 2018, April 13. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environme...
Upcoming:
I ended up writing too much for Video #2, so I actually have a great script for Video #3 that carries really well off of #2. In Video #3, we'll examine more of the famous artistic and scientific masterpieces that have inspired people throughout time. To have that conversation, we'll jump back into the interviews with Cookie and Becca.
Thank you in advance for your feedback!