Week 1: Two Cultures

As a Psychology student, I have studied within the realms of both science and art. I have always believed that these “two cultures” should overlap through collaboration despite immediate differences. C.P Snow pioneered the notion of "two cultures"one consisting of literary intellectuals and the other consisting of scientists.  I was able to resonate with Snow's ideas through my experiences and also share the fear of crystallizing the divide.
north_vs_south_campus_ucla_by_silverwing1310-d3ava6y.jpg
Image 1: UCLA South Campus major (left)North Campus major (right).
At UCLA, there is a large difference in the gap of collaboration between those of scientific disciplines versus those of art and humanities disciplines compared to the outside world. UCLA’s campus is physically divided into North Campus, consisting of arts and humanities majors, and South Campus, consisting of science and technology majors.
This physical divide leads to an educational and social divide amongst students. Science majors mostly collaborate with fellow science students and art while humanities majors collaborate with their fellow students.  The divide leaves minimal chance for collaboration. The gap is progressively closing in the outside world, but it is "not a 2-way street" according to Wilson. "The influence has not been symmetrical."
Image 2: Science and Art Intertwine
Wilson refers to the notion that art often has less of an influence on science and technology, than science and technology has on art. That being said, in our modern society, it can be argued that one may not exist without the other.
There's a lot to be said for a desired collaboration between the two cultures. As Bohm beautifully put, that those from all walks of life, "feel a fundamental need to discover and create something new that is whole and total, harmonious and beautiful."
Image 3: Art Inspired by Technology
The emergence of the third culture, technology, has opened many doors toward feasible collaboration. Vesna, touched on how technological advancements have opened a new genre to art and many artists are "inspired by the exciting innovations and discoveries..."  Technology manifested from art and science and as Kelly explained, "technology generates opportunities: new things to explain; new ways of expression..." In my opinion, this does not mean to forget about art and science simply because technology is newer, but rather utilize technology for enhancements in art and science.




References:
Bohm, D. 1968. On Creativity. Leonardo. Vol 1(2). 137-149. Print.
Kelly, K. (1998). The Third Culture. Science. Vol 279(5353). 992-993. doi. 10.1126/science.279.5353.992
Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. 2001. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34(2).121-125. Print.
Wilson, Stephen D. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” College Art Association Meetings. New York, New York, 2000. Print
Image 1: Daily Bruin 03/03/2011.
Image 2: https://autogrow.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/4.jpeg
Image 3: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/f9/9b/05/f99b05573abc07679894d999ca00bcac.jpg




Comments

  1. UnknownApril 10, 2017 at 4:15 PM

    Danielle,
    Your inclusion of Wilson's observation that science and technology often have more effect on art than art on science made me consider something I hadn't previously thought of. I agree that science has more effect on art when I imagine modern art exhibitions that incorporate robotics, light shows, or other technology. But I also think it's interesting that, at least in my experience, movies seem to shy away from incorporating much technology into the storyline. Unless it is a movie that uses technology such as texting, snapchatting, online messaging, etc. as a major plot point, I believe movies leave out how much texting is used in real life relationships. This makes sense because a movie all about someone's text conversations would be boring.
    Therefore, I think science and technology is incorporated into certain types of art but purposefully left out of others.

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