Event #3

For my third event, I went to the Hammer Museum for the first time. I am ashamed to say that this was my first time visiting the museum even though I live so close to it, but because of this class, I will most definitely be returning. Upon entering, I was fascinated by the red cobweb looking exhibit in the lobby which is shown below. I learned that Chiharu Shiota created the exhibition representing a web of organic forms like veins and fractals. Immediately, I connected this piece with the concepts of class, particularly the biotech portion where we learned about artists that utilized living organisms as inspirations to add to their work. Not only does the concept bridge the science and art gaps, it adds texture and layers to art just like Shiota's Hammer Project. 

A photo I took upon entering Hammer Museum 

My favorite exhibit that I saw was called "The Aphasia Poetry Club," created by Kerry Tribe, a neurotypical artist. The work uses moving image with a three channel video installation to interpret the experience of aphasia, a neurocognitive language disorder associated with traumatic brain injury. While watching the exhibit, there were a series of clips of different things ranging from a cartoon penguin to a computer image of the brain. And while the clips ran, three Aphasia patients narrated what was happening. The patients talked in short and incomplete sentences sometimes describing things incorrectly or using the wrong word choice. After doing more research, I found that in preparation, Tribe attended weekly aphasia support group meetings and was dedicated to learning more about the neurological disorder. The three primary speakers in the exhibit were three of the people she met going to these meetings. Her intentions were to create a body of work that captures the condition of aphasia and use her passion to educate and advocate for those experiencing aphasia. My biggest takeaway from this course is how different mediums, such as science and technology, are used to elevate art and add more meaning to pieces. Like Tribe, I plan to use other medium like technology in my final project to represent people who deserve to be recognized. Tribe is an exquisite example of an artist who used neuroscience and technology in her art not only add meaning to her work but educate viewers of the underrepresented disorder. 

 

Me Posing in Front of "The Aphasia Poetry Club" Exhibit

Citation

“Artist Talk: Kerry Tribe | Hammer Museum.” Hammer Museum, https://hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2023/artist-talk-kerry-tribe. 

Cozzi, Leslie. “Metaphor to Métier: Kerry Tribe’s ‘Aphasia Poetry Club’ and the Discourse of Disability in Contemporary Art.” Arts, vol. 9, no. 2, Apr. 2020, p. 49. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3390/arts9020049.

“The Aphasia Poetry Club (excerpt v2) on Vimeo - Kerry Tribe.” Vimeo, 21 May 2015, Vesna, Victoria. "Part 1." DESMA 9, 5 June 2023, UCLA, Bruinwalk, Unit 6.

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Neuroscience + Art, Neurochemical (Part 3)".  DESMA 9, Web. 5 June 2023, UCLA.

Vesna, Victoria.  Lecture. “Neuroscience + Art, Unconscious Mind/Dreams (Part 2)".  DESMA 9, Web. 5 June 2023, UCLA.