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Fowler Out Loud, a series for musically-performing students, puts on evening concerts for the public to attend. I visited a series that featured Jungle Rhythm, a band that incorporates Jazz, Latin, and Hip-Hop genres into their music. The content of Jungle Rhythm's music comes as diverse as their genres, spanning topics such as immigration, economic struggle, and dysfunctional love affairs. I found the music to be quite engaging, in that it was sporadic at times, yet soothing and playful, and even serious in the topics discussed. Jungle Rhythm at Fowler Museum I can evidently see the relationship between technology and art in this concert setting. For instance, the bass played by the singer, the microphone, and the piano are all electrically-infused mechanisms. Even the cymbals of the drums can be seen as parts machined from an industrial setting. The engineering of such complex instruments stems from a group of people who are passionate about both music and technology; a gr...

The use of mechanics and computers has enabled society to establish organized methods for quick, efficient production of products and transfer of information. Robotics has especially had a significant influence in culture for both practical use and artistic pleasure. Machiko Kusahara, a professor at Waseda University, highlights this within her home culture in Japan. One example is Astro Boy, a robotic character featured in manga and animation communities and who encourages fans to view robots as personal friends instead of mindless machines. Astro Boy Dennis Hong, a professor at UCLA who runs a robotic lab, illustrates how implementing life-like features into a robot can be practical for design. As a Mechanical Engineering student at UCLA, I have noted that many successful robots in the field have been influenced by animals, humans, and nature alike. It would not be so far-fetched to further develop the idea of a robotic friend. Dennis Hong Sharing Ice Cream with a Robot ...

Richard Buckminster Fuller believed that there exists a genius inside every individual (Vesna Lecture). Living as an engineer, architect, poet, environmentalist, and much more, Fuller juxtaposed science and art in his work and teachings. Mathematics has significantly made its appearance through various artistic forms. In some of M.C. Escher's artwork, for example, the influence of geometric shapes is evident. By combining and intersecting various shapes together, an intriguing visual is produced, all thanks to Escher's interest of and knowledge in geometry. Three Intersecting Planes by M.C. Escher https://curiator.com/art/m-c-escher/three-intersecting-planes Another artist influenced by the studies of math is Leonardo Da Vinci, who drew sketch shown below, known as an iconic symbol of both math and art. Some mathematical concepts that likely influenced Da Vinci include linear perspective, symmetry, the golden ratio, and geometric shape. In the drawing, one can note the ...

I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Bill Fontana on Acoustical Visions. The presentation supported the relationship that can exist between an image and its vibration sound. The purpose is to introduce new perspectives on the things that we see on a day-to-day basis by listening to the sounds that we actually miss due to our limited hearing abilities as humans. Photo with Bill Fontana In his work, Bill uses a seismic accelerometer to capture the microvibrations of a given element. From bridges, to bells, to water, and even sculptures that he comes across, Bill readily analyzes various structures and accompanies the recorded sound with images or video. The technology in which Bill utilizes to create this art is actually very reflective of the work that I have come across in my Mechanical Engineering courses. Comparing the seismic accelerometer photo with my lecture notes from my dynamic systems and feedback course, I notice the close relationship between my studies...

I am both an artist and an engineer. As a Mechanical Engineering student at UCLA, I am drawn towards physics, computer science, math, and everything in-between. When I am free from problem sets and design projects, I enjoy 3D-printing trinkets and assembling pieces of jewelry. One day I aspire to be an engineer immersed in product design, though I cannot imagine getting there without some artistic, creative fun. For everyday consumer product design, I actually see a growing need for practical, intelligent, and attractive solutions. Take some left-brained people and gather some right-brained people to collaborate together and just imagine how much more distance is covered when a project finally veers straight. Left vs Right Brain https://mc2.bid4papers.com/blog/8-ways-left-brain-thinkers-boost-creativity/ In the RSA video about changing education paradigms, I found it so true that education systems are completely missing opportunities to better-engage students (The RSA). Crea...