Event 1 - Discovery Science Center

For my first event, I decided to pay a visit to the Discovery Science Center. Although this place was designed to expose young children to science, I was surprised by how much I was able to take away from this experience. Almost everything that I had a chance to look at directly tied art and science together. The DSC was currently running a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit; it showed replicas of many of his achievements in all areas of the arts and sciences. I was pleased to find many displays of the concepts we have learned in DESMA 9. There was a large projection of the Vitruvian Man with an explanation of the golden ratio and the important role it plays it aesthetics of artwork. Correct proportions are so integral yet so subtle that most of the time, we do not even give it any attention.

Vitruvian Man

Another part of the exhibit explored the history of the Mona Lisa; it may appear to a be a simple portrait but it was clearly very carefully designed and was painted in layers. Over the centuries, it has undergone many restorations and there are many subtle changes to the piece of art since it was originally painted many years ago. The actual masterpiece can be seen at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Da Vince also spent a great deal of time in exploring the human anatomy. He made many drawings of the skeletal system and the muscles of the body. His work lay the foundation for the book known as Grey's Anatomy. We have learned from this class that human anatomy is an integral concept for artists; it has given us many insights and inspiration for new technology in all sorts of fields.

                               Mona Lisa Replica                                      Anatomical Drawings

In other parts of the museum, I saw many connections between art and space, a currently growing aspect of our own modern day society. There was a replica of the Mars Rover and interactive display that allows visitors to explore what the surface of Mars might look like. One of the coolest things I saw at the DSC was a stringless harp. It was designed so that sound could be produced when your fingers triggered the sensors on the harp. I was quite amazed that this is the kind of technology that we are capable of producing today. It was the perfect example of art and science all in one. Overall, I truly enjoyed my visit to the Discovery Science Center. It's the perfect place to see how art and science can connect at both the simplest to the most complex levels. It really helped to solidify my understanding of the many concepts that we have covered in this class and has really broadened my interest in this ever expanding field. I would highly recommend making a visit here; it was more eye-opening than I could have imagined.

Proof of Attendance