Event Blog 1

My experience at the Eco-Materialism and Contemporary Art symposium with Terrence Koh was interesting to say the least. Coming in, I didn't really know what to expect; as our speaker was a little late, we had a guest lecture with Linda Weintraub, connecting different mentalities towards art to the different modes of change relative to genes, which I found very intriguing. Homeostasis, evolution, and mutations are prominent in every day change, and it is up to us on what we strive to be. With eco-materialism, it is almost like mutations, coming out of nowhere, yet opening many new opportunities, redefining what one perceives as art. It was a change of pace, and relevant to the material to witness an artist connect the culture with such profound knowledge of both the scientific systems, and of how contemporary art was evolving.

Example of Terence Koh's Bee Artwork

A fragment of a beehive,
passed around during the
exhibit

From Terrence Koh, rather than focusing on specific systems, of evolution, or of attitudes towards the changing of art, I received a reminder of how intertwined the world was. He spoke of people forgetting how we are part of the universe, with particles vibrating, how we don't stop long enough to remind ourselves of the now, and either dwell on the past or rush into the future. As people, we do not recognize connection, or feel it, perhaps contributing to explanations on how the two cultures have seemed to diverge to the extent in which they have today. He specialized in artwork with bees, speaking of bee chapels which seemed to emanate this ideal; as people would feel the humming of the bees around them, they get to really delve into the now, and feel all of the connections to their surrounding, something in which people do not indulge themselves today in such a fast-paced society.

Photo evidence of me at
the sign in desk!

That seems to be what this class is about, connecting systems to a visual representation in which it can become even more appreciated, turning the practical into the beautiful.