I attended another LASER this quarter that not only was more interesting in regards to the different art projects presented, but there were a lot more speakers as well. In addition, most, if not all of the projects, were new in the presentation. The artist who developed the “Infinity” art l sci exhibit for the week also presented his project. This was one of the projects that interested me the most because I spent about 2-4 years working with infinity in homework problems and learning it in class, but did not really imagine it as a physical entity.

Splicing Boundaries: The Experiences of Bioart Exhibition Visitors

by W o l f g a n g K e rb e & M ark u s S c h m i d t

http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/LEON_a_00701

When I think of a snake, I think “slither.” Snakes have been commonly associated with a slithery, sly, cunning kind of character in pop culture and western media. This harkens back to the old biblical tale of how the snake corrupted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. As seen in the picture below, the snake in western culture has long been associated with evil. 

Photo: genius.com

Ox is a castrated male adult cattle used commonly in agriculture for plowing, pulling cart or hauling wagons. Ox is also used for transporting and power supplying source. Cow (female) and bull (intact male) are also used in agriculture and food industry.

My assigned zodiac animal is the rooster, which is very fitting since the majority of us are roosters in the Chinese zodiac. A rooster is the term for an adult male chicken and can be found in every continent in the world except Antarctica. A female chicken is called a hen. Chickens only display changes in gender after 6 months of age.

I'm so surprised that the class focuses on the Chinese zodiac, as a lot of Chinese people nowadays have already forgotten the purpose/ origins of these traditions. Being an international student from China, I have mixed cultural impacts within me but still during this research, I was able to learn so much about sheep and things that I didn't know about Chinese zodiac. It has always been interesting comparing and contrasting the differences between the backgrounds of these animal symbols. 

            I have been so excited to write this blog post. I love horses! Actually, that is an understatement. Horses have had a huge impact on my life. While I never had my own horse, My K-12 upbringing was spent training, riding and taking care of other peoples beloved 4-legged companions. And yes, I call them companions, not pets. Throughout the cultures of the world horses are revered for their central role in the human experience.

I was able to attend the LASER symposium on May 21st! I enjoyed all the TED-style talks where each presenter had around 5 minutes to showcase their research topics. I heard about Robert Gero's Infinitely Changing space, in which he developed his philosophical idea of creating a constantly changing internal space but stable exterior structure. Many of the computer generated imaged he displayed reminded me of illusion and the movie, Inception.

Ever since childhood, I have always been fascinated by tigers. When I think of a tiger, I think exotic. I imagine this beautifully striped creature prowling through jungles untouched by man. The exoticism of tigers tied well into the artistic ideals of the Romantic period, as demonstrated by Eugène Delacroix’s Royal Tiger. The lithograph certainly evokes strong feeling, though it is difficult for me to ascribe a name for it.

When I think of a rat, I think of experiments. Rats and mice are widely used in scientific research, including in research models, in clinical research for testing new drugs, and in psychology studies for learning and memory tests.

Although as a 1994 baby, I was technically born during the year of the dog, for our intents and purposes, I will pretend to be a rabbit!

“When I think of a rabbit, I think of timidness.”

Over the last two weeks, I have been closely watching my jar of fermenting cabbage, radishes, garlic, Asian pear, and carrots. Within a day, the juices from my concoction had already began to spill out from the top. I could even see the air bubbles racing to top of the jar. Surprisingly, the smell hasn’t been overwhelmingly disgusting. It’s noticeable, but subtle.

I realize it’s been a while since the Kathy High event some of us attended, but I think it works out that I am only just now blogging about it. Much of her lecture had focused on genetic manipulation, which ties perfectly into our recent discussion of hox genes.

The art talk by Leila Nadir and Cary Peppermint was a nice supplement to the OS fermentation workshop. It deepened the meaning behind the process of creating our own ferment, while introducing several new ideas and perspectives on food.