Event Blog #2: LightFest FIAT LUX

 Event #2: LightFest FIAT LUX

For my second event, I attended the LightFest event called FIAT LUX. When I got there, I saw a laser and a projection of plants. Additionally, there was calming yet complex music playing in the background. Upon entry to the building, I was given a pair of green flimsy glasses that made the colors of the laser more vibrant and added color. When I entered the room with the laser, there were more glasses that had more structure and were dark. These glasses eliminated a lot of the color, making the room appear darker, and giving focus to one color. 

The flimsy glasses and the way the lasers appeared with them on (photos are my own)

Dark glasses and the way the laser appeared with them on (photos are my own)

After observing the laser change for a while, the professor explained that the plants shown on the projector were imaged by an advanced visualization lab. These plants were healing plants, such as mint and lavender. She then went on to explain that the images were triggered by lasers. Therefore, everytime the lasers switched, it changed the images. The important thing to note was that the images were imaged with a lab, so the lasers don’t produce the images. Instead, the lasers allow us to see the images. When the laser hits the water, the image appears, and when the laser hits again, the image changes. 

The laser and image of the plant on the projector without any glasses on (image is my own)

This is very related to the concepts we have learned throughout this class because it effectively combines art and science. It dives into the “third culture,” combining art and science to produce something. The images of the plants can be considered an art, and they were created with science. Additionally, the combination of the images and lasers, which can both be considered art, with the programming of changing the images with the lasers, which can be considered science, further demonstrates this third culture.

Although many people view the arts and sciences as two completely separate categories, they can often overlap to create something complex and better than only using one of the two disciplines, such as this LightFest event. When art and science are not treated as two separate principles, it allows us to advance in ways that we never would be able to without combining the disciplines.

Works Cited

“LightFest.” UCLA ArtSci, 2024, https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?e=__test_email__&u=9baf6baeafa7dd6c42a6db349&id=5b54b156bb. Accessed 18 May 2024.

Paschotta, Rüdiger. “Laser Glasses; solid-state laser, gain media.” RP Photonics, https://www.rp-photonics.com/laser_glasses.html. Accessed 18 May 2024.

Snow, CP. “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/students/envs_5110/snow_1959.pdf. Accessed 18 May 2024.

Vesna, Victoria. “TwoCultures part1.” YouTube, 30 March 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNI7dF3DIAM. Accessed 18 May 2024.