John Milinovich - Week 10 - We Are Not Alone...

Ever since the prospect of space travel has graced the pages of science fiction novels and comic books, people have tried to put a face to the mystery that they associate with the unknown universe. This is where the idea of extra-terrestrials, or life forms from another planet, enter the picture.

The idea of the alien, or extra-terrestrial, has been associated with the mystery and horror that exists in that which we do not fully understand. While the frontiers of space are more accessible than ever before, space exploration has a sort of chain reaction effect: the more we know, the more we realize that we do not and potentially cannot know. This idea is not acceptable in our culture, so people try to put images to the disembodied ideas that we have conceived.

Popular culture is inundated with references to aliens, whether they be evil or peaceful and has been as such since the early fifties, when the idea of space travel was first conceived as possible. Mankind is not fundamentally wired to accept that there may in fact be some other life form that exists independently from us, whether it be "in a galaxy far, far away" or even within our own solar system. The simple fact is, people fear that which they cannot control, and the belief that other-worldy bodies not only exist but are ready to attack us at any moment is threatening to the basic foundation and principles by which our culture functions.

The modern image of the alien is amusing and egotistic and describes a whole mess of how humans view the world around them. The traditional image of the alien (as seen above) portrays a short-statured creature with green skin, no hair, long arms, large, black eyes, no nose and a small mouth. These lifeforms share a great deal of characteristics with humans but they generally have some sort of powers - whether it be the healing finger of E.T. or the over-exaggerated brain power of those which appear in The Simpsons and other movies or TV Shows. All of the aliens also seem to have some sort of infatuation with the human anatomy and they often engage in activities such as anal probing and dissection.

At this point in our scientific knowledge and discovery, there really is no way to know whether there are actually other life forms in the universe. It would be arrogant to think that the (non-religious) idea that the way the earth and its inhabitants were conceived was a miracle only possible and that only occurred in one place in the infinite regions that make up the infinite abyss. Regardless of what science may prove, however, the idea of the other-worldy lifeform will continue to be a major focal point of our culture.

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John Milinovich - Week 9 - Thinkers Who Preceeded their Time

Often times, the scientific claims made by thinkers of the day seem ostensibly far fetched and unreasonable. Unfortunately, such is often the case with some of the greatest thinkers and their inventions when they come before their time. The best examples of this would clearly be Nikola Tesla and, to some extent, Buckminster Fuller.

























Nikola Tesla has been credited as being the father of the 20th century - he has developed the products or the technology behind the products that people use every day and do not think twice about. Among these were Alternating Current electrical outlets and the field of electromagnetics. His ideas were not all as well-received as these were, however - many of his ideas and theories were written off as the babble of a mad scientist.

The best example of the "nutty professor" would have to be the idea of Tesla's 'peace ray,' which is basically a cannon which shoots millions of volts of electricity into a given victim. Needless to say, this idea was (and to some extent, still remains) ridiculous. I happen to know, however, that scientists have recently developed the technology to make such a device possible. I know this because the company is owned by my cousin.

The most difficult part of Tesla's vision to implement was undoubtedly the technology to amplify a normal electrical current to the magnitude necessary for Tesla's invention. Commonly referred to as the Tesla Coil, the only thing that kept his notion from becoming reality was the technology to amplify a normal current. Now that this technology exists, I am sure that all of the disbelievers have their metaphorical tails between their legs...


While not to the extreme that Tesla's ideas were received, Buckminster Fuller's outrageous and quite sci-fi architectural structures were too advanced for their time. Only now do we know that such structures as his geodesic dome are actually found at the most minute of levels - The atomic structure of many carbon molecules (aptly names Fullerines) pattern the structures that Fuller created decades before.


If anything can be taken from the ostracism received by Tesla and Fuller, it is just that sometimes people are ahead of their times. Ideas may seem far fetched today, but in the future they may come to become a stark reality.

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John Milinovich - Week 8 - Transgenic Art

This week's subject matter really piqued my interests. I have always considered myself to have a scientifically-oriented mind, and it was a relief to see a crossover into this class of a subject I am familiar with: genetics and animal hybrids.

The picture above emerged on the internet about two years ago of some of the earliest "artistic" transgenic animals. In the case of these genetically altered mice, the gene that codes for the protein (GFP protein) that makes jellyfish glow was inserted into their makeup via a DNA retrovirus. Without going into too much detail, the synthetic viruses infected the mice by altering its DNA. If all goes as planned (as in this picture), the result is a mice capable of creating glowing progeny.

Odd experiments such as this are greatly helping the frontier of new medicine by allowing scientists to test and observe new methods of disease treatment. Such technologies, when perfected, could lead to the prospect of a cure for diseases such as cancer. I am all for these experiments in the name of scientific enlightenment, but when this "transgenic art" crosses over into popular culture and media to become the next big thing in the arts scene I find it unacceptable.

Scientific experiments should exist and take place in laboratories and stay there - far, far away from the art world. When the GFP Bunny (shown, left) hit the mainstream, it became the next big thing. Soon enough, its pictures were plastered all over the walls of popular art galleries. Has the modern scientist taken the role of the modern artist, or have the two merely became on in the same? It is my belief that there is such a thing as the scientific artist, but he does not have to work in the labs modifying DNA do become such. More 'traditional' (it is interesting that I find myself using this term) scientific artists like Casey Reas and Stelarc are still incorporating scientific practice into their work but they are not messing with nature's natural order.

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Week 5 Section 1: The Body 2.0

Since the beginning of time, humans have had the desire to become something better than themselves. Whether they discern "better" to be bigger, stronger, faster or smarter, the prospect of human improvement is closer than ever before. Science and technology are progressing at such a pace that new self-improvements are available at an incredible rate. Gene therapy, while still in its infancy, promises betterment at the cellular level, changing the way our bodies interact with the world around us. Artists, scientists and cultural critics alike are finding different ways to express their uncertainties and criticisms of these new ways of doing things. Among these critics, Stelarc is one of the most well known.

Stelarc is fundamentally a futurist whose performances deal with the technologies of tomorrow, generally based around his belief that the body is obsolete. On his website, it is proclaimed that his

"work explores and extends the concept of the body and its relationship with technology through human-machine interfaces incorporating medical imaging, prosthetics, robotics, VR systems and the internet. The interest is in alternate, intimate and involuntary experiences.

Bodies are both Zombies and Cyborgs. We have never had a mind of our own and we perform involuntarily conditioned and externally prompted. Ever since we evolved as hominids and developed bipedal locomotion, two limbs became manipulators and we constructed artifacts, instruments and machines. In other words we have always been coupled with technology. We have always been prosthetic bodies. We fear the involuntary and we are becoming increasingly automated and extended. But we fear what we have always been and what we have already become - Zombies and Cyborgs."

While Stelarc's performances and views certainly represent an extreme perspective on the future of the human body, or the "Body 2.0," he presents valid ideas and ultimately, criticisms, of what the human body has become and where it could go. His projects are controversial and at times offensive - Stelarc truly follows through in his preaching that, "the body is obsolete." Several of the projects which he has spearheaded show utter disregard for our physical selves and can be disturbing. It is not uncommon for the casual observer to fully comprehend what Stelarc is trying to express with his or her first glance; it takes multiple exposures and lots of critical thinking to get to the core of Stelarc's arguments.

Regardless of one's opinions of Stelarc and his predecessor's works, the message that they are attempting to convey is valid and ultimately applicable to everyone from all walks of life.

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