Event 2: UCLA Meteorite Collection

 I visited the UCLA Meteorite Collection (which I didn’t know existed until now – my last quarter at UCLA!) this afternoon and studied the history of the displayed meteorites. Each display was on a different type of meteorite, and some displays were highlighted meteorites that were borrowed from other renowned institutions.

Walking through the gallery, I thought about the nature of meteorites and how these artifacts are completely unknown and invisible to scientists until they come into existence. Only when these meteors fall to earth are scientists able to study the specimens more closely. The study of these artifacts allows artists and scientists alike to consider a wider range of mediums that art can exist on, especially regarding sculptures or larger art collections.

This gallery reminded me of the rise of robotics and art. That intersection came about with the rise of industrialization, which is something that was unprecedented and a foreign concept to artists; they were unaware of the applications of industrialization on art. Similarly, although these meteorites are foreign to many, I can foresee the use of meteorites or alien objects in artistic expression. The meteorite gallery opened my eyes to see the possibility of foreign pieces in art, and leads me to consider this current age as the beginning of an exciting new era of art and science.