TWO CULTURES

As an Asian woman, I was taught that the arts and sciences were two separate worlds, and children were pushed to pursue careers in STEM fields. Hareed exclaims that “many believe the Arts have little to no positive contribution towards society,” and this and the argument that arts don’t bring steady income were something instilled in me. I developed a love for the film industry, especially editing, that I considered majoring in film, but chose psychobiology not just to “preserve” my passion by not turning it into a career, but thought that I could only have one.

UCLA campus map

I spent years isolated in the “south campus bubble” and rarely saw the other side as the division between these two, as discussed in Professor Vesna’s lecture, is apparent through the locations of each subject. The physical distance between these sides was discouraging for me as a person with a weaker lung capacity, so I limited myself to staying on one side. Similar sentiments of isolation were shared by other students, according to an article by Justin Jung.

An edit of mine made in 202

I eventually learned about the film minor. I’m a video editor, and my minor cultivated this hobby. It started merely as something I was curious about to something that I know how to navigate in my own developed ways. 

Mathematics in Finding Nemo

I find myself competent when it comes to mathematics. In my first years of editing, I blindly followed tutorials to achieve the transitions without learning the “why.” I found that my competence in mathematics helped me in my editing process. Pixar movies, for example, use algebra, calculus, and trigonometry to create their animations. I implemented this scientific knowledge into my editing to create something new.

Part of an introduction of my unfinished work

As Bohm stated, “a somewhat higher level of perception occurs when one thinks of a past order and structure that is not commonly associated with the observed set of differences.”

Above, I wanted “judge” to be written slowly at the beginning, faster towards the middle, and then back to a slow speed again. This would’ve been a challenge before, but I realized that my keyframes could flow like a velocity graph that I spent years learning in math and physics classes. I looked beyond the rules of editing and ventured into other fields to create my new method and perception.

As someone who has personally experienced the pressure to choose between science and art, I hope that future generations won't face the same limitations. I believe that encouraging young people to pursue both fields, through what Snow described as “rethinking our education,” will lead to exciting innovations and breakthroughs that could change the world.

Sources:

Text:

Bohm, David. “On Creativity.” 2004, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203822913. 

Carmody, Tim. “Pixar's Senior Scientist Explains How Math Makes the Movies and Games We Love.” The Verge, The Verge, 7 Mar. 2013, https://www.theverge.com/2013/3/7/4074956/pixar-senior-scientist-derose-explains-how-math-makes-movies-games. 

Hareed, Himaya. “The Stem vs. Humanities Discourse in South-Asian Cultures.” Reclamation Magazine, 7 Dec. 2018, https://reclamationmagazine.com/2018/12/07/the-stem-vs-humanities-discourse-in-south-asian-cultures/. 

Jung, Justin. “A Campus Divided.” PRIME, https://prime.dailybruin.com/justinnorth&southcampus. 

Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge University Press. 1961.

Vesna, Victoria. “Two Cultures.” DESMA9. https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/160989/pages/week-1-lectures?module_item_id=5946318. Accessed 7 April 2023.

Images:

“Mathematics in Finding Nemo.” AMSI Schools, 20 Nov. 2014, https://schools.amsi.org.au/2014/11/20/pixar-perfect-mathematics-animation/. Accessed 7 Apr. 2023. 

Hall, Liz. “UCLA Campus Map.” Flicker, 10 Oct. 2009, https://www.flickr.com/photos/pr0digie/4038469099. Accessed 7 Apr. 2023. 

Winzel Payumo. “TWICE | Yes Indeed.” YouTube, 28 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGSew9STVlk.