Viewing Space: by Ruth West

Reflected here is my ongoing exploration of the hybrid space = science + art.

Biography

Ruth West is an artist with background as a molecular genetics researcher. Her work explores the relationship between and genetics and culture, within the broader framework of the interrelationships of artistic and scientific practice. Working in predominantly computer-based media, she is also self-taught as a painter. She received her MFA in Design | Media Arts at the UCLA School of the Arts. Her work has been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, Genomics, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and has been featured in publications such as Artweek , Genome News Network and The Scientist. She conceived the seminar, "Genetics and Culture: From Molecular Music to Transgenic Art" at UCLA where she lectures in the Department of Design | Media Arts. Ms. West is a Research Associate at the UC San Diego Center for Research in Computing and the Arts, and founder of “in silico v1.0” a trans-disciplinary collaborative producing works at the intersection art, science and emerging technology.

e-mail

Publications

Molecular Definition of a Region of Chromosome 21 that Causes Features of the Down Syndrome Phenotype
J.R. Korenberg, H. Kawashima, S.M. Pulst, T. Ikeuchi, N. Ogasawara, K. Yamamoto, S.A. Schonberg, R. West, L. Allen, E. Magenis, K. Ikawa, N. Taniguchi, and C. J. Epstein.
American Journal of Human Genetics
Vol. 47, pp236-246, 1990.

The Alzheimer Amyloid Precursor Protein maps to Human Chromosome 21 Bands q21.105 - q21.05
J.R. Korenberg, S.M. Pulst, R.L. Neve, R. West
Genomics
Vol. 5, pp124-127, 1989.

Human Apolipoprotein B: Identification of cDNA Clones and Characterization of mRNA
M. Mehrabian, V.N. Schumaker, G.C. Fareed, R. West, D.F. Johnson, T. Kirschgessner, H. Lin, X. Wang, Y. Ma, E. Mendiaz, and A. J. Lusis
Nucleic Acids Research
Vol. 13, pp6937-6953, 1985.

Cloning and Expression of Apolipoprotein B, the Major Protein of Low and Very Low Density Lipoproteins
A.J. Lusis, R. West, M. Mehrabian, M.A. Reuben, R.C. Le Bouef, J.S. Kapstein, D.F. Johnson, V.N. Schumaker, M.P. Yuhasz, M.C. Schotz, and J. Elovson
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA
Vol. 82, pp4597-4601, 1985.

Conference Presentations/Abstracts

in silico v1.0: A Discovery Based Model For Art-Science Collaboration
Ruth G. West, Jeff Burke, Cheryl Kerfeld, Eitan Mendelowitz, JP Lewis, Tom Holton, Ethan Drucker, Weihong Yan

College Art Association, Annual Conference, 2004 - in preparation.

Making Meaning from Science - invited presenter
Carbon Versus Silicon: Thinking Small/ Thinking Fast
Banff New Media Institute, The Banff Center
August 7 - 10, 2003

DNA Dice and Origami Bases: A Genetics and Culture Curriculum
R. West
Presented at: ASCI Art & Science Collaboration Symposium, New York, NY, December 2002
http://www.asci.org

Addressing Cultural Diversity: A Model For Interpreter Services
R. West
Presented at the annual meeting of the American Hospital Association
Society For Ambulatory Care Professionals, Baltimore, Maryland, May 1995

Physical Mapping of DNA Sequences Linked to Familial Alzheimer Disease
J. R. Korenberg, S. M. Pulst, R. West, T. Kojis
Presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology
April, 1989

Familial Down Syndrome With Normal Karyotype: Molecular Definition of the Region
J.R. Korenberg, S.M. Pulst, H. Kawashima, T. Ikeuchi, K. Yamamoto, N. Ogasawara, S.A. Schonberg, R. West, T. Kojis, and C. J. Epstein.
Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics
New Orleans, 1988
American Journal Of Human Genetics 43:A110, 1988

Chromosome 21 Physical Map: Familial Alzheimer-linked DNA Sequences Cluster in
a Probable Hot Spot of Recombination
S.M. Pulst, J.R. Korenberg, T. Pribyl, G.S. Steward, R.E. Tanzi, C. Van Broekhoven, R. West, and T. Kojis
American Journal of Human Genetics 43:A156, 1988

The Alzheimer Precursor Protein Gene maps to Chromosome 21 sub-bands q21.15 - q21.2
J. R. Korenberg, S. M. Pulst, R. West
Presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurology
April 1988

Down Syndrome With Normal Chromosomes: The Genes for Superoxide Dismutase and the Amyloid Precursor Protein Are Not Duplicated
J.R. Korenberg, S.M. Pulst, H. Kawashima, T. Ikeuchi, K. Yamamoto, R. West, S.A. Schonberg, and C. J. Epstein.
Presented at the annual meeting of the American Federation for Clinical Research.
Washington, D.C., April 29 to May 2, 1988,
Clinical Research 36:404A, 1988.

Regulation of Apolipoprotein E Gene Expression in the Mouse
A.J. Lusis, K. Reue, L. Metza, R. West, and R.C. LeBoeuf
Presented at: American Society of Biological Chemists, St. Louis, Missouri, June 6, 1984.

Cloning and Expression of Apolipoprotein B, the Major Protein of Low and Very Low Density Lipoproteins
A.J. Lusis, R. West, M. Mehrabian, MA Reuben, R.C. Le Bouef, J.S. Kapstein, D.F. Johnson, V.N. Schumaker, M.P. Yuhasz, M.C. Schotz, and J. Elovson
Presented at the annual meeting of the Federation of American Scientists and Experimental Biologists
Anaheim, California, April 21-26, 1985.

Bibliography

Genomic Pictograms
Birgit Reinert, The Genome News Network, November 26, 2003
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/11_03/genomic_pictograms.shtml

Tracing Out a Scientific Discovery
Harold Lee, The Daily Bruin, (front page story), November 10, 2003

Skinny Dipping in the Gene Pool
Birgit Reinert
The Genome News Network, April 4, 2003
The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG)
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/04_03/gene_poolart.shtml

Scientists Create Bonds With Artists
Michael J. Felton and Rachel A. Petkewich
Analytical Chemistry Journal, April 1, 2003

Quand la génétique devient un outil artistique
Nicolas Ritoux, La Presse, Actuel, vendredi 21 février 2003, p. B1
Also online at: www.cyberpresse.ca

Media Arts @ Science: Towards a Collaborative Culture
Susan Martin, UCLA Arts & Architecture, Volume 6 No. 1, Fall 2002.

Bioscience Moves into Galleries as Bioart
Hal Cohen, The Scientist, November 11, 2002.

Artists Map the Human Genome
Charlene Roth, Artweek, V. 33 No. 8, October 2002.

Digital Arts: The Evolution of A Discipline
Fernando Quintero, UC TltC, March 2002
http:// www.uctltc.org/news/2002/03/feature.html

Graduate Profile: Ruth West
Jacqueline Tasch, UCLA Graduate Student Quarterly, Spring 2002.

Talks

Cyberspace: A Workshop on Playing, Gaming and Learning
University of California, Los Angeles
January 23, 2004 (Invited presenter)

Informatics Tools for Scientific Discovery and Collaboration
University of Illinois at Chicago
September 3-5, 2003, (Invited presenter)

Carbon Versus Silicon: Thinking Small/ Thinking Fast
Banff New Media Institute, The Banff Center
August 7 - 10, 2003, (Invited presenter)

Working with Wetware
Darwin Centre, Natural History Museum, London UK
Arts Catalyst, UK
Invited speaker.
June 20, 2003

Genetics and Culture
(Panel Respondent)
Symposium sponsored by s.i.n.a.p.s.e. and UCLA Design|Media Arts
March, 8, 2002

In Our Image: Extreme Genetics
(Presenter and Panel moderator)
Rhizome.LA
May 12, 2002

http://rhizome.org/events/rhizome_la_may.php3

http://www.rhizome.org/la

Exhibitions/Installations

2003

Ecce Homology
Within: From the Verandah: Art Presence and Buddhism
UCLA Fowler Museum
November 6, 2003 - January 4, 2004

Muddy Robe
Performance with Hirokazu Kosaka, Oguri, Nathan Birnbaum
UCLA Fowler Museum
October 25, 2003

2002

The Trajectory of Forgetting
Last: MFA showing
UCLA New Wight Gallery
June 2002

Time Forms
Center for Research in Computing and the Arts
http://www-crca.ucsd.edu/

Presented: Stars and timeⁿ = inspiration²

2001

Fusion 01
timeⁿ = inspiration²
In collaboration with Ingo Tributh
http://www.viewingspace.com/timeshop/
Los Angeles, Weimar, Sydney, June 7 - 10, 2001
http://www.uni-weimar.de/~fusion
http://eda.ucla.edu/fusion01
http://www.cofa.unsw.edu.au

A Portrayal of Women: Different Mediums, Contemporary Views
"Light"
Interactive video installation
UCLA Honors Collegium, May 30, 2001

Telematic Connections: The Virtual Embrace
San Francisco Art Institute, California, February 7 - March 25, 2001
Interface design and web authoring for "Community of People with No Time (NOTIME)" conceived by Victoria Vesna, Gerald de Jong and David Beaudry. This is a traveling exhibition and ongoing project. (http://notime.arts.ucla.edu)

Recombinant-interactive painting installation of "Twelve- Blue"
Los Angeles, California, Private Collection

2000

Recombinant-interactive painting installation of "The Gift"
Santa Barbara, California, Private Collection

1999

20th Anniversary, Group Exhibition
The Rose, Venice CA

1998

Seeing as Touch, Solo Exhibition
The Rose, Venice CA

1995

Recombinant-interactive painting installation
American Society for Human Genetics, Minneapolis - St. Paul

Awards

Media Arts Fellowship – Nominee – application in process, 2003
The Program for Media Artists/Rockefeller Foundation
Graduate Recognition Award, UCLA School of the Arts & Architecture, 2002
Collegium of University Teaching Fellows, University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
Clifton Webb Fine Arts Scholarship, University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
Hortense Fishbaugh Scholarship, UCLA Affiliates, UCLA 2001
Maddie Katz Adopt-A-Scholar Award, University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
Academic Fellowship, University of California, Los Angeles, Graduate Division, 2000
Cedars-Sinai Health System Leadership and Creativity Award, 1998.
Ernst and Young National Benchmark Award, 1996.
Cedars-Sinai Health System President's Award for Outstanding Quality and Performance, 1996
Dean's Honors List, University of California, Los Angeles, 1983

Courses Taught/Authored

Genetics and Culture: From Molecular Music to Transgenic Art
Introduction to Creative Use of the Internet
Dynamic Web
Biotechnology and Society GE Cluster: Molecular Biology Laboratory

Organizations

Active memberships:
College Arts Association
ACM
LA Siggraph, SigCHI, SigArt
Southern California Women’s Caucus for the Arts

Past memberships included:
American College Of Healthcare Executives
Women in Health Administration
Healthcare Division, Bar Association, Los Angeles County

"eyesight is insight"
fine art - digital images creat Rudolph Arnheim

E-mail: symbolic_muse@acm.org