Luciano Burla is a fourth-year double major in Visual Arts and Computer Science. The Faculty of Arts caught up with Luciano to ask him about his unique degree combination, the highlights of his experience working on campus, and his tips for students struggling to decide on a major.
How did you end up double majoring in Visual Arts and Computer Science? How did you find out about this option?
I’ve always had an interest in visual art, but I’ve always had an interest in computers as well. Coming to university, my parents suggested the Sciences, so I agreed and went into Computer Science. After my first year though, I felt as though something was lacking in my education. I actually went through some personal issues around this time – general young adult issues that get compounded sometimes in university. It was this point that was kind of my breaking away; I decided I had to take some time off, start listening to myself, and figure out what was best for me.
I went to Science Advising, and my advisor told me that from the way I spoke and articulated myself, she felt as though I was an Arts student. She told me, “Think about going into Arts. I think you’ll be much happier.” So following her advice I ended up switching to the Faculty of Arts, and took that opportunity to explore a Visual Arts major. It was through that exploration that I ended up discovering my double major in Visual Arts and Computer Science. Now I feel like I’ve found the right spot for me in my education.
What is the value of pursuing a degree in Visual Arts and Computer Science?
I would say that Computer Science and Visual Arts – or any Arts degree, for that matter, are very useful in tandem. In the BFA program, they teach you how to think critically, to search for areas within the discourse that are not yet explored, and to always be aware of your own position within a subject. Then in Computer Science, it’s all about modelling problems and finding efficient and creative solutions to those problems. Problem solving requires actively engaging in careful reasoning, logic, and procedural strategies, as well as a reasoned comprehension of the systems you’re working with.
So I didn’t expect them to have anything in common or to do much for each other. But I find myself engaged with Computer Science when I’m studying Arts, and Arts when I’m studying Computer Science. For example, when I’m writing code, I’m using problem solving strategies just as much as critical thinking skills and inventive approaches. And in my Visual Arts discipline, I’m really interested in digital art. I’m interested in how digital art interplays with society, how we have moved from painting to drawing, to photography, to the online space. So I’m playing around with the notion of software as art; the point at which digital art is no longer digital art. It’s a lot of interplay, which I’m really enjoying.
What advice do you have for students struggling to decide on a major?
I would say just pick courses you’re interested in, and don’t be scared of changing your mind. In one of my Science courses in first year, I met a lovely lady who was in her fourth year in a different faculty. And she realized in her last year that she didn’t enjoy her studies. So she changed and she went back to square one. And she loved it, she was so much happier.
So my advice would be, just don’t be scared of being wrong at first. If anything, you’re just going to expand your field of knowledge by being wrong a few times. And that’s when you produce those kinds of interesting ideas.
You’re currently working as a Work Learn Project Assistant for a Visual Arts professor. What does your role involve? How have you benefited from this experience?
I’m running open lab hours for her first-year classes. And along with that, I’m also helping her develop an online learning module for her course.
It’s been a wonderful experience. You get to listen to all these bright young minds talk about their perspectives on art and social issues, and how they’re translating them into a visual digital medium. I’ve really learned how to actively listen, to provide constructive feedback, and to navigate myself within somebody else’s experience. When I’m editing videos to help students learn, for example, I really have to put myself in the students’ shoes and ask, “What would make sense to them?” I think that applies to any profession, really; the ability to relate to somebody on a personal level, but in a way that’s still professional.
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m hoping to be accepted into MIT’s PhD program for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. I’d like to situate myself at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and technology, and combine my digital art practice with self-learning systems to produce meaningful experiences and tools for people.
I was talking to my sister about this actually, and she mentioned that AI systems have great applications to behavioural and mental health care. So instead of interacting with a system that has predetermined results and user-experiences, video games and interactive media can, through AI, accommodate specific needs for individual users and develop a familiarity with them. People with neurological social anxieties or mental disabilities, for example, who may be sensitive to new people, or more comfortable in familiar spaces like their home, can use AI therapy to learn socializing and behavioural strategies, and since it’s computer-based, it has a great degree of accessibility, even on a global scale.
So it’s a new area in AI, and I think it’s super interesting. I want to try to get into that, and revolutionize the field.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would say that if any student is experiencing personal hardships; anxiety, depression, issues at home, stress – definitely make use of Counselling Services offered on campus. They’re a phenomenal resource at UBC and they’re free. Even students who aren’t necessarily going through hardship, but could use someone confidential to talk to, can use that service. It’s a great way to check in on your mental wellbeing. I used them two years ago when I was going through my own personal issues, and I feel as though that’s the moment when I really started to grow in a direction that I felt happy with.
