NanoArt

Nanotechnology & Art

This week’s lecture and readings focused on Nanotechnology. Dr. Gimzewksi, a former IBM researcher and UCLA professor who works at CNSI, conducted our lectures and spoke about the importance and prevalence of nanotechnology in science and technology.

NanoArt by John Hart

NanoArt by John Hart

Nanotechnology is the science, engineering and technology conducted at the nanoscale. The term nanotechnology was coined by Norio Taniguchi in 1974. A nanoscale is roughly 1-100 NANOmeters. There are 25,400,000 nanometer in 1 inch. Nanotechnology is used in numerous fields including chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering. It is very broad, we can see nanotechnology present in almost everything in our everyday life including athletic socks, waterproof fabrics, and self-cleaning glass.

In "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom", Richard Feynman suggests that bigger isn't always better. I like his quote "there's plenty of room at the bottom", which highlights that bigger isn't always better. As an example of this, he wrote 25,000 page of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the surface of the pinhead. He made a note that a pinhead actually has room for 260,000,000 pages.

Erin Drexler and Ralph Merkle came together to form the Foresight Organization and there created ‘the Assembler concept’ at the molecular scale. The discovery of the Bucky Ball and the scanning tunneling microscope led to a breakthrough in moving atoms as single-atoms. Richard Smaley argued against Drexler’s theory. Gimzewski discussed much farther in depth the history and impact of nanotechnology. But while science and technology are probably the first fields you think of when you hear nanotechnology, it is also used in art. Nano art is art in which the artist manipulates molecular matter. It can’t be seen by the naked eye because it is at the atomic scale. It can be seen through an atomic-force microscope.

Gimzewski and Vesna co-wrote “At The Intersection of Art and Science” and in it say, “nanotechnology and media arts, by their very nature, have a common ground in addressing the issues of manipulation, particularly sensory perception, questioning our reaction, changing the way we think. They are complementary, and the issues that are raised start to spill over into fundamental problems of the limits of psychology, anthropology, biology and so on. It is as if the doors of perception have suddenly opened and the microscopes imperfection of truly representing object form forces us to question our traditional (Western) values of reality” (Gimzewski and Vesna).

Nano artist, Frederik De Wilde is the creator of a new color called “blacker than black” or as he calls it “superblack”. It is said to be 10 times stronger than black and give an illusion of a black hole. De Wilde is a perfect example of blending science and art in the use of nanotechnology.

https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-30/scientists-are-becoming-artists-thanks-nanoart

Public Radio International did a great piece called "Scientists are becoming artists, thanks to 'NanoArt'" focusing on the ability for scientists to move into the art world through nanotechnology.

CITATIONS

"Feynman.com - Richard Feynman Online." Feynman.com - Richard Feynman Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 2017. <http://www.feynman.com>.

Gimzewski, J. "Nanotechnology + Art, Pt. 3." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 2017 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. "The Nanoneme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact and Fiction in the Construction of a New Science." Technoetic Arts Technoetic Arts 1.1 (2003): 7-24. Web

Vesna, Victoria. “Intro to NanoTech + Art." UCLA, Los Angeles. Lecture.

Vesna, Victoria, and Jim Gimzewski. "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science." (n.d.): n. pag. Web <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.

Neuroscience & Art

Neuroscience & Art 

This week’s lecture and readings focused on the overlap of Neuroscience and Art - and Neuroaesthetics. Neuroscience is the study of the brain. We looked at three major topics surround the brain - (1) the discovery of the brain and its’ structure and chemistry, (2) dreams and the unconscious mind, and (3) min-altering chemicals. We finally focused on the art and beauty that goes along with the study of our brains. The brain has such a central function in our body and there is so much mystery surrounding it - there is no surprise it has fascinated and inspired artists for centuries.

It is weird to think that aside from our physical appearance and the genes that makeup our bodies - our personalities and emotions, the things that make each of us unique and individual, all is housed and takes place in our brains.

Vesna started with the history of the study of the brain. I was surprised to hear that the brain has only been seriously studied for about a century. Ramon Ikahal and Franz Joseph Gall were two critical figures in the study of brain anatomy and structure. Later, Santiago Ramon y Cajal made huge advances in the study of neurons and their connections.

I am still always fascinated how large of an history drugs like LSD have in our history. In lecture, Vesna talked about how in looking to see what affected the brains’ function, Albert Hoffman first created the psychedelic LSD. A Dangerous Method, the movie Vesna mentioned in lecture, is a perfect example of the use of scientific knowledge used as details within an artistic display of a film.

Karen Norberg and Margerie Taylor

We looked at some artists including Karen Norberg and Margerie Taylor, that take this fascinating organ - the brain - and make art inspired by it. Their works are based in scientific facts sourced from a variety of publications including MRI imaging and dissection records.

Vesna also focused on the popular technique - Brainbow - which uses fluorescent proteins to distinguish individual neurons from others in the brain. It is a breakthrough technique because it is noninvasive and allows for extraordinary discovery.

In the reading, “Neuroculture” by Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker, I liked the line they say - “the interaction between art and science offers an opportunity to make the scientific community and the public aware of the social and ethical implications of the scientific advances in neuroscience.” Suzanne Anker is also known for her project “fMRI butterfly” which we looked at in lecture.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/neuroscience-art-brain/

One artist that I think is fitting for this week’s topic is Rebecca Kamen, a dyslexic artist who turned neurons into butterflies in her piece “Butterflies of the Soul”. The work was inspired by neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y Cajal - who Vesna talked about in lecture.

http://aplus.com/a/drawing-self-portraits-on-lsd-trip?no_monetization=true

A while back I saw on Facebook that someone posted a link titled “Artist Took LSD And Spent 9 Hours Drawing Herself To Show The Effect Drugs Have On Brain”. I think this is a good example for this week’s topic as well.

Overall, this week we looked at not only the physical elements of the brain in art but also the unconscious and psychedelic elements that have impacted the world of art.

CITATIONS

Rolfes, Ellen. "Portrait of a dyslexic artist, who transforms neurons into 'butterflies'" PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 17 May 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neurosci + Art." UCLA, Los Angeles. Lecture.

Anker, Suzanne, & Giovanni Frazzetto.  "Neuroculture."  Perspectives.  Volume 10. Nov. 2009.             Macmillan Publishers Limited.  Article.

Bakutyte, Justina. "Artist Took LSD And Spent 9 Hours Drawing Herself To Show The Effect Drugs Have On Brain." A Plus. N.p., 01 Jan. 4016. Web. 17 May 2017.

Event 2

For my second event I attended Eli Joteva’s Mnemoawari installation in the EDA at Broad Art Center. I went to the opening of the event so I saw the initial stages of the pieces. While there I heard Joteva speak briefly on the works and she mentioned the pieces possible transformation over the next three days of the installation being there. I unfortunately went out of town the following day but wish I could have seen the pieces transformations over time.

The installation included four main sections including a variety of mediums but connected by an over arching message. The message was regarding how memory spans over the past, present, and future. I attended the sections in the following order but later found of the meaning was meant to go in the opposite direction that I experienced them in.

The first section was definitely my favorite - it was a large projection on the wall when you entered the gallery. It resembled colors through a lense of glass of some sort to me. It was hard to make out exactly but I thought it was beautiful and set a strong presences and mood for the rest of the gallery experience.
I later found out this stage was supposed to represent the 'future'. The single projected sphere was meant to represent her future dreams.

The second section was the most interesting to me. Joteva hung three natural sculptures from the ceiling each having slightly different combination of elements. The introduction poster indicated that these sculptures included “water, flowers, fungi, seeds, sand, light, aluminum, sound, heat and time”. Each include frozen ice though which dripped the different elements into pans below. This is the section that I image will transform with time and I hope to see photos of the movement - I image they will be quite beautiful. As a DESMA student I rarely deal with physical installations but instead the digital forms, I was amazed she was able to handle such delicate mediums and pull off such a clean display. I particularly enjoyed one of the sculptures which due to a reflection from an above light - projected a beautiful reflection on the wall.

I later found out this stage was meant to represent the 'present' and this is the transforming stage, the spheres physically change over the three days.

The third section I unfortunately couldn't take a photo of because it was Virtual Reality. The headpiece was hanging from the ceiling. I would say my one critique would be that most of the visitors I saw passing through did not notice the goggles so they did not get to experience them. Additionally it was the one section of the gallery that I felt was out of place of the others. However I do think VR is such a fascinating medium that it was nice of her to include it.

The last section was projection on the 3 wall immersive EDA room. I really enjoyed this section as well. I thought it tied into the overall gallery very well. The three spheres were projected on three huge walls. I later found out these represented the "past" because they were perfect examples of the spheres. 

I think this installation was a great example of use of technology and art. I wonder if Joteva was meaning to reference the melting icebergs and global warming issues we are dealing with in our world today. Overall I really enjoyed the gallery and think Joteva did a wonderful job. I thought it was very visually pleasing and after having the stages explained to me they messages were very strong. However, without knowing the message I would have not known the message very clearly.

Below is a picture of me and my friend MK at the event.

Week 6 - BioArt

This weeks lecture and reading focused on the “bio-art”, a term coined by Eduardo Katz, and refers to biotechnology's place as a medium for art.

Vesna discussed physical and genetic manipulation of animals and organisms as forms of art. She started with Joe Davis - often considered the pioneer of bio-art and a person with huge impact on many following artists. A group called Symbotica formed in 2000 as one of the first groups for creating bio-art. Adam Zaretsky, Marta de Menezes, Kathy High, and Orlan all held residencies at Symbiotica and were greatly impacted by Joe Davis.

She identified on a prominent figure in the area - Eduardo Katz - known mostly for his Fluorescent Bunny. The project took zygote microinjection of EGFG and inserted into fertilized rabbit egg cells which caused the bunny, “Alba”, to glow a fluorescent green. This piece of art was iconic in the field of bio-art and questioned many of the controversial questions.

Vesna also discussed the obvious controversy surround projects that involve genetic mutation of animals and organisms. There is obvious backlash against the use of animals as art using genetic mutilation and the ethics behind it. An interesting side note - I found it interesting that Vesna mentioned the use of fluorescence in genes as a method of tagging proteins and allows for tracing drugs throughout the body without using surgery. It is a perspective I had not thought to look at.

This discussion made me think of those articles that came out that mentioned being able to genetically build your own baby. To me this concept still seems very weird that you would even want to pick your baby's genes to be different from your own. I must also mention that this is a very costly procedure so we must be careful that the wealthy are not given the power to bread smarter, more attractive, stronger, super babies which could create an isolated unfair advantage.

Scientists at the University of Oxford used 3D printers to create “living tissues”. Technology advancements like this are not only amazing for the medical field and cell regeneration, but also makes possibilities for less controversial bio-art.

I also really like artists Enrico Becker and Matt Harris’s work which comments on the future of genetically modified foods. They place bar codes on produce and change their colors.

CITATIONS

Vesna, Victoria. "Biotechnology + Art, Part 4." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qSc72u9KhI&list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7>

Gallagher, James. "'Designer Babies' Debate Should Start, Scientists Say - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., 19 Jan. 2015. Web.

Cooper-White, Macrina. "3D Printed Cell Technique Allows Material To Mimic Human-Like Tissue (VIDEO)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/05/3d-printed-cells-tissue-human_n_3021600.html>

Enrico becker matt harris look at the future of genetically modified fruits. (2015, October 02). Retrieved May 13, 2017, from http://www.designboom.com/art/enrico-becker-matt-harris-genetically-modified-fruits-10-01-2015/

Midterm

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B82250jpvZJNRG01TnF1cUx4aVE/view?usp=sharing