Extra Credit Event Blog 2: Replica Praesens: A Lecture on Synthetic Life by Sam Wolk

For my second extra credit event I attended a lecture at the Broad Arts Centre on campus. The speaker was named Sam Wolk, and he was a brilliant visual artist. He creates abstract animations and focuses on filmmaking. The project he showed to us was called Replica Praesens. This was a biologically inspired design of a specific ecosystem, where different creatures interacted. I'm not much of a science gal so the majority of this presentation didn't make a lot of sense to me, but overall I learned a lot about biological processes and how they work. It was fascinating to see how brilliant Sam was in regards to this topic and how he was able to display such knowledge on a screen in a beautiful way.

(Me outside of Broad Art Centre)

(My sister and I in the lecture room)

One of the first images he displayed to us on the screen was of the three different nutrient fields. Each different field is categorized by colour. One is red, one is blue, and the other is green. He then went into more detail and showed a screen with only red. Where the red is darker, there is a higher concentration of nutrients and where it is more white there are less. He then went on to show strips of DNA. By singling out one strip of DNA he is able to tell just from its look how many nutrients the gene needs to survive, as well as what odour the gene gives off. He was able to distinguish the genetic mutations of all of the different genes. 

(Strips of DNA)

(Nutrients in DNA)

Sam Wolk was a perfect example of how science, art, and technology go hand in hand. He incorporates all three into his work and it is very fascinating to learn about and see. He is obviously a genius in regards to science, DNA, and biological processes. The amazing part is that he is able to display this knowledge using visual art and technology. It was captivating to see the little creatures move and twirl around the screen and each other. Not only was that visually pleasing but it was also practical. For someone who is not an expert at all things science, seeing a strip of DNA enlarged so big and colour coded really helped my understanding of the topic. By being able to simulate the lives of these creatures in a virtual world is a great way for scientists to use art and technology to further their knowledge and research. I think all scientists should use virtual simulations and visual art in their work, because in Sam's case it seems to enhance his scientific knowledge, not take away from it.

(Creatures in the virtual world)

The week that I immediately thought of while at this lecture was Week 6 on biotechnology and art. I'm not sure if that is because it just has "bio" in it though. Biotechnology "is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use." In my opinion Sam Wolk seems to be incorporating biotechnology into his work. If this event were to happen again I would definitely recommend it to my friends and classmates.

Works Cited

"What Is Biotechnology?" BIO. BIO, n.d. Web. 29 May 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. “5 bioart pt1" Lecture. YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 29 May. 2016. 

Extra Credit Event Blog: LASER Rendevous

On May 19th I attended another LASER Rendezvous at the CNSI Centre on campus. I really enjoy these events because there are many different speakers that talk about various different topics. Some are heavily art based and some heavily science based, while others are an equal combination of both. First we entered the gallery where there were many different sculptures and paintings on display. After browsing in the gallery we went into a different room where all of the speakers presented their ideas.

("The Chaos Inside" by Sydnie Bui)

The first thing I looked at was this hanging wire head and brain, with a light beam on it to show the shadow. This was a very fascinating piece and the picture does not do it justice. In the write up underneath it the artist explains that the piece was designed to show the chaos in our minds. 

("Entropy" by Eric Fram)

These three paintings are based on various images of plasma and flux ropes, with a human figure reacting to the idea of entropy. The artist aims to portray chaos in these illustrations as well.

The first speaker at the event was named Ana Jofre. She is a physicist turned artist who briefly taught us about magnets and magnetic fields. First she explained positive and negative electrical charges, and that an electric field is a force felt by another charge. To physically describe magnetic fields she brought in and passed around a demo. This was a battery with two twisted pieces of copper wire that created a motor and spun on its own. This reminds me of Professor Vesna's lecture on Robotics. This is a prime example of the fusion of art, science and technology. 

(Copper Wire Spinning on a Battery)

The second speaker was named Megan Lindeman. She is a visual artist and she explained how neurochemistry and dark matter play a role in her art. She explained artists fascination with dark matter and how it is distributed throughout the universe. What I found the most interesting was the idea that you can't see dark matter, so artists have to map the visual objects that it is in between. She paints using a combination of oxytocin and paint. This brought me back to Week 1 and Professor Vesna's discussion of two cultures. She seems to combine art in the form of paintings with science in the form of dark matter and neuroscience. 

("Radicalized, Small Threats, and of course the Sunrise" by Megan Lindeman)

http://meganlindeman.com/?portfolio=radicalized-small-threats-and-of-course-the-sunrise

The third speaker was named Walter Gekelman, a professor of experimental plasma. Some people consider plasma to be the fourth state of matter. Walter Gekelman spoke about what is required to make plasma fusion possible on earth. The suns heat is not hot enough for fusion to occur, and even the centre of the sun isn't either. Plasma needs extreme heat to fuse and be used as a power source. 300 million degrees is the temperature required for fusion on earth. Walter Gekelman and his colleagues work on making plasmas, creating conditions for them, and conducting experiments relevant to what happens on the suns surface. This made me think of Professor Vesna's lecture on Robotics because technological advancements nowadays are so relevant for artists as well as scientists.

http://plasma.physics.ucla.edu/page/gallery.html

(Image off of Basic Plasma Science Facility at UCLA)

I would definitely recommend this event to other friends and Desma 9 Students. It is very exciting being able to learn about many different artists and scientists in such a short period of time. These events also help further my knowledge in course materials because each presentation is a new outlook on the integration of science, technology and art as one entity.

(My friends and I at CNSI)

Works Cited

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt.2." Youtube. Uconlineprogram. 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 May. 2016

Vesna, Victoria. "TwoCultures part1." Youtube. Uconlineprogram, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 May. 2016.

"Basic Plasma Science Facility at UCLA." BaPSF. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2016.

"Megan Lindeman." Radicalized, Small Threats, and Of Course the Sunrise. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2016.

Week 9: Space and Art

This weeks topic of Space and Art is the perfect way to sum up the past 9 weeks of material that we have covered in this class. Concepts like Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, robots, mathematics and others are all used in outer space. Nicholas Copernicus used mathematics to propose the idea that the sun was the centre of the universe. However, he feared that publicizing this idea would contradict the teachings of the Catholic Church, so he delayed the publication. Copernicus hugely influenced the world, and this influence is still evident today. A crater on the moon was even named after him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernican_heliocentrism

(Copernicus' theory)

Nanotechnology is used in outer space. Today's rocket engines rely on chemical propulsion or electrical propulsion. A nanotechnology EP concept proposes to utilize nanoparticles as a propellant. Millions of nanoparticles would fit on one square centimetre, allowing the fabrication of highly scalable thruster arrays.

http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-in-space.php

(Nanotechnology in Space)

Carl Sagan described the earth as "a pale blue dot." He got this idea from an image taken by Voyager 1 on February 14th, 1990. The Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometres away, and when it captured the image Earth appeared to be nothing more than a tiny dot. In a small excerpt he states "That's here.  That's home. That's us. On it everyone you know, everyone you love, everyone you've ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives."

http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/earth/pale-blue-dot.html

(A Pale Blue Dot, 1994)

An artist that incorporates Space into her art is Chelsey Bonestell. He was an American pioneer of space art who helped popularize manned space travel. He is world renowned for his paintings and special effects drawings of outer space, which are used on popular space websites and magazines.

http://www.bonestell.org/#prettyPhoto

(Saturn as seen from Titan, 1952)

Works Cited

"Bonestell - Home." Bonestell - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016. 

"A Pale Blue Dot." The Planetary Society Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016. 

Vesna, Victoria. Uconlineprogram. "8 Space Intro 1280x720." YouTube. YouTube, 29 July 2013. Web. 19 May 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. Uconlineprogram. "Lecture 1." YouTube. YouTube, 29 July 2013. Web. 19 May 2016.

"Nanotechnology in Space." Nanowerk. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016. 

"The Copernican Model: A Sun-Centered Solar System." The Copernican Model: A Sun-Centered Solar System. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016. 

Week 8: NanoTechnology and Art

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering (nano.gov). It is almost impossible to comprehend how small nanotechnology is. To put it in perspective, a single sheet of newspaper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. Nanotechnology involves the ability to see and control atoms and molecules. The introduction of nanotechnology drastically changed science and technology as we know it.

https://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/nanotechnology-promissory-note-on-our-future/

(Perspective of the size of a nanometer)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/430234570626474682/

(Perspective of the size of a nanometer)

One example of how nanotechnology has influenced art is Nano-scape. Nano-scape was invented by Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau, and it tries to make the nano-world accessible through touch. It involves a wireless magnetic force which in turn results in people to be able to touch and feel invisible nanoparticles. The magnetic ring users wear results in strong forces like repulsion, attraction, and slight shock.

http://www.aquaeden.co.uk/nanoscapes_article.html

(An example of a Nano-scape)

Another example is Nano_essence. Nano_essence was invented by Paul Thomas and Kevin Raxworthy. It is an interactive audio-visual installation where the viewer interfaces through their own breath. In Nano_essence a single skin cell is analysed to explore comparisons between life and death. This project aims to construct a physical experience to examine the scientific and metaphysical world.

https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology

(Nano_essence)

https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology

(Nano_essence)

Nanotechnology is very fascinating and can be an interesting concept for artists to incorporate into their art, but the most difficult problem that comes along with it is that it is extremely expensive.

Works Cited

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." John Curtin Gallery. Art.Base. art.base, 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 May. 2016. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Nanotech intro." Uconline. Youtube. Youtube, 17 May. 2012. Web. 17 May. 2016. 

Gimzewski, Dr. "Nanotech Jim pt1" Uconline. Youtube. Youtube, 21 May. 2012. Web. 17 May. 2016. 

Gimzewski, Dr. "Nanotech Jim pt2" Uconline. Youtube. Youtube, 21 May. 2012. Web. 17 May. 2016.

"What Is Nanotechnology?" Nano. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.

"Nano_essence." Nano_essence. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.