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.
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