Week 9: Space and Art

The NASA logo

“The astronomical artist will always be far ahead of the explorer. They can depict scenes that no human eye will ever see, because of their danger, or their remoteness in time and space” – Arthur Clarke

As the quote implies, artists have an important place when it comes to thinking about space and space exploration. This idea is also implicit in the purpose of the Leonardo Space Art Project, a group working on publicizing the work of artists, writers, and composers because of how powerful these people are in influencing our views of space. For example, in the 1979 novel Fountains of Paradise, Clarke discusses the idea of a space elevator, which seems rather unrealistic. However, with developments of nanotechnology today, it appears that we may actually be closer to this idea than we think. This is a great example of how artists are influencing our perceptions of space with their creativity and outside-of-the-box thinking, as alluded to in the quote above.   

The Space Elevator conceived of by Clarke

Clarke's novel: Fountains of Paradise

Another really interesting example of how artists and space exploration collide comes with the example of Arthur Woods sculpture, the Cosmic Dancer. It is a very interesting geometric shape that was actually created for the purpose of being in space, or zero gravity. At the Mir Space station, it was put in zero gravity with a space shuttle and the entire crew got to interact with and videotape the experience.

One of the crew members interacting with the cosmic dancer sculpture

However, reading about NASA’s space art program was most influential in my understanding of the importance of art in space and space exploration. NASA created the program in 1962, recruiting about 100 artists and allowing them access to all of their private records, as a way of dispensing information to the public through paintings, poetry, photography, and music. Even famous artists like Andy Warhol were a part of the program. This shows how important even NASA thinks artists roles are when it comes to space exploration—which I think is very hopeful in the idea of blending together the two cultures referenced by Snow.

One of the artworks from the NASA art program

Another example of artwork from the NASA art program

References

“Cosmic Dancer- a Space Art Intervention by Arthur Woods” The Cosmic Dancer Project. Web. 29 May 2015. <http://www.cosmicdancer.com/cosmic_dancer_introduction.php>.

Dunbar, Brian. “The NASA Art Program.” NASA. 12 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/connect/artspace/creative_works/feature-inception.html>.

  

“Leanardo Space Art Project Visioneers.” Leanardo Space Art Project. Web. 29 May 2015. <http://spaceart.org/leonardo/vision.html>.

Lin, Kemy. “The 1969 Lunar Landing: One Giant Leap for Art.” Hyperallergic RSS. 27 May 2015. Web. 29 May 2015. <http://hyperallergic.com/204172/the-1969-lunar-landing-one-giant-leap-for-art/>.

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. DESMA 9. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

Event #3: Robert Gero

Robert Gero at his exhibition

As my final event, I went to see Robert Gero’s exhibition at CNSI. Not only did I get to walk through his exhibition, but I got to talk to him first hand and get some valuable insight on what his work means and how he incorporates math, art, and philosophy into his creations—more specifically into this idea and current exhibition of an “expanding infinity”.

The room was a simple square with plain white walls, containing a series of various size foam polygons within the room that stretched from floor to ceiling, creating almost a spider like structure. There was a projector that projected a moving white light that also contained polygons—creating the illusion that the actual foam polygons were moving. This was all accompanied by futuristic music.

According to Gero, this exhibition is a snapshot of an infinity structure, or the mathematical and philosophical concept of a bounded infinity. The idea is a constantly moving and expanding structure within the bounded and static room. He believes that these types of object exist but are yet to be discovered. His idea was influenced by philosophers and mathematicians—demonstrating the multidisciplinary nature of his art. For example, Leibniz—theorist of the Monad structure which is constantly changing on the outside but stable on the inside and Georg Cantor who calculated the infinity of infinity were huge influences on Gero’s current infinity structure. Furthermore, just by seeing this fascinating polygonal design, one can see how math and geometry in particular played a role in its creation.

Another interesting thing about this particular infinity structure is that he used the architecture of the actual CNSI building, inserted it into a computer program, and then created this exact configuration of polygons that represented the entire building in which the room was a part of. As we talked about in the very beginning of this course—computers, through math, are a powerful bridge between science and art and is a medium for the collision of these two disciplines.

Overall, I thought this was an extremely fascinating event to go to. This has furthered my understanding of how architecture is influenced both by math and art. In addition, since Gero is not a mathematician by trade, I have gathered greater insight into how easily science (i.e. math) and art can influence each other, even without being a professional in both fields.

Selfie of me at the exhibition

Week 8: Nanotech and Art

Before this week, upon hearing the word “nanotechnology”, I would deny that I had any interaction with the field and that it has any relevance to my life. Dr. Gimzewski however, pointed out that our bodies most likely are currently covered in nanoparticles, and that many consumer goods (i.e sunscreen, socks) contain these particles because of their unique properties (i.e. preventing bacteria)[5]. After doing my own research and much to my surprise, I found that several hair products I use, such as a Conair hairdryer, straightener, and curler, all contain nanoparticles[3].

This straightener contains nanoparticles

Sunscreen contains nanoparticles

With nanotechnology becoming increasingly relevant in our lives, without being able to actually see such tiny particles, art plays an essential role in communicating the unseen. For example, an abstract artist, Orefscu, creates beautiful paintings of nanoparticles by adding color to the typical black and white image produced by the Scanning Tunneling Microscope. He aims at bringing awareness to nanotechnology, a goal other artists share, because this field is gaining great prominence in our lives[4].

One of Orefscu's artworks

At the “Nano exhibition” several years ago, artists and scientists created an interactive exhibit allowing visitors to gain awareness of nanotechnology. For example, the Quantum tunnel projected visitors faces onto a wall, and then “the projected images…. became fractured into particles and waves”[2]. Interestingly, their goal was not to get visitors to understand the complex nature of nanotech, but just to be aware.

The Nano Exhibition

Another interesting example of the collision of art and nanotechnology can be seen at the University of Illinois where they are creating ink infused with nanoparticles that conducts electricity[1]. Another wards, simple drawings can be illuminated—an exciting advancement that most definitely brings awareness to the nanotechnology field.

The LED light in this drawing was created using nanoparticle infused ink

Although I think it is great that art is enlightening the field of nanotechnology, it is somewhat concerning that although it is very much intertwined into our lives that there is little research in the health implications it has. Due to our lack of research and understanding of the field, there is also little to no legislation in regards to what is and is not okay for nanotechnology[6]. However, my question is, if anything shouldn’t lack of understanding warrant further legislation instead of less, as a necessary precaution?

References

[1]Boyle, Rebecaa. “7 Amazing Ways Nanotechnology Is Changing The World.” Popular Science. 14 Nov. 2012. Web. May 2015. <http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-11/7-amazing-ways-nanotechnology-changing-world?image=0>.

[2]“Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?” National Geographic Society. 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/ 2003/12/1223_031223_nanotechnology_2.html>.

[3]“Consumer Products Inventory.” The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. 2015. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://www.nanotechproject.org/cpi/browse/>.

[4]Feder, Barnaby. “The Art of Nanotech.” The New York Times. 25 Jan. 2008. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/the-art-of-nanotech/?_r=0>.

[5]Gimzewski, Jim. “Nanotechnology and Art: Part 4”. Lecture. n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.

[6]Soliman, Adam. “The Need for Stronger Nanotechnology Regulation: Food Safety News.” Food Safety News. 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/10/why-we-should-have-more-regulations-on-nanotechnology/#.VV1ftKbdRWI>.

Week 7: Nueroculture

A collection of neurons

Until this week, I had hardly considered neuroscience to be a part of my life or something I thought of/encountered frequently. However, after reading the article by Frazetto and Anker, I can clearly how nueroculture has infiltrated society in many ways. Our infatuation as a society with what it means to “be” and how the brain plays into this has brought many aspects of neuroscience into our every day lives, especially in art forms, reflecting its relative importance.

Several of my favorite movies have been hugely influenced by nueroscience, although it was not immediately apparent to me before. Inception, for example, is a movie that discusses the idea of stealing thoughts from unconscious individuals and dealing with what it truly means to unconscious versus conscious. This movie, in a way questions a lot of our scientific discoveries in terms of the brain and it predicts a time when we may go too far (ethically) in terms of manipulating the mind. Another common pop culture film, 50 First Dates explores the idea of amnesia and its implications for our day-to-day lives. In this way, the art genre of film questions a lot of nueroscientific discoveries as Frazetto and Anker anticipated.

Inception

Fifty First Dates

Art and neuroscience continue to collide through the experimental use of drugs. Individuals in the past, such as Huxley and Hoffman experimented with drugs and documented the effect it had on their mind and body. Similarly, artists today are taking various drugs and drawing self-portraits of themselves while the effect of the drug is active. Bryan Lewis Sanders, over the course of several weeks took a new drug each day (i.e. cocaine, Zoloft) and documented each experience through his artwork.

Two of Sander's Self Portraits

The last example I will share that exemplifies this idea of a nueroculture in art is the somewhat new practice of art therapy. Scientists are currently experimenting with the effects that both creating and viewing art can have for individuals suffering from psychiatric medical conditions like Schizophrenia. Through fMRI data it appears plausible that art may be able to alleviate some of these conditions. Furthermore, art is currently used as a therapy for children down syndrome (a brain disorder) as a coping strategy. Clearly, art and nueroscience come together in many surprising and unexpected ways.

Art Therapy

References

[1]Anthony, Robert. “Artist Creates Self-Portraits on Different Drugs, And The Results Are Insane.” Elite Daily. 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://elitedaily.com/envision/artist-creates-self-portraits-on-different-drugs-and-the-results-are-insane-photos/>.

[2]Beckett, Donnette. “Art Therapy Becomes Outlet for Autism.” Herald Review. 14 May 2015. Web. 15 May 2015. <http://herald-review.com/news/local/art-therapy-becomes-outlet-for-autism/article_cd172b53-0ceb-578c-9bd5-cf4bea4b50aa.html/>.

[3]Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10.11 (2009): 815-821.

[4]Konopka, Lukasz. “Where Art Meets Nueroscience: A New Horizon of Art Therapy.” Croatian Medical Journal. Croatian Medical Schools, 1 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 May 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944420/>.

[5]Torgovnick, Kate. “9 Classic Movies about Memory Manipulation, and How They Inspired Real Nueroscience.” TED Blog. 15. Aug. 2013. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://blog.ted.com/8-classic-movies-about-memory-manipulation-and-how-they-inspired-real-neuroscience/>.

[6]Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. DESMA 9. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.