Week 9: Space + Art

This week’s discussion ties together much of what we have discussed this quarter, yet takes it to another level - to space. For a better understanding of the importance of space exploration today, it is important to understand and know the history of space. The contemporary space age development began after World War II. During the Cold War, the arms race led in an increase in the development and accumulation of weapons, such as nuclear bombs, hydrogen bombs, and the ICBM (an intercontinental ballistic missile). This race in technological developments led to the period known as the Space Race, competition between the Soviet Union and the United States in spaceflight capability. The Space Race led to the launching of the satellite Sputnik I in 1957 and creation of NASA in 1958 and ever since, space exploration has been a constant.

The rocket that carried Sputnik I on the launch pad in 1957.

I thought it was very interesting how animals were the first to go into space, and the Space Dog named Laika. She was the first living creature to orbit the earth, and although she died in orbit (which made me sad!), Laika offered proof that space was livable. Chimpanzees and other types of monkeys began to be trained to go to space, so that scientists could learn the effects of space travel. Chimpanzees were even trained to carry out tasks on the space ships, which I thought was very impressive.

The Space Dog, named Laika, in her space capsule.

One other area that interested me was the Leonardo Space Art Project Working Group, as I thought this group really encapsulated the teachings of the class and the relationship between art and space. This group is an assembly of individuals who work to explore and promote the cultural dimensions of space activities. They suggest that the space age is possible because of the cultural imagination of artists, as the artists embody the dreams of humankind and make these dreams desirable for engineers to explore. It is crucial to continue to explore space, and even offers a potential solution to the survival and prosperity of humans. The space age depends on the exchange between artists and scientists, and I think space is such an interesting topic to explore and learn about.

Space exploration.

References:

Dent, Harry. “Space Exploration and Travel: Is It Crazy... or Inevitable?” InvestorPlace, 7 Aug. 2017, investorplace.com/2017/08/space-exploration-travel-crazy-or-inevitable-ggsyn/.

Latson, Jennifer. “Laika the Cosmonaut Dog: USSR Sends First Living Creature into Orbit.” Time, Time, 3 Nov. 2014, time.com/3546215/laika-1957/.

“The Leonardo Space Art Project.” Leonardo Space Art Project, spaceart.org/leonardo/.

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt2 1280x720.” YouTube, 29 July 2013, youtu.be/hLZMDpoP-u0.

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt3 1280x720.” YouTube, 29 July 2013, youtu.be/4WOqt_C55Mk.

Wallace, Tim. “How Sputnik 1 Launched the Space Age.” Cosmos, 3 Oct. 2017, cosmosmagazine.com/space/how-sputnik-1-launched-the-space-age.

Event 3: Noise Aquarium

I attended the Noise Aquarium exhibit for my third event of the quarter. I was not sure what to expect when I walked in, but it was very interesting to learn about the purpose of the noise aquarium and how the exhibition worked. The Noise Aquarium is a simulation to exemplify the noise pollution that plankton and small organisms experience in the oceans. Enlarged plankton are portrayed on screen, and as the plankton moves closer to the individual, the noise becomes amplified to simulate how plankton may experience anthropogenic noise.

This is me balancing on the platform.

Although tiny, plankton are essential to the Earth’s ecosystem, not only being a primary foundation in the marine food chain but also contributing to about 70% of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere. This shows just how important and critical plankton are, yet these micro creatures may be greatly affected by noise sources. When in the Noise Aquarium, it gives you an idea of how much of an impact the participant creates with destructive visual and audio noises.

The result of someone being unbalanced - noise pollution.

The presentation of the Noise Aquarium was quite interesting, as the microscopic organisms (portrayed as large as whales) on the screen are actually real organisms that were tomographically scanned and then transformed into 3D models. I think the relationship between science and art is so prevalent in this example, as science and math were used to create the correct proportions of the creatures on the screen, yet art was crucial for the portrayal to be realistic.

One of the microscopic organisms / plankton.

When you are actually doing the presentation, you must stand on a platform and try to be perfectly balanced, as being out of balance creates underwater noises - noise pollution. Once fully balanced, the plankton becomes very large and the participant can hear whale songs, which I thought tied together the experience well. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the impact humans are having on other organisms, as it is important to be aware and concerned of our effects on Earth.

Picture of me at the Noise Aquarium.

Week 8: Nanotech + Art

Nanotechnology is a very unique topic, as when you start to consider and study nanotechnology, the laws of physics change and quantum effects dominate. The conceptual origins of nanotechnology are contributed to Richard Feynman, with his work There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom. I found it amazing that he was able to write 25,000 pages of the Encyclopedia on a pinhead, with each letter being 1 nanometer in size - this gave me an idea of just how small of things nanotechnology applies to. K. Eric Drexler was another scientist who was involved with nanotechnology, suggesting that nanotech was a deterministic, rather than stochastic, handling of individual atoms and molecules. He had a vision to engineer with these tiny atoms and molecules. Learning about its historical background allowed for me to grasp a better understanding of nanotechnology.

Richard Feynman sharing his ideas.

As a student interested in medicine, I really enjoyed the lecture on the role of nanotechnology in medicine, which is sometimes referred to as nanomedicine. The use of nanoparticles can reduce the toxicity of many cancer drugs, such as in chemotherapy, which in effect reduces the side effects of the drug. One example of a popular nanodrug is Abraxane. Additionally, with the use of quantum dots, particular types of diseases can be targeted and the variety of colors on quantum dots at the nano level can be very beneficial. Nanoshells are another tool that may be a potential factor in cancer therapy.

Nanorobots fighting an infection.

Although we can not see nanoparticles and to the naked human eye, there is nothing visible to prove they exist, nanoparticles are constantly part of our daily lives, which was interesting to me. There are many nano products on the market, especially in food and agriculture. Nanoparticles have a antimicrobial effect and therefore allow for longer-lasting food products. They also can contribute to more interactive, personalized foods, which I am curious about, since in what ways can food be personalized? Overall, I enjoyed this topic as I did not know a lot about nanotechnology and its role in society, so there was a lot for me to discover.

Cartoon suggesting dangers of nanoparticles in food.

References:

Gimzewski, James. “Nanotech Jim pt1.” YouTube, 21 May 2012, youtu.be/q7jM6-iqzzE.

Gimzewski, James. “Nanotech Jim pt4.” YouTube, 21 May 2012, youtu.be/yHCuZetAIhk.

Gimzewski, James. “Nanotech Jim pt6.” YouTube, 21 May 2012, youtu.be/oKlViSKkPd0?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7.

Kettley, Sebastian. “Nanotechnology Breakthrough: How Cell-Sized Robots Could Target Bacteria to Fight Diseases.” Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 31 May 2018, www.express.co.uk/news/science/967564/Nanotechnology-medicine-nanobots-research-fight-disease-superbug-bacteria-pathogens.

Rae, Ian. “No Big Deal: There Is Little to Fear from Nanoparticles in Food.” Food Beverage, www.foodmag.com.au/no-big-deal-there-is-little-to-fear-from-nanoparticles-in-food/.

Wilson, Tony. “Richard Feynman: There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom', Nanotechnology Lecture - 1959.” Speakola, Speakola, 2 Mar. 2016, speakola.com/ideas/richard-feynman-nanotechnology-lecture-1959.

Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

The brain is such an amazing organ to study, making this week’s discussion of the connection between neuroscience and art very intriguing. Before much was known about the brain, Aristotle proposed that the brain was actually the cooling system for the blood and the real thinking went on in the heart, which I thought was very interesting. As more information was discovered concerning the brain, new proposals appeared. Franz Joseph Gall founded the study of phrenology, which involves measuring the shape and bumps of one’s skull to predict mental straits. He thought the brain was divided into many different organs, each with a different function. In this way, the field of phrenology was like the ancient form of the field of brain mapping.

Phrenology chart of the brain.

The discussion of consciousness and unconsciousness brings up many interesting questions that are often difficult to answer. Carl Jung was a psychiatrist who proposed two types of unconscious: the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is a collection of material that was once conscious but has been forgotten or repressed. This reminded me of the fact that our mind can not invent faces, so in our dreams, we see real faces of real people that we have seen at some point in our lives - are these faces in our collection of personal unconscious material? The collective unconscious, on the other hand, contains the accumulation of inherited psychic structures, and is not shaped by personal experience. This type of unconscious was a bit harder for me to grasp and understand, and I think would be interesting to research further.

Image that portrays different types of the conscious and unconscious mind.

One last topic that really interested me was psychedelic drugs, but specifically Project MKULTRA, an illegal government human experiment that used a variety of methodologies to manipulate individual mental states and alter brain functions. Psychedelic drugs trigger psychedelic experiences, often leading to extremely simulated imagination and hallucinogenic effects. However, in Project MKULTRA, such extreme measures were used that led to sever psychological torture, and many subjects died during the experiment. It is very intriguing and also scary the ways mind control can be used, especially since as Professor Vesna mentioned, mind control may be inevitable.

Artistic interpretation of psychedelic drugs on the brain.

References:

“Carl Jung and the Collective Unconscious Theory.” Break Through, breakthroughholistictherapy.com/shadow-integration-work/carl-jungs-collective-unconscious/.

Helou, Fouad. “Psychedelics and The Brain.” Graphite Publications, 8 Oct. 2014, graphitepublications.com/psychedelics-and-the-brain/.

Van Wyhe, John. “Phrenological Images.” History of Phrenology on the Web, www.historyofphrenology.org.uk/images.html.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience-pt1.Mov.” YouTube, 17 May 2012, youtu.be/TzXjNbKDkYI.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience-pt2.Mov.” YouTube, 17 May 2012, youtu.be/TFv4owX3MZo.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience pt3.” YouTube, 16 May 2012, youtu.be/E5EX75xoBJ0.

Event 2: Understanding Arts Based Research: Symposium

In addition to Linda Weintraub’s keynote lecture at the Understanding Arts Based Research Symposium on April 4th, I was also able to attend some of the short presentations. Specifically, I attended the presentations by Ingeborg Reichle, María Antonia González Valerio, and Iain Kerr.

Ingeborg Reichle presented on artistic responses to global challenges, touching on both the social challenges and ecological threats that society faces today. Universities attempt to contribute solutions to these challenges, demonstrating the need and value of university education and research. However, this requires collaboration across sectors and disciplinary boundaries among high degrees of specialization. Reichle touched on how disciplines are the driving force behind university administration, supporting the fragmentation of curricular in our systems of higher education. I thought this was very relevant to C.P. Snow’s idea of two cultures and the need to bridge the gap between these different forms of knowledge. The need to engage in active experimentation, reflection, and knowledge building is common among students. The arts can help raise awareness of global issues and the importance of having a deeper understanding of cultures when addressing these issues.

A diagram explaining arts integration in universities.

María Antonia González Valerio discussed a specific global challenge and concern of the public, climate change. Climate change is an international problem, prompting movements and activists who fear what is happening to the planet and want to help change it. One part of her presentation I found very interesting was her discussion of the “probable end of the world”, which is requiring political, economic, and ecological changes. It is interesting to me that to elicit change, there often has to be motivation through fear.

The global concern of climate change.

Lastly, Iain Kerr talked about the nature-culture divide and its connection to the production of art and science. Art, culture, and nature can all be part of a historical product, as we can think of ourselves as more than just artists, scientists, or humans. I was intrigued by his discussion of the divide between the subjective and objective, and questions pertaining to rethinking the concepts of value and collectivity. Kerr suggested the idea of the commons, with many worlds but one culture. In this way, the separate cultures, of say humanities and sciences, would be merged. However, there still would be creativity and uniqueness in the many worlds.

An image depicting the nature-culture divide.

Overall, I thought these presentations were captivating and I could connect them to topics discussed in class, and I would recommend attending future symposiums.

The selfie I took at the symposium.

References:

“Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.” NASA, NASA, 24 Apr. 2019, climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adaptation-mitigation/.

Pathak, Hardeep. “Us & Them: The Nature-Culture Divide.” The Holy Connection, The Holy Connection, 7 Aug. 2015, www.thclabs.org/miscellaneous/culture/us-them-the-nature-culture-divide/.

Week 6: BioTech and Art

This week’s discussion addresses important topics among both scientists and artists. The integration of both biotechnology and artwork is known as BioArt, a form of art that works with living organisms by using scientific processes such as genetic engineering and other forms of biotechnology. However, BioArt is a controversial expression of art, drawing attention to ethical, aesthetic, and social issues. It was interesting to learn that artists enter the laboratories and work with the scientists, sometimes even directly with the living tissues the scientists are working on. Through BioArt, scientists are challenging the accepted classifications of life by exploring areas that straddle boundaries seen as acceptable.

Artwork created by growing bacteria on a Petri dish, an example of BioArt.

As Professor Vesna discussed in her lecture, Joe Davis is the pioneer of BioArt. He is an artist who uses genes and bacteria in his artwork, with molecular biology tools and techniques. One of his pieces is the audio microscope, which allows users to view the living cells while also listening to their micro acoustic signatures, unique to each species. After attending the recent symposium all about acoustics and vibrations of sounds, I thought this was a very relevant and intriguing subject for this week. I find it very interesting that scientists are able to differentiate sounds made by such microscopic organisms, and how artists are connected with this phenomenon.

Multiple examples of transgenic animals, including the "GFP Bunny".

One other individual who I think is very important to the topic of biotechnology and art is Eduardo Kac, with his work on the “GFP Bunny.” This bunny, named Alba, is a green fluorescent bunny, engineered by splicing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of a jellyfish into her genome. The results were captivating - when under a certain light, Alba glowed green. However, the GFP Bunny was also quite controversial, sparking public dialogue about the project. This bunny, along with other creations, is an example of transgenic art, based on the use of genetic engineering to transfer natural or synthetic genes to an organism and resulting in a unique living being. Human creativity continues to increase, but the question is, should there be limits? This reminds me of a movie I’ve seen, called GATTACA, in which children are conceived through genetic selection to ensure they possess the best hereditary traits of their parents. What are the possible consequences of biotechnological developments in society? It’s a difficult question to answer.

GATTACA, a science fiction film that cautions about the extremes of technology and genetic engineering.

References:

Haridy, Rich. “Art in the Age of Ones and Zeros: BioArt.” New Atlas - New Technology & Science News, New Atlas, 17 Mar. 2017, newatlas.com/art-ones-and-zeros-bioart/48391/#gallery.

Kac, Eduardo. “GFP Bunny.” Rabbit Remix, www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor.

Levy, Ellen K. “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications.”

“REVIEW: Gattaca (1997).” Elena Square Eyes, 25 Nov. 2018, elenasquareeyes.com/2018/11/26/review-gattaca-1997/.

Smith, Zoe. “Transgenic Organism with GFP Genes.” Venngage, infograph.venngage.com/p/225066/transgenic-organism-with-gfp-genes.

Vesna, Victoria. “Biotech Intro NEW.” YouTube, 26 Mar. 2012, youtu.be/Fvp924_pbgc.

Week 5: Midterm Upload

For my midterm project, I focused on the idea of 3D bioprinting organs, specifically the kidney. Below is the link to my powerpoint presenting my project.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M7mqTCoK4Q0ogGuqlskWkWcQjeDEpc5R/view?usp=sharing