Art & Nanotechnology

This week, we ventured into the world of nanotechnology and its participation with art. Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on a molecular or atomic scale. This scale of work is so minuscule that it isn't noticeable by the naked eye, but when put into different fields such as science, technology, and art, it can make a huge difference in the way we perceive things. Nanotechnology is amazing because it is essentially the building blocks of bigger structures.

Dr. Ginzewski described that nanotechnology can be applied to creating new medicines, and treating diseases. Today, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and one of the optional treatments are known as "chemotherapy", which is also known as radiation therapy, and tries to target killing the cancerous nanoparticles in the body. However, this type of therapy attacks both healthy and cancerous cells. At the same time, nanotechnology tries to create protective cells that won't be affected by cancer.

Still, the concept of nanotechnology can be applied to the world of art. Many pieces take a considerably high amount of detail such as Georges Seurat's paintings of parks. If viewed closely with a magnifying glass, you can see the number of paint dabs, or even pixels that were involved in creating the image that we can recognize. For instance, if we just saw the painting for the bottom left half, then all we would see is a lake, but this painting is so much more! The nano-details that were involved in putting this together is beyond my skill, and sanity level.

Nanotechnology brings into perspective just how big our world actually is. It makes us dwell and think about the small pieces that make the big picture come together. Whether it is a solid color, or a gradient like the rainbow, it tells us that there is "more than meets the eye". In retrospect, nanotechnology has a huge potential  for the world of tomorrow. It opens the door to revolutionary ideas by creating a small piece of the big puzzle.

Citations:

"Nanotechnology." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology>.

"Nanotechnology in Cancer Treatment." Nanotechnology in Cancer Treatment. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.understandingnano.com/cancer-treatment-nanotechnology.html>.

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Artabase. N.p., 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>.

"Ray Kurzweil: A University for the Coming Singularity." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/ray_kurzweil_announces_singularity_university.html>.

 "Nanotechnology Explained." - IEEE. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.


Vesna, Victoria. "Nanotech Intro." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

Week 7: Neuroscience and Art

This week, we started to submerge ourselves in the world of the mind and human perceptions. Neuroscience is a intricate and complex study, and it continually tries to engage itself with the public on a regular basis. Neuroscience attempts to study and our individual minds, and evaluates our brains.

Are the color dots blinking, or are still?

Art often tries to take advantage of perception to create new works. In some cases, optical illusions can affect how we perceive these creative works by confusing our brain. In this example, our eyes try to trick our brain into thinking that the color dots are moving, or blinking, when they are actually staying still. The black and white spiral confuses our brain into trying to pinpoint the colored dots, and thus creates an illusion that makes us think harder than necessary.

LSD Painting

Professor Vesna talked a lot about hallucinogens used to create art by affecting our senses. This includes LSD, stimulants, and many other drugs, and they alter an individual's perception of the world around them. Many instances of using hallucinogens include impaired judgement, blurring visions, and color shifts, however these are just limited things I read through research.

"Beauty" on the Left, Beauty on the Right.

I think the most influencial perception we have in our lives is beauty. Today, the media plays a huge role in shaping our brains to think a certain way, and setting rules for "beauty". However, this ideal is wrong. We grow up in different environments, and our experiences shape our depiction of what beauty is. 

Citations:

"Acid Trip 1." Acid Trip 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cowboybooks.com.au/html/acidtrip1.html>.

"Beauty Perception." Beauty Perception. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://beauty-perception.tumblr.com/page/2>.

"Neuroscience-pt1.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.

"Neuroscience Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EX75xoBJ0>.

"How LSD Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.howstuffworks.com/lsd.htm>.

Week 6: BioTech & Art

One of the most controversial topics that that we have ventured through this course is biotechnology and art. Biotechnology is a powerful tool that is used to genetically alter the genetic make up; or DNA, of life forms. It has been practiced for thousands of years, but only recently, it has made many breakthroughs in cross coding DNA. These breakthroughs have raised an issue of the ethics of creating new life.

To begin, the Human Genome Project was started with the intention of creating, and identifying the DNA and genes that make up humans. However, as the research progressed, the knowledge acquired from this project questioned if this knowledge could be used against mankind. People were unsure if the understanding of the genetic make up of humans would be used to discriminate against humans.

A most prevalent example of biotechnology is food. Food is forefront of biotechnology, and we have all experienced a countless number of instances where food has been modified for our tastes. Just look at the next fruit you pick up, it has probably been modified! 

Seedless Watermelon

The Alba Bunny was created as the cross between biotechnology and art. It holds the aesthetics of a jellyfish, with its glowing features, with the reproduction rate of a bunny. The creator of the bunny was Eduardo Kac, and he challenged pure genetics with his work. However, with this project, many ethnical questions were raised. How far are people willing to go with cross genetics? What are the benefits of genetic mutation? While cross genetics has opened doors to new drugs, and food, we should be aware of the direction it is going. We have to know that the implications is to improve lives, and not challenge life.

Midterm

https://www.dropbox.com/s/22jovj865lfeozx/Joseph%20chan.ppt