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Space and Art Copernicus, the renaissance astronomer, first developed a spatial model that placed the sun, in the middle of our solar system (Vesna). Centuries later, the “Space Race”, a political race that spurred the beginnings of modern space research, began during the Cold War, which paved the ways for further space-research programs such as NASA and Space-X (Vesna). Copernicus (Biography.com) From movies to novels, humans have had a history of fantasizing the unknowns of space for many years. Beyond fantasy, however, lies a much more realistic expression of art through space, called “space art” that has become more prevalent as our understanding of space has become more advanced in recent years.   One example I found notable was Makrolab, the living telecommunications laboratory that emerged from artist Marko Pelijhan’s vision in 1994 (Holmes). This laboratory hosted crews of artists, writers, hackers, and scientists for research of climate, telecommunicatio...

Nanotechnology and Art  History of Nanotechnology   People have dreamt of the possibilities of nanotechnology before nanoscience even became a field (Gimzewski and Vesna). Although nanoparticles were, somewhat unknowingly, used in ancient times (example: Lycurgus Cup, 500AD) Richard Feynman was the first notable theorist for mechanical utilization of nanotechnology (Gimzewski). However, most of his work was simply theoretical, as nanoparticles were too small to be visible through microscopes (for reference, the average human hair thickness is around 50,000 nanometers) (Lovgren). That was until 1981, when scientists in Switzerland invented the Scanning Tunneling Microscope which allowed scientists, for the first time, to see topography of atoms that initially could not be seen (Lovgren).   Lycurgus Cup (British Museum) Current Use of Nanotechnology   Nanotechnology is more evident in our lives than the general public knows. Dr. Gimzewski stated that...

Event 4 - Weak or No Signal Technology’s Impact   Technology and art are intertwined in the sense that technology has allowed for artists to expand their creativity in their work. That is, technology has become utilized as new tools for artistic expression (Gever). Art before the technological boom was predominantly shaped by people of power such as famous artists, art gallery owners, or art promoters (Gever). But now, technology has allowed for artists to be socially connected. That is, before technology was widely utilized in art, artists had to go to galleries to get their work recognized. If their work was not good enough according to the gallery’s standards, then your art would not be exposed (Gever).   Art and Technology (McCaslin) Technology in Art When did this trend of using technology for art begin? The answer is unclear as artists have been using technology to express themselves for a very long time (Rieland). However, it was mostly in th...

Event 3: Art, Science, Technology and Sound Hamdan's Sound Waves (Hammer Museum) The event I attended was an exhibition at Hammer Museum that showed the works of the artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. According to Hammer Museum, Hamdan began this project in 2016. His project was an “acoustic investigation” of a military prison in Syria. This prison was unlike any ordinary prison, as it was known to be inaccessible to monitors and observers due to its conditions of leaving most detainees in complete darkness. Thus, Hamdan initiated his “ear witness” interviews to try to rebuild the conditions of the prison simply through the acoustic (sound) memories of the notorious prison’s former detainees. Hamdan incorporated sound-wave mapping technology to measure the sounds, ultimately reconstructing the sounds and acoustic leakage into visual form. Hammer Museum described his work as a way in which “sound becomes sight and sight becomes sound” (Hammer Museum).   Syrian Prison (Amnest...

Neuroscience and Art   Neuroscience (University of Pittsburg) Neuroscience, the study of the brain, has yet to find answers to its various questions. Within neuroscience, the topic/question of consciousness was what gathered most interest from society (Vesna). The topic was made famous by a neurologist Sigmund Freud who divided the mind into two categories: conscious and unconscious. He claimed that the unconscious state of our mind, most commonly seen as we dream, is limited and harmful compared to our conscious side (Vesna). However, psychiatrist Jung disagreed, as he claimed that the unconscious state can actually be beneficial for our minds. Jung most strongly disagreed with Freud’s negative perspective of religion. He wrote that religion was a safe haven for human mind, and through the use of our minds’ unconsciousness (especially dreaming), religion has potential to invoke a psychic, archetypal power (Jung).   Graphic display of the brain (Yunus) T...

Event 2 Blog Response on Clemence Pinel's  The Construction of the ‘Environment’ in Epigenetics Research: A Social Study The event circulated around studies that were done by Clemence Pinel who is a social scientist of biomedicine and bioscience. The main study at hand focused on how the environment has impacted epigenetic research, and has influenced collaborations between scientists and various environmental teams. More specifically, Pinel’s studies and research focused on finding out the various ways scientific knowledge is produced. She has carried out her studies by analyzing the cultural, historical, and social contexts of how scientific knowledge is produced.   Ethnography (Nature.nl) Pinel is not an epigenetic scientist or researcher, however. Rather, she uses ethnography in her research to better understand epigenetic knowledge and how it has become what it is now (Edipapo). She says that she began her research into this epigenetic field by immersing h...