Space + Art

As a Theater major on the costume design track, I have a different perspective while watching science-fiction films and television shows. E.T., Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. have created a new vision on the merging of space and art. I decided to steer more towards installation art and fine arts because I am a little bit more familiar with the imagination aspect of space in pop culture.



After finding this video, I decided to research for something that really resonated with this class, the idea of merging together education with arts and sciences. I found an article on the NASA art exhibit and was extremely impressed by the idea and execution. Although many of us may have dreamed as a child of becoming an astronaut, very few of us will actually be able to experience this. This installation, however, allows those who enter to experience the Earth-orbiting satellite in New York City as a part of the World Science Festival.


The mix of architecture and science is evident, but also the use of sound design is clearly impactful here. The art is a shell-shaped down made of aluminum and called the NASA Orbit Pavilion. It is designed to be acoustically ideal for groups of kids and adults standing int he middle of it for a five-minute sound show of a journey with 20 NASA satellites studying the Earth today. From the vibration of the dome to the feeling in your bones, the audience members can truly experience the feeling of take-off and listen to the musical experience of satellite sound off.

As a person who has a lack of interest in science, I think that NASA creating educational exhibits for all people to enjoy and experience by merginig art and space is similar to the structure of our class and Professor Vesna's lectures.

"The Earth is a planet, and only NASA has the unique ability to study planets The Earth needs to be studied as a planet because it's a very complex system. Other agencies focus on doing research here on the planet. NASA focuses on using the techniques, the tools and pushing the technology for studying out planet from space" (Ellen Stofan, NASA's chief scientist)

Works Cited

Cofield, Calla. "Sounds of Science: NASA Satellites Sing at World Science Festival | Space.com." N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.space.com/29522-nasa-satellites-sing-world-science-festival.html>.

Dunbar, Brian. NASA. NASA, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/connect/artspace/>.

Dunbar, Brian. NASA. NASA, 24 May 2011. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/may/HQ_11-165_Art_Anniversary.html>.

"NASA Orbit Pavilion - World Science Festival." World Science Festival. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/nasa-orbit-pavilion-5/>.

"Teach Arts and Sciences Together." Mae Jemison:. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.ted.com/talks/mae_jemison_on_teaching_arts_and_sciences_together?language=en>.

Nanotech + Art

Nano in Greek means "dwarf." But that word does not accurately describe how small a nanometer is. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter and to put that in perspective, the average thickness of a human hair is 500,000 nanometers. 

Our first instinct when trying to look at something so small would be to use a microscope. But even a microscope that can magnify ten thousand times, will come up fuzzy or blank. In 1981, the Scanning Tunneling Microscope was invented, allowing atoms so small to be seen. 

In popular culture, the idea of shrinking down to the size of a dust bunny and seeing a new world from the perspective of something so miniscule is fascinating and frequently displayed in the plots of movie and tv. Without the use of technology or science, this depiction would be inaccurate. The art that results from these advanced microscopes are mind boggling with the amount of clarity and details.

For example, above is a polycrystalline alloy consisting of three elements—nickel, magnesium, and gallium. This alloy is a magnetic shape memory material. The image was taken with a polarized optical microscope, which lends the picture its vivid colors. Some compare it to a Turner sunset, which simply goes to show that, our imagination takes over when we see things from different perspectives. 

As I researched more and more about nanotech merged with art, I looked into our very own Professor Vesna and Dr. Gumzewski's installation. The exhibit displayed how ar, science, and technology are constantly inflluencing each other. Through the installation, participants were able to experience how it felt to manipulate atoms one by one.

"Nanoscience will eventually revolutionize and impact upon every single aspect of our lives, including the arts," said Gimzewski. "It brings all the sciences together at the level of the atom. It is completely new in the way we fabricate and make things." (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/12/1223_031223_nanotechnology_2.html)

 Works Cited

"Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/12/1223_031223_nanotechnology_2.html>.

Lilley, Maiken. "The Art of Nanotech." PBS. PBS, 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/art-nanotech.html>.

"NANO | about." NANO | about. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://nano.arts.ucla.edu/mandala/about.php>.

"NanoArt: Nanotechnology and Art." : Media and Communications Book Chapter. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/nanoart-nanotechnology-art/65026>.

"When Nanotechnology Meets Art." ScienceAndReligioncom. N.p., 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 24 May 2015. <https://iaincarstairs.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/when-nanotechnology-meets-art/>.

Neuroscience + Art

As the most complicated object in the Universe, the brain is a jumbled knot of cells that are connected for a person to perceive, think, feel, etc. and that is extremely fascinating to me. The relationship between neuroscience and art is often ignored and seen as irrelevant. However, the brain is the sole reason why we are able to view art and see the aesthetic beauty of each piece. The idea that artists were only attracted to science was introduced by foundational figure, Sanitago Ramon y Cajal, which produced numerous drawings of the image of a neuron in the brain.

This is still seen today in the works of many artists, such as Greg A Dunn with his microetchings that are handmade lithographs that manipulate light on a microscopic scale to control the reflectivity of metallic surface in precise ways. As a visual artist with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, Dunn truly embraces the beauty packed in the architecture of each branching pattern of a plant or neuron. He was inspired by Santiago Ramon y Cajal and pan-Asian artwork.

As a person of Asian descent, I was especially attracted to Dunn's work. The different aspects of the brain come off elegant and spontaneous, which is similar to the Asian style of branching trees, cracks in pavement, and streaming rivers. Even as I think about the brain now and how it traditionally perceived, I can see the comparisons to a river or cracking desert ground.

Works Cited

Drake, John M. "Ecology, Cognition and Landscape: Linking Natural and Social Systems . Landscape Series, Volume 11. By Almo Farina . Dordrecht (The Netherlands) and New York: Springer. $129.00. Xi + 169 P.; Ill.; Index. ISBN: 978-90-481-3137-2 (hc); 978-90-481-3138-9 (eb). 2010." The Quarterly Review of Biology 87.1 (2012): 55-56. Web.

"Humanities & Neuroscience Project." Italian Academy for Advanced Studies. N.p., 10 June 2014. Web. 19 May 2015. <http://italianacademy.columbia.edu/humanities-neuroscience-project>.

"An Introduction To Microetching." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 19 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLt5A29N0zg>.

MailOnline, Victoria Woollaston for. "A Beautiful Mind: Japanese-style Art Inspired by Neuroscience Reveals Grey Matter in Much More Colourful Glory." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 19 May 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2874373/A-beautiful-mind-Japanese-style-art-inspired-neuroscience-reveals-grey-matter-colourful-glory.html>.

"The Neuroscience of Creativity." Comic Art, Creativity and the Law (2014): 7-11. Web.

Biotech + Art

I recently had a discussion with friend regarding our future as mothers and what we would do in the situation where we were infertile. After a long debate, we went through every option from InVitro to adoption to surrogacy to even simply not having a child. That in depth conversation soon evolved to discussing to finding out that your future child could have all kinds of genetic disorders.

Ironically enough, this week's topic just touched based on the idea of using science to modify all kinds of things through the careful engineering of biology. The topic of having a "designer baby" has been circulating for quite some time. A "designer baby" is a result of advanced reproductive technologies allowing parents and doctors to screen embryo for genetic disorders and allowing the parents to select healthy embryos. However, science has evolved and advanced to the point where the ability to manipulate the embryos for all things from choosing the sex to even the hair color or level of intelligence. Although this level of technology can potentially save children from hardships resulted of disease or sickness, the limits of how far this modifications can go is unknown.

The work of Edward Steichen may seem uncontroversial to some because the genetic manipulation results in beautiful flowers. However, this not only affect the life of the child, but also those surrounding him or her. Many may say that their child is a work of art created between the parents as the artists using their DNA and genes as a medium. However, when the work on science and biotech is wrapped into the art it no longer becomes their own art. Instead, it's the work of a scientist with a petri dish.

Contrary to what others may think, I personally believe that the creation of designer babies is unethical and pushing the boundaries and limits of mother nature. The manipulation of genes just makes the children a result of a science project.

Works Cited

[1] Dir. By Tia Ghose. N.p., 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 09 May 2015. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/designer-baby-controversy-scientists-edit-genome-of-human-embryo/>.

[2] "The Embryo Project Encyclopedia." Ethics of Designer Babies. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2015. <https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ethics-designer-babies>.

[3] Gallagher, James. "'Designer Babies' Debate Should Start, Scientists Say - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30742774>.

[4] Ghose, By Tia. "Children to Order: The Ethics of 'Designer Babies'" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 09 May 2015. <http://www.livescience.com/44087-designer-babies-ethics.html>.

[5] Mailonline, Christopher Gyngell For. "Forget the Fears about Designer Babies - We MUST Edit Our Genes: Controversial Technique Could Wipe out Cruel Genetic Diseases like Cystic Fibrosis - and Even Help Prevent Diabetes, Academic Warns." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 06 May 2015. Web. 09 May 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3068591/Forget-designer-babies-edit-genes-Technique-wipe-cruel-genetic-diseases-like-cystic-fibrosis-help-prevent-diabetes-academic-warns.html>.

[6] "What Is a Designer Baby?" What Is a Designer Baby? N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2015. <http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm>.