Being of the
doctrine “I’ll see it when I believe it,” it’s generally been hard for me to conceptualize
nanoparticles and nanotechnology. I was amazed to learn that scientists, with
their state-of-the-art microscopes, don’t see these small pieces of matter, but
rather sense them. It takes an amazing amount of confidence in the science –
and maybe a small leap of faith – to trust their senses in this way. As
Professor Vesna said, regarding UCLA’s “nano” exhibit from 2003, “this new
science is about a shift in our perception of reality from a purely visual
culture to one based on sensing and connectivity” [1].
This class
is built on the theme that art and science interact and influence each other. It
is in fields like this where science is
the art. Images like the magnetic nanotubes below are nothing more than results
of a physics lab experiment, but they look like much more from an artistic
point of view.
Magnetic Nanotubes, Ed Simpson, Yasuhiko Hayashi, Takeshi Kasama and Rafal Dunin-Borkowski
I may have a
huge fear of bees, but I think the development of nanobees for medicine is a
promising step in nanotechnology [2]. Ray Kurzweil gave a TED talk (below) about
the inevitability of the rapid acceleration of such technology, and I am very
excited to see what comes in the near future.
I found an
artist, Jonty Hurwitz, who is creating nanosculptures to raise awareness for
humanitary issues. Below is his elephant sculpture, which calls to attention
the killing of over 100,000 elephants in 3 years by ivory poachers [3].
Fragile Giant, Jonty Hurwitz, 2015
Perhaps a
more light-hearted application of nanotechnology is the creation of images like
the one below. Recreating objects we plainly see with nanoparticles “meld
microengineering with aesthetics” (Lilley, NOVA) and can de-mystify the
workings of nanoscience and is an important communicative tool between
scientists, artists, and the general public [4].
“Spaghetti
and meatballs?”
Courtesy Blythe G. Clark, Sandia National Lab, and Dan Gianola
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
Other
universities, like Cornell, are taking initiative to develop nanoart [5]. I hope
this points to a future increase in collaboration between art and science in
academia.
References
[1] Lovgren, Stefan. "Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 23 Dec. 2003. Web. 24 July 2016.
[2] "Making Stuff: Smaller." NOVA. PBS, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 July 2016.
[3] Hurwitz, Jonty. "Nano Sculpture." Art of Jonty Hurwitz. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2016.
[4] Lilley, Maiken. "The Art of Nanotech." NOVA. PBS, 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 July 2016.
[5] Aloi, Daniel. "2014 Biennial to Explore Nanotech as Artistic Medium." Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 July 2016.
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