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This course has introduced me to various intersecting topics of art + science/tech and has generally broadened my understanding of the different meanings of art in our world. For this reason it is fitting that our last module covers beyond that scope, focusing on the intersections between space and art. It would be remiss not to talk about Star Wars , my favorite movie franchise growing up. I remember being so enthralled with the idea of different planets, intermingling with different alien species, and particularly light-speed space travel. Sadly, according to Einstein's theory of special relativity, traveling at light-speed is physically impossible especially for anything with mass, let alone the mass of a spaceship/humans (Petruzello).  Binary sunset - Star Wars: A New Hope We might not live to see it in our lifetime, but I believe that we could see some semblance of Star Wars-esque space technologies in the future. As mentioned in lecture,  Jules Vernes' 1865 novel From t

  Nanotechnology is one of the areas in science/tech that seems too advanced to be true which is why I find it incredibly fascinating. I remember my shock and excitement upon hearing that the futuristic nanotechnologies we see in movies or TV aren’t that far from becoming reality. This week's lectures by Dr. Gimzewski helped me better grasp the concept behind this technology. One example of nanotech mentioned in the lectures was the use of nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents in commercially-sold products such as sportswear, socks, etc. According to Dr. Gimzewski, these nanoparticles actually ‘go into’ the bacteria and ‘destroy them’, minimizing smell and build up of said bacteria. These nanoparticles are known as silver nanoparticles or AgNPs and are multifunctional, having antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and anti-cancer properties (Zhang et al.). Silver Nanoparticles Despite the almost miraculous nature of these nanoparticles, several studies have fou

The second event I attended this quarter was a viewing and short presentation on the behind-the-scenes making of Jess Irish’s short documentary, This Mortal Plastik. Her self proclaimed “nontraditional documentary” is about 20 minutes long and features various artistic mediums in order to provide commentary on the ever-growing culture of single-use plastics and their detrimental effect to the environment. Irish included poems/quotes and eye-catching visual images, making the documentary both entertaining and impactful.  Screenshot from event: drawing of plastic over animated hands One of the quotes that really stuck with me was one by Annie Leonard, which goes “There is no such thing as ‘away.’ Just ‘elsewhere.’” This quote was shown simultaneously with visuals of landfills and oceans filled with plastic; it made me reevaluate my use of plastics and other wasteful material. I thought to myself, how many recyclable materials are actually recycled and not just transported elsewhere to ex

This week's topic on neuroscience excited me because it's one of the areas of study that I find interesting. As a psychobiology major, I am drawn to subjects that seek to examine the inner workings of the mind, questioning the mechanism behind our perception or mental states. As such, learning about the effect of drugs and how widespread (and legal) they once were is fascinating--it reflects the progression we've made in terms of neurological/psychological discovery, as well as the shift in culture from largely pro-recreational drugs to vehemently anti-drugs.   Your Brain on Drugs - Serge Seidlitz Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker’s article on “Neuroculture” helped me bridge the gap in the relationship between neuroscience and art; in their text, they state that the interaction between the two disciplines helps to “make the scientific community and the public aware of the social and ethical implications of the scientific advances in neuroscience” (Frazzeto and Anker). We

Bioart is an interdisciplinary field that combines art with biotechnology in an effort to question the relationship between living and nonliving organisms. This is a particularly controversial topic because of its ethically questionable involvement with the manipulation of natural systems, including experimentation with animals. One such example, an iconic bioart piece, is the fluorescent bunny by Eduardo Kac. The fluorescen t protein gene from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria was modified to increase its intensity and was inserted into a fertilized rabbit cell to give rise to Alba, a bunny that glows bright green under UV light (Young).  Alba, the GFP bunny Kac describes the bunny as a transgenic artwork and NOT a breeding project. The latter, he describes, is a “selection process” that aims to “create pure breeds with standard form and structure, often to serve a specific performative function”; by contrast, transgenic art “challenges notions of genetic purity” and “reveals the fluid

The second part of the From Forces to Forms series explored the topic of Morphogenesis. The presentation, led by artist Ellen K. Levy, spotlighted five different artists. The artists presented works in which they utilized natural processes in different ways to create their art. Morphogenesis is defined by google as “ the origin and development of morphological characteristics” or “the formation of landforms or other structures”. In this way, this event relates to the Two Cultures phenomenon because it interconnects scientific concepts with art.  The first artist that stuck out to me was William Lamson and his “Badwater” exhibition. This collection of art survives under a climate controlled environment in order to create cyclic flooding and drought conditions, inspired by Death Valley’s Badwater Basin. The gallery displays these geologic forces and allows them to persist and develop without intervention from the artist (Lamson). In essence, it displays the inherent relationship between