WEEK 8: NanoTech + Art

When reviewing this week’s materials, it was fascinating to learn about nanotechnology as it is a subject that was very unfamiliar to me, yet is on the rise. As mentioned in the reading, the nanoscale is so abstract in relation to human experience and nanotechnology is very much in its beginning stages of development, which is why it is attracting not only scientists, but artists and humanists alike.

Image of the Lycurgus Cup from the British Museum 

We have long been exposed to nanoparticles as they are found in ancient materials, such as the Lycurgus Cup, which appears green in the daylight, but when illuminated from inside it is red due to the coloration from nanosized gold particles. Nanoparticles are also found in Medieval stained glass, which was created using gold nanoparticles to color stained glass red, while silver nanoparticles gave it a deep yellow color. Artisans at the time though did not even realize the role nanotechnology properties played.

Stained glass image from Gothic cathedral building from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/science-stained-glass.html

While these pieces of art were created by artists unbeknownst to nanotechnology, in the world today where individuals across disciplines are aware of such technology involving the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules, artists are able to create unique types of works that present new ways we can see and interact with such abstract matter on a human level.


For example, to create the Transjuicer installation, Boo Chapple applied an oscillating voltage to cow bone, causing the bone to vibrate at a corresponding frequency, and recorded these vibrations at the nanoscale using a laser interferometer. Through her work, she brings the nanoworld to a human scale by enabling individuals to connect with matter that cannot be sensed due to its minuscule size. The pieces in Chapple’s installation capture the pure interaction of disciplines and demonstrate the third culture Vesna and Gimzewski mention as she used science and technology to transform biological material, and in turn created media art pieces.

Image from Boo Chapple's Transjuicer installation

Art has also been seen to help make nanotechnology easier to understand in the “nano” exhibition back in 2003/4 at LACMA. In the exhibits, visitors could see what is was like to actually manipulate atoms and move molecules similar to operating the Scanning Tunneling Microscope. 

Image of buckyballs responding via sensors to movement of a person's
shadow from Vesna and Gimzewski's nano exhibition at LACMA

These types of exhibitions, along with works like Chapple’s, are effective in the sense that they bring nanoscience into a more believable and sensible space for humans. As more artists produce such works, society can gain even more exposure to the nanoworld and better understand a scale that lacks visible proof of existence.

REFERENCES

“Art in the Age of Nanotechnology.” Artabase. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2017. 

Chan, Chi. "From Nanotech to Nanoscience." Chemical Heritage Foundation. N.p., 12 Apr. 2017. Web.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 

ScienceGallery. "TRANSJUICER_BOO CHAPPLE." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Feb. 2011. Web. 

Stefan, Lovgren. National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 23 Dec. 2003. Web.

Zolfagharifard, Ellie. "How medieval stained-glass is creating the ultimate SPACE camera: Nanoparticles used in church windows will help scientists see Mars true colours under extreme UV light." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 15 Oct. 2013. Web.

Gimzewski, James K. “Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part 2” Desma 9: Art, Science and Technology. Los Angeles, CA. May 21, 2012. Lecture. Web.

Gimzewski, James K. “Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists Part 3” Desma 9: Art, Science and Technology. Los Angeles, CA. May 21, 2012. Lecture. Web.