Friday, May 22, 2015

Week 8 - "NanoTech + Art"

This week’s topic focuses primarily on the intersection of art and nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is such a fascinating field that first attracts people because of the scale (Malcolm). As Professor Gimzewski mentioned in his lecture, nanotechnology deals with the logarithm scale, the scale of tens. 
Nanotechnology is based on a Logarithm Scale
It is human nature to be curious with what the naked eye cannot see, making nanotechnology so intriguing. In my opinion, artists are constantly looking for new avenues in which they can express their art. What signals an artists ability is not by following convention, but by breaking through the norm and exploring new means of expression. Nanotechnology, being such a relatively new field of study can provide this new means of communication in which artists can express their thoughts and feelings. According to the director of the Cornell Council for the Arts’, the collision between art and nanotechnology show how artists address realms of human experience that lie beyond our immediate sensory perception (Aloi). Looking at particles from a miniscule point of view, it is easy to see the artistic influence of nature. 
Snowflake under microscope.
Even look at snowflakes under a microscope, the individuality of each snowflake and the precise symmetric structure prove how profound nature. There is beauty in the nano spectacle of material objects, but there is also beauty in the application of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has paved a new path in medicine by producing technology that can help detect diseases faster and work to eradicate it in individuals. For examples, gold nanoparticles are used to sense small amounts of cancerous cells in the body, leading to a faster diagnosis and increasing the rate of recovery (Boyle). 
Gold Nanoparticles
Yes, nanotechnology can be artistic in that it magnifies the beauty of nature. But the real beauty lies in its ability to help so many people around the world. Also, as said before, I believe that artists are so attracted to nanotechnology because they act as a new avenue in which they can express themselves. As Professor Vesna said in her lecture, nanotechnology is what puts us over the edge into the 21st century.


Citations

Aloi, Daniel. “Art and Nanotech Converge in Campus Biennial | Cornell Chronicle.” Cornell Chronicle, 11 Spet. 2014. Web.

Boyle, Rebecca. “7 Amazing Ways Nanotechnology Is Changing The World.” Popular Science. 14 Nov. 2012. Web.

Gimzewski, James. “Unit 8: NanoTech + Art.” 2012. Lecture.

Malcolm, Chris. Art in the Age of Nanotechnology. Bently, WA: John Curtin Gallery, 2012. Print.


Vesna, Victoria. “Unit 8: NanoTech + Art.” 2012. Lecture.
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 25, 2015 at 2:23 PM

    I completely agree with you that nano tech is going to be one of the defining fields of the 21st century in a similar way that nuclear technology in many ways defined the 20th and mechanical engineering defined the 19th. Its a vast new and unexplored field for scientist and of course artist to delve into and a lot of what makes it so attractive is the mystery of it all. We can't really imagine something on the scale of nano tech yet, nano tech holds huge benefits to society even though we can't see it. I'll bet that in this field we'll rely more than ever on artist to shape our understanding of it.

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  2. nicolecDESMA9May 25, 2015 at 9:59 PM

    I really liked your thoughts on how nanotechnology allows artists to break away from the norm. I think that is a great take on the mindset of some of the best artists. I think it can also be argued that it is the mindset of many of the best scientists. I think to be the best in your field you have to think outside the box and nanotechnology and art is a great example of that. I believe your thoughts were spot on.

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