Neuroscience + art

For this week, professor Vesna talks about the mind, brain, and memory. She adds how machines work or made with consciousness. What is mean by being conscious? What is brain? To answer this question, people chronically studied and looked for the discoveries of brain system. Franz Joseph Gall is known for illustrating phrenology which individuality, personality, and human behavior depend on the mental function. It can be translated to mind and knowledge.

one example of neuroculture "the brain hat"

While I was glad that I found some fact that I know (it was the brain divided into organs), it was my first time to see the combination of two different professionals' work.
Suzanne Anker, the artist and Giovanni Frazzetto, the neuroscientist began the "neuroculture project". They were both interested in the relationship between art and neuroscience and interconnect their idea to the human's daily life. On the fMRI scans, they show butterfly having identical print on the brain. Such great and artistic activities help us how brain and synapses work.
The article "Neuroculture" also describe how individuality works regarding the neuroscience. The knowledge we know may not be only seen in labs or science-related field, but also in public and in human culture. The transformation of neuroscience can be found in films, medias, advertisements, literature, art, and other practical approach with easy access. One thing I learned through the article and the "neuroculture project" is that the idea of neuroscience is so unique and full of inspiration that people can present their imagination on connecting a person to a culture through visual art.

On the left is called "Between a Thing and a Thought" by Susan Aldworth(2001)

On the right is fMRI Butterfly by Suzanne Anker(2008)

I was also surprised to see the part where it showed about the nerve and building blocks.
I could not believe one discovery on sea sponges that share about 70 percent of genes with humans. Moreover, visionary ideas were also found a new way to make "brainbow" where you can see randomly distributed rainbow color within each, distinctive unit. It was so colorful and pretty.

an example of "brainbow"

97% of dream disappears and also we experience rapid eye movement while we sleep. I think being unconsciousness can be similar as dreaming. The unconscious idea was first found by Freud Sigmund. He with the other neuroscientists began the collaboration work of various way to show how human has unconscious or conscious mind.
Another article wrote by Jung mentions about what Holderlin said, "Where danger is, arises salvation also". People in this world are looking for such opportunities to learn the relationship of opposite formation for example, inside and outside, conscious and unconscious, and so on. They will not stop to navigate and explore the miraculous interaction of art and neuroscience. I learned the motivation of artists who are willing to respond to the massive and huge filed of neuroscience to communicate with the world.




Images
http://pharmakon.me/2012/10/29/art-inspired-by-cadaver-cross-sections-neuroculture-continues-to-transpire/

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/31/175858397/somewhere-over-the-brainbow-the-journey-to-map-the-human-brain

http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v10/n11/fig_tab/nrn2736_F2.html


Citations
Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious / Memory (Part 1).” Lecture. 16 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLVQIwOn7o8>

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 2).” 16 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xlg5wXHWZNI>

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 3).” 16 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E5EX75xoBJ0>

Cohan, Mark. Lecture. 16 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eDq8uTROeXU>

Giovani Frazzetto and Suznne Anker. "Neuroscience". Volume 10. November 2009. Web.

Carl Jung. "The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man". Web.

Nanotech + Art

This time, Dr. Gimzewski begins his lecture by showing the chemistry view and the scale of how nanotechnology is defined. I remembered "nano-" as something small and tiny from my physics class during high school year. This term is used when dealing with molecule and atomic scale. What captured my sight was Drexler's vision engineering with atoms and molecules. Although Smalley had a debate against Drexler's idea, I was so surprised by the moving or vibrating model-animation regarding nanotechnology.

Drexler's moving model animation

<http://www.e-flux.com/journal/notes-on-the-inorganic-part-i-accelerations/>

Dr. Gimzewski introduced many fabulous and interesting things about nanotechnology like different color dots of quantum, nanoshells used as cancer therapy. Especially, the third video was about nanoparticles (generally sized between 100 and 1 nanometer(s)). By changing the size, the nanoparticles can have different and changed properties. Lotus leaf effect is when the water drops do not get soaked in the leaf. It is due to the surface and we call it as a hydrophobic phenomena. Therefore, non-wetting lotus can have uncontaminated and clean leaf. This idea led and affected today's daily products.The company began to think of producing fabrics, self cleaning fabrics and self cleaning glass and even self cleaning concrete. Japanese train (Shinkansen) is one example that has been coated and became the self cleaning-train using this idea. The rain will be washed away.

locus leaf example

<http://www.ecofriend.com/10-ways-nanotechnology-promises-shape-green-future.html>

how "structure" makes the water drop stays on the surface

<http://www.fineshinetech.com/tech/index_tech_06.htm>

The article called the "art in the age of nanotechnology" has many fascinating pictures to explore the art and nanotechnology collaboration. Boo Chapple's work was the first thing that captured my sight who made the audio speaker using the bone by the vibration of a bone to make a sound that can be actually heard.
Another example I decided to put on my blog was the blue morpho which was one picture of a butterfly with blue color wings on it. However this color is not just from the color, but from the structure. There is no component that makes the "colored" wings. It is because of the nanophotonics. You will see structures which look like Christmas trees. The light reflected from the Christmas tree-structure causes the wings to form the color. These discoveries became the reasons how science is explained through art and design. I also saw unique and beautiful self-organized shapes and structures found in nature.

how Christmas tree looking structure gives the butterfly a color

<http://www.photobiology.info/Ball.html>

Nanotech sounds like it is related to the filed of science, but Dr. Gimzewski mentioned how people are using many products that are nanomaterials in the last lecture video. Especially cosmetics and sunscreens. Nano system is also willing to generate in food and agriculture in the future to avoid pollution. Many nano-food productions are easy to found in markets. I agree with the Professor Vesna that the concept of nanotechnology is important because this new system of combination of art and nanotechnology is getting re-invented through our daily lives like the paradigm shifts patterns. 

Citations

“Art in the Age of Nanotechnology.” Artabase. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>.

"Nature's Fantastical Palette: Color from Structure" Philip Ball. Web. 30 May 2012.
<http://www.photobiology.info/Ball.html>

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.

"Nanotech Jim pt1". Gimzewski. 21 May. 2012. Lecture Video. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7jM6-iqzzE>

BioTech + Art

I was impressed by his quote where he mentioned “… All of our dreams are going to come true. So we will have to have the right kinds of dreams. That is why science needs artists like me” (Lecture Part I). After reading this quote, I was looking forward to seeing how artists and scientist together define the relationship between biotechnology and art.

James Watson was introduced to use animals on bio art studies for example using live cells. The lecture video shows the glowing mammals. Osamu Shimomura was the one who worked with green fluorescent protein by injecting the jellyfish gene to mice. Furthermore, this study helped detecting the activity of spreading cancer cells to nerve cells and brain. Transgenic art and genetic engineering are used for inventing unique and odd types of mammals and especially Alba, a glowing rabbit, became GFP Bunny that was famous for being an example of a transgenic artwork. Alba is a cute and cuddly house pet, but when only the UV light is turned on, it shows its glowing ear, body, paws, and even its whiskers.

(Alba, the glowing rabbit)

http://www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/cooluses8.html

The part I of lecture video shows how such glowing rabbit represent the strange and unfamiliar form of so-called “a disconcerting vision of future of a science fiction pet”. At this point, we should think about how art and life inventions are affecting each other through interspecies communication and dialogue by using artwork and technology with creativity. “Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?” article also talks about how “creativity breeds creativity.” As a human being, we have the control over such innovations and new expansion of creative ideas.

(Example of Orlan's idea)

Moreover, I was fascinated by the idea of Orlan from the lecture part IV. Her idea was to use her body and the procedures of plastic surgery to show "carnal art". Her transformation presents the different color pieces from biotechnological symbols and also hybridization of different culture breeding. Orlan’s idea plus “The third ear” gave me a new shock to the concept of combination of art and biotechnology. I could not imagine how these kinds of job were produced and introduced in communities.

(Connecticut Yankee delphinium plant)

http://www.tastygardener.com/delphinium/

On the other hand, among these artworks, I was interested in how the artists work with nature. People studied not only animals’ genetics and technology expand in human lives, but also focused on the breeding of Connecticut Yankee delphinium plant. I was indifferent about how nature can be the branch of art and biotechnology experiment, but I would like to visit one of the flow exhibitions.

Citation & Sources

Eduardo Kac. "GFP Bunny". Dobrila, Peter T. and Kostic, Aleksandra (eds.), Eduardo Kac: Telepresence, Biotelematics, and Transgenic Art (Maribor, Slovenia: Kibla, 2000), pp. 101-13. Web. <http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor>

Animal Biotechnology. University of California Television. Jul 25, 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCIvAuwaf-o>

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture I-V.  DESMA 9. Web. 17 May. 2012

Kelty, Chris. “Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?”. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.

Levy, Ellen K.. “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications.” Web. 2 Nov 2012.

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