Week 8: Nanotechnology & Art

The world of nanotechnology is a world unseen, yet its powers are endless. From atomic bombs to reorganizing dirt into food to treating cancer, the potential of this new and innovative technology is extremely vast. Nanotechnology allows us to look inside objects and living entities and understand how things happen from the inside out. It becomes possible to re-examine existing paradigms and consider alternative solutions to difficult problems.  After reading about Nanoessence, I was immediately entranced by the re-examination of the concepts of life and death in an artistic, enticing presentation using nanotechnology.

http://aatitec.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Nanotechnology-.jpg

In Paul Thomas and Kevin Raxworthy’s Nanoessence, one’s own mortality is explored at the nano level. The atomic structures of both living and dead skin cells were compared to allow the viewer to engage with the question of what life really is. The viewer physically interacts with Nanoessence using only their breath, which intentionally provokes a biblical connotation.

https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology

For this project, a HaCat skin cell was analyzed with an Atomic Force Microscope. HaCat cells were used because they are immortal, meaning that they can endlessly continue cloning themselves.  A layered topographic view of the cells was then displayed to represent the “essence of life.”

Atomic Force Microscope
http://www.phy.mtu.edu/nue/images/atomicforce/AtomicForceMicroscope.jpg

http://johncurtingallery.curtin.edu.au/local/images/2009/nano/Paul%20Thomas%20Picture%209.png

Raxworthy created an algorithm that used the moisture from the viewer’s breath to activate sensors that allow “the essence of life to grow.” The viewer also hears sounds that were created from the vibrations of the Atomic Force Microscope. As this may be hard to image (I could not feasibly create an image of the essence of life growing in my mind) the video below of the project in progress may make this idea more clear.

 http://visiblespace.com/blog/?page_id=122

Nanoessence allows the viewer to experience the exploration of life in a way I never knew was possible. The idea of using one’s breath to control how life is viewed truly connects the viewer to the project at a level I have never witnessed. The use of nanotechnology in this project is what brought it to life, and my fascination with this project allowed me to deeply appreciate all that the intersection of science and art has to offer.

Works cited

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.base. John Curtin Gallery, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>.

Gimzewski, James. “Introduction to Nanotechnology for Artists.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 22 May 2015. Lecture.

Mai, Wenjie. "Fundamental Theory of Atomic Force Microscopy." Professor Zhong L. Wang's Nano Research Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://www.nanoscience.gatech.edu/zlwang/research/afm.html>.

"Paul Thomas and Kevin Raxworthy: Nanoessence." Cornell. N.p., 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://events.cornell.edu/event/paul_thomas_and_kevin_raxworthy_nanoessence>.

Thomas, Paul. "Nanoessence." Visiblespace. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://visiblespace.com/blog/?page_id=122>.