Event 2: The Museum of Jurassic Technology.

 The Museum of Jurassic Technology

It was a sunny evening on 14^th November and that’s when I decided to make my way to the Museum of Jurassic Technology. This was actually the second time I was visiting the museum having been there in July to witness a performance by Eva Salina. My earlier experience at the museum was thrilling and that is why I decided to make my way back.  The museum defines itself as an institution of education that is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of the Lower Jurassic. The pieces on exhibit were unusual and had varying degrees of authenticity.  Some objects looked out of this world while other could not be proved to have actually existed during the Lower Jurassic age. 

The Museum's Entrance

My Ticket

It was a sunny evening! (Me at the Entrance)

The Museum’s interior was dark and these evoked a feeling of creepiness.  The pieces on display were illuminated with pinpoint lighting while others had light within them.  The audio guides and placards made it easy to understand what was on display but the scientific language used seemed more confusing since many people could not tell whether the description given were facts or just fiction.  There was a gallery that was showcasing portraits of dogs claimed to have been used in the Russian space project and another one showcased and described various superstitious beliefs in different cultures.  Though it was creepy, the ambiance in the museum resulted to an experience that placed me in a state of doubt and confusion.

The Eva Salina performance that went on a few months ago was an interesting event.  She showed her prowess by being able to sing a blaring brass band. Apart from her voice being rich, it was distinctive and captivating. Her performance incorporated music from different cultures that included the Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Corsica, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the Romani people. The whole experience at the museum is worth trying out and I would recommend a visit by anyone is search of new adventure and experience. 

Some Pieces of Art on Display

It as so full of fun!

Week 8: Nano-Tech and Art

 Nano-Tech and Art

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular levels. This week’s topic was about how artists use nanotechnology in their pieces of work. Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding area of research with huge potential in many sectors, ranging from healthcare to construction and electronics. It’s relation with art is quite interesting as it involves creation of pieces of art at an atomic level. Artists who apply nanotechnology in their work are a perfect example of how art and science is connected.

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The John Curtin gallery is an art gallery that has exhibitions comprising of a series of collaborative projects designed to challenge, explore and critique our understanding of the material world. In this gallery, work by various artists who employ nanotechnology is exhibited. One interesting piece is that by Boo Chapple whose aim is to create speakers out of bone. Chapple. He makes use of the piezoelectric nature of the bone matrix to make the bone vibrate and produce sound that is audible.  Other pieces of art exhibited in the gallery include the Nanomandala by professor Vesna and James Gimszewkski and the nano-scape by Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau. 

The Transjuicer

http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology

  Another interesting artist I came across was J Sha who together with ARmark Authentication Technologies, came up with what is believed to be the world’s smallest piece of flat art. This piece of art, called Fish, is said to be smaller than a speck of dust and was created using nanoentonography which is an anti-counterfeit process that creates brand owner specific information at a microscopic level. Apart from art, nanotechnology can be applied in many other fields such as medicine.

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In medicine, the technology promises to revolutionize how diseases and defects can be detected and treated. Nanotechnology is a growing science and several issues with regard to manipulation and changing of substances at atomic levels have been raised. It has proved to be a powerful technology and therefore issues surrounding its application and use cannot fail to come up.

Works Cited

Artbase. Art in the Age of Nanotechnology. N.p. n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Vesna, Victoria.  The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact & Fiction in the Construction of a New Science. N.p. n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/publications/02-03/JV_nano/JV_nano_artF5VG.htm>.

RSS. Introduction to Nanotechnology RSS. N.p. n.d. Web. 23  Nov. 2013. <http://nanogloss.com/>.

Sommerer, Christa, and Laurent Mignonneau. Nano-Scape: An Invisible Interactive Structure. N.p.2002. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.interface.ufg.ac.at/christa-laurent/WORKS/CONCEPTS/NanoScapeConcept.html>.

The Daily galaxy. Nano-art- The world’s smallest painting. n.p 2007. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/04/nanoart_the_wor.html#more>

Week 7: Neuroscience and Art.

This week’s topic on art and Neuroscience was quite fascinating. Initially,  I had no idea how the complex study of the brain could be related to any form of art but after going through the lectures and readings I found out that Art and Neuro science have a quite an interesting relationship. Art and Neuroscience has a close relationship as pointed out by Professor Vesna about how the brain processes speech, dreams and imagination. Professor Vesna tries to bring out the fact that the brain has contribute greatly to art since it is the center of all ideas and imagination.

 

Artistic Representation of the Brain

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The brain perceives art and judges whether a certain piece of art is a masterpiece ore a flop. The brain asses, reconstructs and judges work of art. Most neurasthenic research is concerned with how we perceive and analyze basic aesthetic details: how we see color, detect motion, hear sound, recognize faces, feel rhythm, and what the peculiarities of each perceptual system tell us about the way the brain stitches these properties together. Secondly, the brain can be seen through the lens of art. The general architecture of the brain and the internal landscape of subjective experience come out as great pieces of art. Different modes and styles used by artists may actually represent the different neural landscape the different pieces of art came from.

    

Most Neurasthenic Research is concerned with Aesthetic Perception

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An interesting relationship between art and neuroscience can be observed in magicians. By being able to trick our brain, magicians are able to make us see things that cannot happen in the normal world. Magicians create emotions by curing some part of our brains thus making it possible for their audience to have a different perspective of their presentation. Frazzeto and Anker in their article titled “Neuroculture” state that ideas, concepts and images in neuroscience widely circulate in the society in form of work of art, literature, films and mass media thus showing how art and Neuroscience have a close relation

A Magician at Work

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Works Cited

Hutton, Noah. Art and Neuroscience: State of union. 2012. Web. 16 Nov 2013 <http://www.creativitypost.com/arts/art_and_neuroscience_a_state_of_the_union>

Jackson, Candace. How Art Affects the Brain. The Wall Street Journal.N.p., 22 2010. Web. 16 Nov  2013. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575017050699693576.ht>.

Lewis, Tamzin. Researching how art effects our brains The Journal. N.p., 08 2011. Web. 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/arts-news/2011/08/08/researching-how-art-effects-our-brains-61634-29187640/2/>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious / Memory (Part 1).” Lecture. 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLVQIwOn7o8

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 2).” 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xlg5wXHWZNI>
Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 3).” 16 Nov 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E5EX75xoBJ0>

 Frazzeto, Giovani and Anker, Suzzanne. Neuroculuture. 2009. Perspectives, Vol 10. Macmillan publishers.