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Stained glass art uses nanotechnology.  Beginning unknowingly in ancient times through pottery and later stain glassed art, nanotechnology is a field that is fairly new and often misunderstood. As described in this week's article, it is difficult to comprehend the notion of nanotechnology in the traditional philosophical and visual sense in that "there is nothing even remotely visible to create proof of existence" (Gimzewski and Vesna 2003). Beginning with the structuring of carbon to the recent findings in the field, nanotechnology is slowly growing to become a part of everyday life through its applications and uses in art, medicine, and other fields.  In order to visually grasp such small material, many researchers use Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STMs) as the STM images the surfaces of the material at the atomic level. Through the imaging, they use contour mapping to outline the structure. I found this very interesting as it was very applicable to some of the

Neuroscience, or the study of the nervous system, particularly that of the brain, has not only become an integral part of art, but also the concept of identity and human perception. The movement of the brain's neurons and the structure of the brain help us imagine and create art, but also allows us to perceive and interpret art.  I found the article "Neuroculture" really intriguing as it discussed how neuroscience has evolved and become a part of culture, particularly in art, literature, and film. In addition, it discussed how understanding neuroscience may reveal the "underpinnings of our individuality, such as emotions, consciousness, the way we make decisions, and our socio-psychological interactions" (Frazzetto). I believe that this is very important as artists, through their work, can spur further research in uncovering the mind, as there is still much research to be conducted in understanding the brain. Art such as fMRI Suzanne Anker's fMRI Butterf

Selfie with the artist, Elí Joteva.  For my second event, I attended Elí Joteva's art exhibit entitled, "Mnemoawari". I was initially intrigued as I had never heard of such a word, and upon looking up the meaning, I could not find anything. I later learned that the title came from the Greek goddess Mnemosyne, and the Japanese saying "Mono no aware", which translates to "the pathos of things" (Lomas). This idea of memory and time was reflected throughout the exhibit. Map of the Exhibit Upon entering the event, I first saw  "Dream Augur", which projected the brain waves of someone as they recalled a dream. My initial impression was a sense of tranquility and focus through the blue waves and as I continued to peer at the image. Ironically enough, I later learned that the intense blue waves reflected long waves in the brain, which occurred under great focus. This tied into the concepts of the fourth week's unit of medicine in

In this week's unit, the connection between biotechnology and art is found in the form of Bio Art, which I believe helps drive scientific innovation and brings to life certain moral and social issues in  associated with biotechnology in addition to giving regular people access to gaining a better understanding of various developments in life science.  The essay "Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?: Outlaws, Hackers, and Victorian Gentlemen" really struck a cord with me on the idea of Bio Art as a means of communication as it described how "outlaws" of life science, exemplified by the DIY Biology movement, have helped the general public understand the interactions between microorganisms in the environment. The author also emphasizes the importance of Bio Art as a "a source of surplus but also a target for critique" for biological research (Outlaw Biology).  One common DIY Biology project mentioned in the essay was extracting the DNA from str

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