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If artists aim to develop a third culture that fuse science and technology to inspire new artworks, artists need to be educated in scientific principles. After visiting the California Science Center, I was surprised to see so many elements of our coursework on display, and in touring the exhibits I gained a better understanding of the scientific processes which inspire these works of art. Entering the "creative world" exhibit I noticed the displays on nanotechnology, and was immediately reminded of the ways artists utilize nanotechnology. On display was the Blue Morpho butterfly illustrated in Dr. Gimzewski's lectures, which utilizes structures of nanoparticles in its wings to reflect iridescent blue light (UConline). The exhibit emphasized the ubiquity of nanoparticles in our everyday lives, from self-arranging particles in computer chips to antibacterial particles in children's toys. Given that nanoparticles can arrange themselves, and that the iridescence of the

What traits allow some animals to succeed and others to be endangered? How do animals adapt in an age of machinery and urbanization? These are the questions and themes explored in Sarah Rosalena Brady's "Coyotes in Two Directions". Inspired by the dichotomy between biology and machinery, Brady's piece evaluates how animals can be represented by sculpture in the 21st century. The centerpiece of Brady's exhibit is an automata of 6 aluminum-cast bald eagle talons, connected to servos which allow them to move. Inspired by the endangered status of the bald eagle and themes of reanimation, the talons move in quick and symmetrical fashion, illustrating both grace and protectiveness. The eagle is flanked by a bronze-cast sculpture of a rattlesnake tail on the left, and coyote paws on the right. This exhibit exemplifies the possibilities that the combination of Robotics and Art can bring. In my week 3 blog, I evaluated not only how people can portray robotics through

If art is a means to broaden our horizons and expand our perspective, it's hard to think of a theme better paired with art than space travel. Enticing our imaginations ever since ancient civilizations saw stars as constellations, the vastness of space mirrors the infinite possibilities for artistic expression. While primarily expressed in the form of film and literature, as opposed to visual art, the combination of space and art has expanded our worldviews and inspired generations of future explorers. Though rooted in competition and wartime supremacy, the Space Race sparked a whole genre of fantasy and artistic expression: Science-Fiction. Books like Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey and shows like Star Trek allowed creative artists to envision dramatic new worlds, fascinating alien creatures, and fundamentally human stories of love, conquest, and exploration. (uconline) Science-Fiction takes these themes, which have been explored through art for centuries, and applie

Like last week's topic, the relationship between nanotechnology and art struck me as one of the more symbiotic relationships between science and art. Not only do advances in nanotechnology stand to inspire new forms of artistic expression, but art itself has helped just as much to inform the science of nanotechnology as it evolved from its classical conception to its modern day uses. I was impressed by how the classical Greeks and Romans were not only able to conceptualize notions of "nano" units of measurement, but also utilize nanotechnology in their pottery. Albeit unwittingly, the use of nanoparticles such as nano-sized gold instead of pigments to create unique iridescent colors in Roman glass and pottery glazes. The same is true for medieval stain-glass, which used gold nanoparticles of varying sizes to create captivating colors.   Although the classical and medieval artists most likely had no understanding of the physical processes that describe how nanopa

Dissatisfied with the opportunities for novel artistic expression in the United States, Ina Conradi and Mark Chavez traveled to Singapore. Singapore aims to become a "Renaissance city" by promoting public art works which aim to return art to a more unique form of expression rather than a commodity to be sold or traded. Conradi and Chavez have contributed artworks such as Chrysalis and the Media Art Nexus which combine not only art and technology, as the "Third Culture" would suggest but elements of Asian religion and culture to create exciting new artworks. (Snow) I was especially struck by the use of 3D modeling techniques lifted from Hollywood to create works of art such as Chrysalis. As far as Hollywood is concerned, 3D modeling is used to tell stories through animation, but not necessarily to create artistic pieces. Mark mentioned his dissatisfaction with his experiences animating for blockbuster Hollywood movies, and used his skills with Maya, a 3D animation

This week's readings provided an interesting contrast to the prior weeks, in that rather than scientific fields influencing artistic expression, art helped to shape the theories which govern how the brain perceives the world around us. Early artists constantly painted images, trying ever-newer techniques to accurately reproduce the world around them. Through this iterative method, artists acted as early neuroscientists, allowing us to glean insights on how our brain works. (Frazetto and Anker) As art evolved, our understanding of how we perceive art evolved as well. Cave drawings were initially two-dimensional clusters of lines that our brains were able to interpret as representations of plants, animals, and other natural objects. While the real world isn't seen as a series of distinct lines separating objects from their background, our brains can interpret the markings as a representation of the real world. As artists refined their work to make it seem more "realistic&q