Week 8: Nanotech and Art

Nanotechonoly is a relatively new area not only in scientific field but also in art. Nanotechnology began to start and develop just few decades ago and it is almost strange to most of us. However, even though we do not know about it, nanotechnology is affecting every aspect of our lives. As what Professor Vesna said in the lecture, nanotechnology is pushing the shift of paradigm of "two cultures", which are the science and art, into 21st century. According to Dr. Gimzewski, nanoparticles, which are very important applications in nanotechnology, already existed thousands years ago in a Roman goblet--Lycurgus Cup. The exact mixture of glass, silver and gold in nanometer scale made it an amazing feat that Lycurgus Cup changes color depending on how the light hits it. The nanotechnology helped ancient Romans create such a magical artwork.

Lycurgus Cup

The Lycurgus Cup was made in absence of the knowledge of nanotechnology behind it. Nowadays, with the help of advanced technology, scientists and artists can work together to produce some special artworks in the world of nano-scale. The image "Caterpillar Massacre" was created in hundred of tiny plastic "green fingers", each 1/500th the diameter of a human hair, that have self-assembled tiny plastic "orange spheres". This image seems to consist of numerous green caterpillars undergoing a massacre but without the feelings of brutality.

Caterpillar Massacre

Nanotechnologists can also produce extraordinarily amazing picture just with a simple scanning electron microscope and some photoshop modifications. Working with her professor Mark Welland, Ghim Wei Ho created her work--nano flower bouquet. Apart from its beauty as a three dimensional structure, detailed characterization also reveal a complex mixture of amorphous and crystalline material. Applying nanotechnology to art can present a new way of seeing, sensing and connecting with matter that miniscule and abstract. 

Nano Flower Bouquet

Resources:

1. "Nanotech Jim pt3." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. Lecture Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0HCNiU_108#t=83

2. "Ancient Nanotechnology Exhibited in This 1,600-Year-Old Roman Goblet | Video | TheBlaze.com." The Blaze. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/28/ancient-nanotechnology-exhibited-in-this-1600-year-old-roman-goblet/

3. "Nanotechnology Art Gallery -- Ghim Wei Ho." Nanotechnology. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. http://www.nanotech-now.com/Art_Gallery/ghim-wei-ho.htm

4. "NOVA | The Art of Nanotech." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/art-nanotech.html

5. "art in the age of nanotechnology on Artabase." Artabase. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

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