Week 8: Nanotechnology + Art

As Dr. Gimzewski mentioned in Lecture 4, nanotechnology has played a major role in medicine. Surprisingly enough, this week's topic had a lot to do with the research I am doing at UCLA. My undergraduate research has to do with trying to use plasmonic sensors as a means of biosensing [1]. Unlike most traditional sensors, the ones we use in the lab are fabricated by stamping an array of nanoparticles onto a plastic-like material and covering these nanostructures with a thin layer of gold. As seen in Figure 1, each square is what my lab defines as a single ‘sensor.’ What makes these sensors attractive in biosensing is their sensitively to even the most minute changes to their surface [2,3].

Figure 1: Plasmonic sensors of the Ozcan lab 

You’ll notice that each of the sensors are different colors. The different colors are due to the dichroic effect within each gold nanoparticle array. Interestingly, this is the same phenomena that can be observed in the ancient Lycurgus cup (Figure 2) made by the Romans in 400 A.D. [4]

Figure 2: Lycurgus cup with the absence of light shining through (left) and with light shining through (right)

The famous cup has been known to change colors upon holding it in different angles. Like the plasmonic sensors in our lab, the cup achieves this because the artists had to meticulously arrange nanoparticles of gold and silver throughout the glass material [4]. As one could imagine, the multitude of nanoparticles that line that line the Lycurgus cup give rise to hundreds of angles that light could hit the surface. Therefore, the variability of angles that light shines on the surface give rise to the different colors observed. The same effect is also what gives rise to the beautiful colors seen on stained glass ceilings as seen in Figure 3 [5]. Hence, we see how these gold nanoparticles are used in applications in medicine and art. 

Figure 3: Stained glass ceilings also display the dichroic effect

Images
1. Image taken at my lab
2. Kaushik. “Lycurgus Cup: A Piece of Ancient Roman Nanotechnology.” Amusing Planet, 2017, www.amusingplanet.com/2016/12/lycurgus-cup-piece-of-ancient-roman.html.
3.Trippy. “PHOTOS: Breathtaking Stained-Glass Ceilings Around The World.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Jan. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/trippy/stained-glass-ceilings-photos_b_2073761.html.

Sources

1. Computational Sensing Using Low-Cost and Mobile Plasmonic Readers Designed by Machine Learning Zachary S. Ballard, Daniel Shir, Aashish Bhardwaj, Sarah Bazargan, Shyama Sathianathan, and Aydogan Ozcan ACS Nano 2017 11 (2), 2266-2274DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b00105
2. Heip, H. M.; et al. (2007). "A localized surface plasmon resonance based immunosensor for the detection of casein in milk". Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. 8 (4): 331–338. Bibcode:2007STAdM...8..331M. doi:10.1016/j.stam.2006.12.010.
3. Singh P. (2017) LSPR Biosensing: Recent Advances and Approaches. In: Geddes C. (eds) Reviews in Plasmonics 2016. Reviews in Plasmonics, vol 2016. Springer, Cham

4. Kubetz, Rick. “The World's Most Sensitive Plasmon Resonance Sensor Inspired by Ancient Roman Cup.” Illinois College of Engineering, University of Illinois Board of Trustees, 14 Feb. 2013, engineering.illinois.edu/news/article/2013-02-14-worlds-most-sensitive-plasmon-resonance-sensor-inspired-ancient-roman-cup.

5. Hess, Catherine (2005). Looking at Glass: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques. Getty Publications. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-89236-750-4.

Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

This week's lecture had to do with one of my favorite subject areas: psychology. Having learned about Karl Jung and Sigmund Freud (pictured below), I already knew the major principles that the men shared as well as differed on, like the psyche and the influence of the childhood[1-3]. I did not, however, know how their work translated into art and the media until Professor Vesna mentioned a familiar name in Lecture II.


Figure 1: Sigmund Freud (left) and Carl Jung (right)

One of people mentioned in this week's lecture was David Cronenberg, a director known to combine the thriller into psychology. I am familiar with his work in Cosmopolis (pictured below). The film follows a young billionaire (Eric Packer) as he traverses New York City amidst a traffic and a financial crisis[4]. The movie was quite dull and somewhat disturbing when I first watched it. What I realized, though, is that this type of reception is sort of the side-effect of merging the principles of psychology into film.


Figure 2: Cosmopolis by director David Cronenberg

Instead of being given all the jokes and emotions upfront in genres like comedies and dramas, this film forced the audience to look beyond what was presented to them. For example, the scene pictured below is when Eric Packer meets the man who has been out to kill him. This part is chilling with respect to everything from the lighting, the type of clothes the characters are wearing to the odd pace and tension surrounding when/whether Eric will die[5]. All these elements are essentially used to evoke a sense of delving into the main character's psyche and understanding how he's coming to terms with the concept of death. Hence, we see how elements of art in film are used to portray the sometimes crude mechanisms of the mind that have been outlined by psychologists like Freud and Jung.


Figure 3: Cosmopolis scene when Eric Packer meets his killer


Sources:

1. McLeod, Saul. “Saul McLeod.” Simply Psychology, Simply Psychology, 1 Jan. 1970, www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html.

2. “Carl Jung.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 4 Nov. 2015, www.biography.com/people/carl-jung-9359134.

3. Mcleod, Saul. “Sigmund Freud.” Simply Psychology, Simply Psychology, www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html.

4. Person. “The Technical Chill of ‘Cosmopolis.’” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 18 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-technical-chill-of-cosmopolis.

5. Smith, Nigel M. “'Cosmopolis' Star Paul Giamatti on Entering the 'Strange, Slightly Clinical' World of David Cronenberg.” IndieWire, Indiewire, 17 Aug. 2012, www.indiewire.com/2012/08/cosmopolis-star-paul-giamatti-on-entering-the-strange-slightly-clinical-world-of-david-cronenberg-45492/.


Images:

1. Katie. “10 Differences Between Freud and Jung.” Exploring Your Mind, Exploring Your Mind, 14 Apr. 2018, exploringyourmind.com/10-differences-freud-jung/.

2. A Couple of Critics. “Cosmopolis – A Metropolitan Odyssey.” A Couple of Critics, 27 Aug. 2012, acoupleofcritics.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/cosmopolis-a-metropolitan-odyssey/.

3. Smith, Nigel M. “'Cosmopolis' Star Paul Giamatti on Entering the 'Strange, Slightly Clinical' World of David Cronenberg.” IndieWire, Indiewire, 17 Aug. 2012, www.indiewire.com/2012/08/cosmopolis-star-paul-giamatti-on-entering-the-strange-slightly-clinical-world-of-david-cronenberg-45492/.

Week 6: BioTech + Art

This week's topic of Biotech + Art was close to home for me. As a bioengineering major, I am constantly exposed to the breakthroughs science is making as well as the ethical implications each breakthrough has. To my surprise, however, I found genetic engineering was one of many topics that make this field so controversial. One of the artists I found particularly interesting was George Gessert, who experimented with making different hybrids of irises. The artist notes how he was fascinated in using Darwin's natural selection principle to help create exotic plants for his showcases. Below are some of the irises he manipulated for his art. I found it fascinating how he was utilizing a quite fundamental genetic principle of Mendelian genetics to showcase as an art piece. It's almost like Gregor Mendel, considered the father of genetics, could have done this with his famous experiment with peas!





One of the most surprising artists for me, however, was ORLAN. After watching the short lectures in class summarizing her work, I still did not know exactly what this artist did for a living. Upon further investigation, I found that this artist is quite the controversial one. From standing outside the Grand Palais and portraying herself as Madonna, a slot machine, and a whore to embracing plastic surgeries as part of her carnal art pieces, ORLAN is the epitome of showcasing the human body as an art form. Though her art has garnered international attention and has quite profound meaning, it made me wonder where we might have to draw the line as to how much of the human body we can use to still deem it respectful. Her art, as seen in the image below of a plastic surgery she included in the successful surgeries collection, is raw. Instead of shying away from the controversy surrounding plastic surgery, she embraces it and showcases it. Overall, it was quite a different representation of art I was never exposed to before.



Images
1. http://juliacowell.blogspot.com/2015/11/george-gessert-iris-project-artist.html
2. http://revolutionbio.co/bioart/bioart-through-evolution-george-gessert/
3. https://artdesign.unsw.edu.au/whats-on/news/orlan-part-patient-unsw-galleries

Resources
1.“George Gessert: Genetics and Culture.” Audio Microscope: Joe Davis : Genetics and Culture,
geneticsandculture.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w02/gc_w02_gessert.htm.
2.“Bioart through Evolution: George Gessert.” Revolution Bioengineering, revolutionbio.co/bioart/bioart-through-evolution-george-gessert/.
3.Science News. “Green Light: Toward an Art of Evolution by George Gessert.” Science News, 23 Sept. 2013, www.sciencenews.org/article/green-light-toward-art-evolution-george-gessert.
4.Leddy, Siobhan. “How ORLAN Turned Plastic Surgery into Feminist Art.” Artsy, Artsy, 7 Aug. 2017, www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-70-body-modification-artist-orlan-reinventing.
5.“ORLAN AND THE TRANSGRESSIVE ACT.” ORLAN: IS IT ART?, Stanford University, web.stanford.edu/class/history34q/readings/Orlan/Orlan2.html.

Week 5: Midterm

Here is the link to my midterm presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jZYERDD3NRLj37G4mGnx-1CSEG_MSmug/view?usp=sharing