Week 9: Space + Art

I thought this week’s topic was particularly interesting because from the beginning of time people have been fascinated by space- the endless sky, the faraway stars and the mysterious planets. What I found really interesting was how the entire American education system changed after the Soviets first launched Sputnik in 1957.

It is interesting to note how for many Americans, the launch of Sputnik was proof that American education, especially in science had fallen behind. This led to the Congress passing the National Defense Education Act in 1958 to provide, amongst many other things, college scholarships and other help to aspiring scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

In this way we see how that little aluminum sphere called Sputnik not only kick started the Space Race but also jolted the nation’s education system. Schools now started focusing on particularly bright and gifted students, handpicking them for upper level STEM courses. Schools also started receiving more funding, not just for math and science but also for foreign languages.

During this time, baby boomer families started buying educational toys like telescopes and plastic models of the human body. Parents now wanted their children to grow up to be intelligent and help improve the United States space program and overtake the Soviet’s in the Space Race.

Thus we see that with the launch of Sputnik, the United States became quite concerned that the Soviet Union had a head start in the Space Race. The United States began to realize how important the support of talented scientists and mathematicians was to national security. This led to a number of reforms in the education system, with special emphasis on science, mathematics and foreign languages. No longer did teachers focus on rote learning of technical terms. Instead more emphasis was given to teaching broad concepts. Students were now encouraged to understand and not just memorize.

WORKS CITED:

Boyle, Alan. “Sputnik Started Space Race, Anxiety.” NBS News. 4 October 1997. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077890/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/sputnik-started-space-race-anxiety/#.VWuKIWRViko>

Dawson, Christopher. “Space Race or Education?” ZDNet. 7 May 2009. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.zdnet.com/article/space-race-or-education/>

Dean, Cornelia. “When Science Suddenly Mattered, in Space and in Class.” The New York Times. 25 September 2007. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/25/science/space/25educ.html?pagewanted=all>

Toppo, Greg. “Sputnik Heralded Space Race, Focus on Learning.” USA Today. 10 March 2007. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-10-03-sputnik-education_N.htm>

Vesna, Victoria. “8 space Pt2 1280x720.” Online video. YouTube. UC Online Program, 29 July 2013. Web. 30 May 2015.

Event 2: Fowler Museum

The exhibit “Making Strange” by Vivan Sundaram at the Fowler Museum was absolutely fascinating. I thought it was so interesting how Sundaram designs garments from recycled materials and medical supplies. We rarely give a second thought to discarded medical materials but Sundaram created such unique and aesthetically pleasing displays. He succeeded in highlighting the interaction and inseparability of clothing/fashion and the human body.

Sundaram beautifully designed a woman’s dress and shoes made solely out of lycra orthopedic supports. He also tastefully used compressed cotton tampons, surgical masks as well as x-ray film to create an outfit. These are all materials that we only think of in terms of their medical usages, and once we use them, we nonchalantly toss them into the trashcan. It is intriguing to see how an individual can broaden the scope of his imagination so far and conceptualize striking designs such as these.

A paper cup is something that people usually see as nothing more than simply a cheap, invaluable, disposable object used for the purpose of drinking. However, Sundaram saw greater meaning in these used paper cups and constructed a giant paper cup display that was an absolute visual delight.

In this way we see how Sundaram skillfully uses trash as a starting point of his creativity. There seems to be an anti-aesthetic element in his works because he is using trash materials to create “beautiful” garments. The discarded x-ray films, bandages, paper cups, etc. when collected and put together with love and care finally acquire a sense of beauty. Even if one tries, one can no longer view them as pieces of garbage.

When one sees a mannequin in a shop window, one does not look back at it and one certainly does not go on to think about it. However, in the case of these mannequins, each one has a certain beauty and character. All the garments are made from objects one would normally see in a trashcan. In this way we see how beautifully art and medicine has been integrated. It is naïve to think that only new, shiny, beautiful things can make for good art. There is art in everything that is around us- we just have to look for it. 

Week 8: NanoTech + Art

I thought this week’s lectures on nanotechnology were particularly interesting. It is fascinating to think how we consider nanotechnology to be a relatively new concept, when in fact it has actually been in existence for a long time.

We see nanotechnology being used by the ancient Romans, as far back as 400BC. The British museum has a Roman chalice from this period and when you look at the cup in the daylight, it appears to be green. However, if the cup is illuminated from the inside, it looks red. This coloration is due to the fact that the Romans had managed to find a way to introduce the dye for nanosized gold particles. These particles do not look golden colored but have very specific coloration properties. In this way we can rightly conclude that the Romans were nanotechnology pioneers.

Similarly, artisans glazing pots in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Umbria (Italy) were practicing an early form of nanotechnology. The coloration was not due to chemical type glazes, but instead due to the use of nanoparticles like copper and silver. In this way we see how during the Renaissance potters were nothing short of skilled nanotechnologists, using nanoparticles to give their finely painted ceramics a rich luster.

Today, silver nanoparticles are incorporated into an increasing number of products for its anti microbial properties. Fabrics containing engineered nanosilver are used in the manufacture of athletic wear, socks, etc. as it prevents the buildup of bacteria and fungi, thus helping to prevent the nasty odor that they cause. Nanoparticles of zinc oxide are incorporated into textiles to protect one’s garments and one’s skin from sun damage. 

However, too much of a good thing can be harmful to the environment. The excessive use of silver nanoparticles in products due to its antimicrobial effect has resulted in silver sulphide nanoparticles now being found in sewage sludge. The risks associated with this are enormous. Silver nanoparticles are toxic to many aquatic as well as soil microorganisms and organisms as well as many plants. It bio accumulates in the food chain, thus leading to a number of harmful ecological consequences.

WORKS CITED

Ball, Philip. “Renaissance Potters were Nanotechnologists.” Nature. 30 June 2003. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.nature.com/news/2003/030630/full/news030623-17.html>

Ferguson, Cat. “Silver Nanoparticles: Useful But Dangerous?” Real Clear Science. 1 April 2014. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2014/04/01/silver_nanoparticles_useful_but_dangerous_108578.html>

Gimzewski, James. “Nanotech Jim Pt 3.” Online Video. Youtube. UC Online Program. 21 May 2012. Web. 20 May 2015.

Merali, Zeeya. “This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows that the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers.” Smithsonian Magazine. September 2013. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-1600-year-old-goblet-shows-that-the-romans-were-nanotechnology-pioneers-787224/?no-ist>

Russon, Mary-Ann. “Romans Used Nanotechnology to Turn Lycurgus Cup from Green to Red 1,600 Years Ago.” International Business Times. 6 October 2014. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/romans-used-nanotechnology-turn-lycurgus-cup-green-red-1600-years-ago-1468746>

Urquhart, James. “Silver Nanoparticles in Clothing Pose No New Risk.” Scientific American. 15 July 2014. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/silver-nanoparticles-in-clothing-pose-no-new-risk/>

Week 7: Neurosci + Art

What fascinated me in this week’s lecture is how people have been using different kinds of chemicals and herbs to alter their mental states throughout history. Many people, including myself, think that drugs are a relatively common phenomenon and fail to realize how prevalent the use of drugs was in the past.

Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD for the first time in the 1930s, however its hallucinogenic effects were unknown until the early 1940s when Hofmann accidentally consumed some LSD. It is interesting to note that LSD was actually used by psychiatrists in experiments in the 1940s,’50s and ‘60s. No medical use for the drug was ever discovered, but the widespread distribution of free samples by Sandoz Pharmaceuticals for the experiments led to the rampant use, and even misuse, of this substance.

Aldous Huxley was a renowned British author and playwright who advocated the use of psychedelics.  His descriptions of the drugs in his works did much to spread awareness to the generalized public. Although he was very serious about the use of these drugs to cure illnesses and also help further artistic expression, his descriptions ended up glamorizing their recreational use.

Psychologist Timothy Leary also further popularized LSD in the 1960s. He was a professor at Harvard who distributed LSD to his graduate students as part of his experiments. He believed that this psychedelic drug would give them opportunities to explore their inner consciousness and broaden their minds. Many undergraduate students at Harvard began to hear of the experiences of those who were under the influence of LSD and started taking the drug recreationally, since at this time LSD was still not banned.

LSD was also used as part of government experiments designed to explore the possibilities of pharmaceutical mind control. Many people belonging to difference sections of society and having different occupations, ranging from soldiers to prostitutes, were given the drug, often without even their knowledge and/or consent. Many people died as a consequence of these experiments, making people realize that the effects of LSD were highly unpredictable and unreliable.

 In this way we see how drugs that many people deem to be a “new age phenomenon” were actually in circulation among the general public for hundreds of years. While a fair number of people argue that by altering our mental state, these drugs have the ability to improve our expressions of art and allow us to explore the inner realms of our mind, one cannot ignore the grave consequences of the use of such psychedelic drugs.

WORKS CITED:

“LSD: A short History.” Foundation for a Drug Free World. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/lsd/a-short-history.html>

 

Merv, Griffin. “Dr. Timothy Leary interview-LSD (Merv Griffin Show 1966).” Online Video. YouTube. Merv Griffen Show, 15 April, 2012. Web. 16 May 2015.

 

Szalavitz, Maia. “The Legacy of the CIA’s Secret LSD Experiments on America.” Time. 23 March 2012. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/23/the-legacy-of-the-cias-secret-lsd-experiments-on-america/>

 

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience Pt 3.” Online video. YouTube. UC Online Program, 16 May 2012. Web. 16 May 2015.

 

Williams, Alexandra. “Swiss Scientist who Invented LSD and had First Ever Bad Trip Dies at 102.” Daily Mail. 30 April 2008. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-562990/Swiss-scientist-invented-LSD-bad-trip-dies-102.html>