WEEK 8 - NanoTech + Art

 WEEK 8 – NanoTech + Art

The topic of nanotechnology was especially interesting this week since I had no idea how nanotech worked nor what it really was. An immediate shock came to me when learning about how nanotechnology can be seen used long in the past through the creation of stained glass (Gimzewski). The technique uses gold and silver nanoparticles that are then combined and reflect light. This was especially interesting to learn about because it places into perspective how nanoparticles are practically everywhere in our life, but we do not acknowledge it. Further, learning that "nano clay" exists on tennis balls and beer bottles to reduce gas permeation and preserve carbonation was shocking as well (Gimzewski). It only made me further question what other products around me use nanoparticles and involve nanotechnology in their creation.

Example of stained glass which uses nanotechnology processes from the Science History Institute.

The size and composition of nanoparticles was difficult to grasp as it is hard to imagine how small these particles could be. The article on “The Nanomeme Syndrome” was especially helpful in imagining the size of a nanoparticle. “Scientists have tried to explain this disparity by comparing the nanometer to the thickness of a human hair: the average thickness of a human hair is ~5 x 10^-5m, which is (50,000) nm. Or, the little fingernail: around 1 cm across, which is equal ten million nanometers” (Gimzewski and Vesna). Imagining how small these particles are in comparison to the human body demonstrates how innovative this “new” technology is and opens the world to a vast arena for art and invention. The size of these particles only make it seem that almost anything can be created with them. 

Nanoparticles visualized through different art methods from "NanoArt" on YouTube.

Viewing how artists have incorporated nanotechnology into their art pieces was especially interesting and helped better grasp this week’s concept. One piece that was fascinating was Christa Sommerer’s & Laurent Mignonneau’s “Nano-scape” which allows the audience to experience the nano-world by allowing them to touch invisible nano particles that create a structure which changes with the person's interactions with it (“John Curtin Gallery”). The creation of future inventions through the use of nanotechnology was interesting as well such as the possible creation of a substance that repels bacteria by looking at the skin of a shark (Pogue). These methods of using nanotechnology really place into perspective how innovative this is and raises the question of how the world will look like in the future.

Nanotechnology through the study of shark skin for germ repellent from "Sustainable Nano".

Lastly, an interesting use of nanotechnology within art that I found, outside of class material, was the ability of using nanotech to conserve art and restore artifacts and bones. For example, throughout time paintings lose their initial quality with paint flaking, and in order to restore the painting, a water-based microemulsion system with nanosized chemicals is used to restore the piece (Sunipapramanik). Although not directly used in the art creation itself, it is interesting to see how nanotechnology can be used as a resource to further conserve art—illustrating the interconnectedness between nanotech and art.

Resources:

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. “The Nanoneme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact and Fiction in the Construction of a New Science.” Technoetic Arts, vol. 1, no. 1, 2003, pp. 7–24., https://doi.org/10.1386/tear.1.1.7/0.

Gimzewski, Jim, director. Nanotech for Artists Part 3 . YouTube, UCOnline, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0HCNiU_108&ab_channel=UCOnline. Accessed 2022.

“John Curtin Gallery.” Art.Base, 2010, https://art.base.co/event/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology#3.

Pogue , David. “Making Stuff: Smarter.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 2011, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/making-stuff-smarter/.  

Sunipapramanik. “Art Conservation and Nanotechnology: A Wonderful Confluence of Arts and Sciences.” Sustainable Nano, 12 May 2017, https://sustainable-nano.com/2017/05/12/art-conservation-and-nanotechnology/.  

 

Images/Videos:

Arndt, Devrah. “Nature's Nanotechnology, Bio-Mimicry, and Making the Superpowers of Your Dreams a Reality.” Sustainable Nano, 3 Dec. 2013, https://sustainable-nano.com/2013/12/03/natures-nanotechnology-bio-mimicry-and-making-the-superpowers-of-your-dreams-a-reality-4/.  

Chan, Chi. “From Nanotech to Nanoscience.” Science History Institute, 3 Sept. 2020, https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/from-nanotech-to-nanoscience.  

Orfescu, Cris, director. NanoArt. YouTube, YouTube, 18 Oct. 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzTY_saOXJI&t=121s&ab_channel=CrisOrfescu. Accessed 20 May 2022.