NanoTech + Art

Nanotechnology is a relatively new field of science that is already starting to change the world. It is an inescapable part of modern everyday life as it provides the solutions to many long-standing medical, social, and environmental problems. However, it remains a difficult concept to understand as we are dealing with the manipulation of matter on atomic and molecular scales. Thus, artists and scientists have come together to present new ways of seeing and connecting with this matter so miniscule and abstract.

With the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope, we were able to not only physically see the atomic structures of objects but also create incredible images of art out of these atomic structures, such as the Quantum Corral. It reveals not only the atoms on the surface but the interference patterns of electrons moving back and forth along the surface creating a rippling pattern.

The Quantum Corral

Professor Vesna and Dr. Gemzewski merged together art and nanotechnology through an exhibition at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art called "Nano" in 2004. It allowed visitors to experience nanotechnology by sensing it, even though they cannot see it. One installation, the nanomandala incorporated a 15 minute video projected onto a disk of sand. Images of a grand of sand are projected in evolving scale from the molecular structure of a single grain to a recognizable image of a complete mandala, then back again.

Nanomandala

Before this week's lecture, I never given much thought about nanotechnology. I had no idea of its importance on the world around us. Controlling matter at the atomic scale is being hailed as the next "Industrial Revolution" because it can help solve everything from world hunger to energy shortages. In the field of medicine, scientists are developing nanoparticles that can deliver drugs directly to infected cells to treat cancer, cardiovascular problems, and neurodegenerative disease. In conclusion, from the words of Dr. Gimzewski, "Nanoscience will eventually revolutionize and  impact upon every single aspect of our lives, including the arts."

Works Cited

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Artabase.net. Artabase,  30 Apr 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/2104-art-in-the-age-of-nanotechnology>

Deardorff, Julie. "Scientists: Nanotech-based products offer great potential but unknown risks." Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 10 Jul 2012. Web. 24 Nov 2013. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-10/health/ct-met-nanotechnology-20120710_1_nanoparticles-sunscreens-chad-mirkin>

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt 1-6." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 24 Nov 2013.

Heller, Eric J. “Electrons in Two Dimensions: Quantum Corrals and Semiconductor Microstructures.” nanoHUB.org. NanoHUB, 4 Dec 2007. Web. 24 Nov 2013. <http://nanohub.org/resources/3253>

Lovgren, Stefan. “Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?” National Geographic News. National Geographic, 23 Dec. 2003. Web. 24 Nov 2013. 

<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/12/1223_031223_nanotechnology.html>

Tsuzuki, Takuya. “Commercial scale production of inorganic nanoparticles.” International Journal of Nanotechnology. N.p,n.d. Web. 24 Nov 2013.