Week 8: Nanotech & Art

Nanotechnology and Art

For close to twenty years now, cardiologists have been working to be able to identify blot clots before they cause heart attacks. Gregory Lanza, a Washington University cardiologist, has turned to nanotechnology, in order to allow doctors to be able to make clots visible to a new kind of X-ray technology. These nanoparticles eliminate the guesswork of determining whether or not someone experiencing chest pains is having a heart attack or not. The nanotechnology has the ability to reveal the location of a blood clot in a matter of hours. Nanoparticles are injected into the area of the pain and are able to be identified in color by X-ray, which without the nanoparticles being injected would only see black and white.

Much like the nanotechnology in the identification of blood clots, art is capable of indentifying the unknown as well. What if I told you a human bone could be made into audio speakers? Over the past three years, an artist named Boo Chapple has been developing a way to make this possible. Chapple focuses on nanovibration of the bone in order to generate sound. The purpose of the “Transjuicer” is to investigate phenomena taking place beyond what we as humans have the ability to sense, and intensify it so they can be experienced by the human senses. Boo Chapple is using his art to give people a way to sense and connect with matter that is small and abstract. 

I think nanotechnology is a fantastic way for humanity to expand further into the world of art and science because it lets us delve deeper into unknown areas. It gives us a chance to see things we may not pick up on such as identification of blood clots, and hear things that may not have been considered possible such as bone being made into a speaker. Although nanotechnology is used mostly to describe something miniscule in size, the technology allows for the massive developments in science, art, and everyday life.

WORKS CITED:

Cavalle, Josep S. New Nanoparticles Make Blood Clots Visible. Washington University, 7 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 May 2015.

Gimzewski, Jim. “Nanotechnology and Art: Part 4”. Lecture. n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.

Henderson, Nathan. "Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.base. John Curtin Gallery, n.d. Web. 23 May 2015.

Lovgren, Stefan. “Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?” National Geographic. 23 December 2003. Web

Vesna, Victoria and Gimzewski, Jim. “The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of fact and fiction in the construction of a new science.”