Materials: Coming to Life
While life has been long lauded for its resilience, it is often facile to overlook the seemingly simple mediums that serve as the key to its continuation. This is why materials are integral to culture, life, and science.
As ambiguous as “materials” may sound, their relevance to mankind and the advancement of science and art has been integral. From the Venetians’ primitive use of nanoparticles in colored glass, influencing the art and mentality of the people, to Newton’s discovery of glass’ refractive index, light and colored was taken to the next level. Truly, the curiosity for the unusual has not been sated even in the face of five centuries.
Even now, light, with its myriad of potential colors has been a subject of fascination. While color is simply a manner of the absorptions and interpretations of light, it can be harnessed for practical artistic and scientific endeavors. Either for further analysis on the conservation of the particular molecular structure or to labeling cancerous cells with quantum dots, color brings the unfamiliar and the familiar, allowing new perspectives and visions to be heard and seen. Like Kusama’s journey in finding acceptance for her dotted vision, Da Vinci’s diagrams on the heart valve too did not gain acceptance for a long time.
His designs now inspires new technology in mitral valve repair that’s considered one of the most effective and painless methods of repair.
Monet, pointillism, Kusama, and Flavin sought the materials of the natural and synthetic world in order to project their images. In order to preserve these images, science and art coalesce with modern technology, including the fadeometer and the process of oxidation-reduction.
The Material of Tomorrow
Beyond the hydrophobic, lies the superhydrophobic. The boundaries of extremes are crossed and in the wake, new technology and possibilities rise. The impossibilities of yesterday become the realities of today: wind, algae and solar power to name a few. Today, we saw algae glow fluorescently in a vial as the speaker’s motions irritated the sample.
Links:
http://www.davincisurgery.com/cardiothoracic/cardiac-procedures/mitral-valve-repair.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/495677/refractive-index
http://superhydrophobiccoating.com/
http://home.utah.edu/~ptt25660/solar.html
http://www.invitrogen.com/site/us/en/home/brands/Molecular-Probes/Key-Molecular-Probes-Products/Qdot.html