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T his week’s topic centered on exploring space and its influence on art, making me feel frivolous compared to the vastness of space. In the Pale Blue Dot, Carl Sagan states when it comes to the Earth, “every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there on the mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam”(Sagan). Space exploration originated in the Cold War with the “space race” between the United States and the USSR, which advanced in math and sciences to compete.  Moreover, the impact of space on art and the media was profound. For instance, numerous space movies such as Star Wars and Interstellar have significantly impacted humans, connecting space to us. Another example is the space elevator, which tries to get the average person into space through a massive elevator. NASA claims “the basic concept of a space elevator is sound, and researchers worldwide are optimistic one can be built” (Snowden). The idea of a space elevator seems extraordinary but more realistic now as peo...

                 Nanotechnology can improve people’s lives through medicine, such as nanocages, which can deliver drugs to cells at the molecular level (Jagadish). However, when it comes to novel drug delivery mechanisms, we can think of means to target cells instead of risking someone’s healthy cells. For instance, research is being studied on nanotechnology on nerve cells to stimulate growth (Quelle). Imagine being able to repair the nervous system and give someone back their feeling of touch and motor function. Although the field looks optimistic, the articles I cited have always cautioned that scholars are still researching these technologies. Those significant products seem to pertain to optimizing surfaces (Nanotechnology Engineering Products & Developments), including stronger body armor for police and military use and more pacifist uses (special coating for stronger glass.)         ...

  Event 3 On May 18, 2022, I took part in the online event “Art as a Social Practice” by Xtine Burrough. With a focus on socially-engaged art practices in the 21 st century, this book examines how artists utilize their innovative techniques to raise consciousness, establish communities, and influence society through new technologies and digital practices. I found this event meaningful as I learned about the Coven Intelligence Program, cooperation between Efren Cruz Cortes and Margaretha Haughwout, and numerous carbon and silicon allies. This program is a techno-botanical coven whose science-fictional mission is to inspire advancing revolutionary ecologies of work among witches, plants, and machines throughout centuries. The coordinate track connections between the persecution of witches burned at stake, the devastation of multispecies, and surveillance. To depict this history, helpers initiate other futurities where precision agriculture and the ongoing Capitalocene blossom. ...

  Event 2             On April 22, 2022, I took part in an online event called “Hox Zodiac: Snake!!!” In our speaker’s presentation on “The Snake Inside Us Youtube,” I learned that she perused each page of the BoConcept catalog finding words that resonated with her. Then, she underlined those phrases and ensured to add more conjunctions, prepositions, and other components of speech to acquire different words. Moreover, she incorporated those highlighted words into a poem. Since she did not add additional comments, these redacted poems are 100% recycled. Her strategy is to formulate the edited poetry in the chronology of those words in the print material.             After watching her presentation, I found her poem “unseen possibilities” catchy. The key sentences include “Venoms produce contracture of the heart in the rat” and “Venom temporarily of the heart produces lo...

Week 7 Neuroscience + Art      This week Professor Vesna discussed the field of neuroscience intertwining with art. In the third lecture video, one of the topics she mentioned was what it means to be conscious (Vesna), which pertained to experimenting with psychedelic drugs, not recreational, but as a form of treatment. Such an experiment sounds special because schools always educate us to stay away from drugs. However, addiction is a severe problem. Furthermore, these medications can change the wiring of your brain (Kosten and George), which can cause serious health issues.      Occasionally, psychedelics can change lives dramatically (Smith). Many people report their experiences while tripping as being times of deep introspection. Even for those average individuals pondering over their own identity, this can guide them.      There is much research about adopting psychedelics to treat mental illnesses. Although this is a new, controversi...

Week 6: Biotechnology & Art This week's topic centers on biotechnology to produce art, which is contentious as it raises whether genetically modifying organisms is ethical (Vesna). Biotechnology can be conducive, but we need to monitor its operation closely.   Genetically modified organisms are living organisms with their genetic material modified artificially (The Non-GMO Project). Such anthropogenic project typically takes place in a laboratory. When we weigh its benefits and drawbacks, we can look at the example of genetically modified crops. By altering the genetic sequence of produce, there are several advantages that humans can reap that are not present in organic crops (Bridges). On the other hand, negative consequences arise for genetically modified animals (included in organisms). For example, by mixing various parts of genomes within animals, new diseases may emerge, spreading to nonmodified organisms and affecting their health (Yourgenome). Moreover, numerous genetic...