Biotechnology and Art, class of Spring 2018. Collectively, Dr. Vesna and the class decided to take on the challenge of putting together a textbook on plastics. This book will be published and used as material to teach high school students in the SciArt Nanolab program during the summer. It will also be made available for purchase and the cost of printing, to promote awareness and education of the general public about the subject
In line with the unofficial theme of plastics and sustainability that we’ve unofficially set for this quarter, Dr. Vesna invited a long time collaborator Siddharth Ramakrishnan to speak to the class about his research studies surrounding chemicals found in plastics and the biological effects of exposure to them.
This Thursday, the concept of our connectedness and accountability for our environment was a running theme for all the events we attended. We started out in the classroom, where we listened to peers as they presented their midterms to the class. We then moved on to CNSI where we saw Maru Garcia’s “Vivarium” exhibition. Finally, the day ended with a LASER event hosted by the UCLA ArtSci Center. Throughout, I came to the realization of how sustainability and environmentalism is present and in the forefront of people’s minds.
During this week’s bioplastic workshop, I found the superimposition of materials from nature, one type unmodified and the other slightly modified, very interesting. It brings up a sense of metaphorical harmony that we seek when we try to change or simplify certain practices for the sake of environmentalism.
Here is a fictional account of one day in my life, hypothetically after every piece of plastic and synthetic polymers magically disappear from my life...
This week’s workshop in Biotechnology and Art introduced us to fabric dyeing using indigo and the Shibori technique.
This week, I found the entwining theme between the topics of discussion to be: Becoming One With. We heard from several UCLA students about the art projects they’ve been working on, and also learned about other projects happening in the Art Science community beyond UCLA.
In non-chronological order, let me trace the thread of connectedness between the four artists present at the LASER and their works.