Week 8 | Nanotechnology + Art

 The lectures by Dr. Gimzewski were very informative. They went into detail about the history of nanotechnology. Although they did not specifically touch on many art projects based on nanotechnology, they provided the foundation for understanding the art that could come out of nanotechnology.


Fig 1. IBM in Nanoparticles, 1990.


For example, take Richard Feynman’s challenge to write 25,000 pages of an encyclopedia on the head of a pin (New Scientist). Although the challenge to do the above task didn’t directly create art, it established that art on that scale was possible. 


Fig 2. Varanasi et. all, Water on a Butterfly Wing, 2013.


Another interesting thing that can come about nanotechnology is the replication of biological characteristics in animals like butterflies. Butterfly wings are special because they have specific nanostructures that allow the wing to reflect light at specific wavelengths or appear transparent (jayaborgatta).


Fig 3. Beanie made with nanotechnology, 2017. 


An intersection between nanotechnology and art is clothing that incorporates nanotechnology. Some clothes incorporate silver nanoparticles to kill bacteria and create odor resistance (Paramsothy). There are even startups that are creating synthetic spider silk to make clothing or producing coatings that give material antibacterial properties (Nanalyze).


Although there are many benefits that come with the usage of nanotechnology, there are also some drawbacks. The bioaccumulation of nanoparticles has the potential to negatively affect ecosystems, but since nanotechnology is a relatively new field, its effects aren’t studied in depth (Skyline University). More research is needed in this area in order to accurately gauge nanotechnology’s role in our future. 


References

Jayaborgatta. (2019, November 12). Nanostructures in butterfly wings. Sustainable Nano. 

https://sustainable-nano.com/2019/11/08/nanostructures-butterfly-wings/

Nanalyze. (2021, September 14). 7 startups innovating in Nano clothing technologies. 

https://www.nanalyze.com/2018/02/7-startups-nano-clothing-technologies/

New Scientist. (2009, January 23). The history of small print. 

https://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn16474-tiny-letters/

Paramsothy, M. (n.d.). Nanotechnology in clothing & fabrics. MDPI - Publisher of Open Access 

Journals. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/special_issues/Clothing_Fabrics

Skyline University. (2021, February 1). Advantages & disadvantages of nanotechnology. 

Skyline University Nigeria. https://www.sun.edu.ng

/knowledge-update/advantages-disadvantages-of-nanotechnology

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