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SEM Results

I scanned a piece of a dried leaf that I picked up from my dying houseplant. At x20 magnitude, we are able to see veiny look of the leaf as well as small openings on the surface. I learned from Donna that these openings are called ‘stomata.’ A stoma is like a pore that facilitates gas exchange for plants. At x2,300 mag, we are able to see it more clearly — a few different cells act as “doors” to control the open and close of the “pore.”

Donna said that the SEM that we used is around fifteen years old. The combo of the analog and digital interfaces made it seem like a highly functioning piece of historical artifact. Navigating it also felt like remotely controlling a robot in another planet.

Due to my complete lack of knowledge in biology, I definitely did not expect to see the stoma and the even smaller cells. I did expect magical, unfamiliar patterns, but I didn’t know that this act of ‘seeing’ would lead to a more visceral understanding of the underlying structures, actions, and ‘stories’ of life. Now I can better understand what Robert Hooke might have felt when he saw those cells under his hand-crafted microscope.

Below: stereo pair

Photography and Observation

The medium in which we decide to capture an image can substantially influence our perception of the subject. These mediums can expose the object in a new way that we haven’t seen before. A very recent example is the electron microscopy where we would be able to see the low-level structure of objects. Those images that contradict what we originally think of when we think of an object are the ones that we remember the most (looking at popcorn up close and seeing its paper hex-like structure will stick with me).

We can then abstract this idea to say that the medium can also influence the topology of an object. Since images are used to describe and give meaning to a topology, then influencing images will also influence their corresponding topology.

I would argue that different mediums can be objective. These mediums can be objective if you define mediums in terms of their equipment used. Since there is no disagreement on the classification of different imaging equipment, then there shouldn’t be any disagreement among the mediums. These mediums would then be both predictable and scientifically accurate since they reference the technology used to make the mediums.

SEM Results

The above item was a small piece of popcorn. The surface of the popcorn looks smooth, but in the areas where it was broken away, there is almost a paper-like hexagon bee hive structure. This could explain why popcorn feels so soft and airy.

Through this process, I learned how much difference in structure an object can have. The popcorn piece I provided appeared to be very homogeneous to the human eye, but upon closer inspection I found that different regions had different support structures. In some of the images above, you can see that some areas blend between a hex grid and a blobby cave. Next time I eat popcorn I’ll think of this variation in structure (and people will think I’m weird for doing so).

Response: Non-line-of-sight Camera

I wanted to respond to Spoon’s post on the Non-Line-of-Sight Camera, one of the more technical projects shared but which nonetheless has artistic/philosophical implications. As the spoon pointed out, this technology has many practical implications, but it also changes how we think about cameras capturing the reality that is ‘available to’ the photographer. What if all possible views on reality become available?

Recently, I read an incredible book of science fiction short stories by Ted Chiang, Exhalation. A couple of the stories dealt with how it’s essentially impossible to reconcile the predetermined nature of the universe with notions of free will. It’s a bit of a stretch, but a camera that can decode reflections is on the way to simply modeling the position of every atom in the universe. Once we know all those positions, (first we will run into an information storage space problem like in the Borges story with the map, but) then we’ll be able to determine all their present and future positions and thus know everything that has happened and will happen. Anyways, that’s my startup idea based on this research.

Other Projects I Reviewed:

Response to Jacqui: Unpainted Sculpture by Charles Ray

What I find particularly interesting in the choice to observe this sculpture of the car as a form of capture, is that prior to looking at this post, I had not considered sculpture to function similarly to photographs/capturing.

As with the invention of cameras altering our relationships with painting as a means of capturing the world on a 2 dimensional plane, molds and casts function to capture in the same way, however with a resulting object as a sculpture or 3 dimensional form: They reproduce and capture a 3 dimensional ‘picture’ of an object. Now, developing technologies with 3D scanning, photogrammetry, 3D printing, and machine casting techniques allow us to create 3 dimensional capture, in a same way as we would capture images/photographs in 2 dimension.

Other posts viewed:

Steven Montinar

Lukas

Izzy

Tahira

Variable 4 by James Bulley and Daniel Jones

Variable 4 is a beautiful piece that shows how sensorial or intangible phenomena can be translated into a musical experience. I wasn’t familiar with Jones/Bulley’s work so this is a really interesting project that gives me an insight into what can be done with capturing systems and software. I believe the piece offers a new way to experience and relate with the environment, turning invisible experiences into malleable substance. I imagine that every version of this sound installation is absolutely unique as it operates with diverse weather patterns from different geographical areas.

In this sense, I would like to imagine that all these weather changes are not just data for the compositions, but active collaborators for musical experimentation.

This reminds me of a piece made by Ólafur Eliasson called Seismo Sound Compass (2018) that translates seismic activity into sound, this case into the note A. Although this piece does not have the complexity and magnitude of Variable 4, it has a similar spirit.

 

Original post by Policarpo 

Here are the other posts I reviewed:

Cristian Marclay’s The Clock

How We Act Together by Lauren Lee McCarthy and Kyle McDonald

Hans Hacke – Environmental & Kinematic Sculptures

Tom Sachs’ Tea Ceremony

David Hockney’s Joiners