Event 3: The Secret World Inside You

Event 3: The Secret World Inside You

       Last week I had the pleasure of visiting New York and attending the Natural History Museum, which was hosting an exhibit called 'The Secret World Inside You'. The exhibit included fascinating artwork including 3-dimensional enlarged representations of microbes which exist all throughout the human body. The exhibit delved into where micro biomes come from, where they live on and inside the human body, and how the process of giving birth exposes babies to their very first micro biomes. Upon entry into the exhibit, there was a room filled with lights. along with little screens which gave fascinating information about the way in which the human body is essentially an ecosystem in which 500 to 1,000 species of microbes live on the skin and throughout the body of human beings. 

    The exhibit was filled with information about microbes, as well as artistic representations to provide a deeper understanding for viewers and children. As shown below, some representations were 3D models that allowed us to see what these microbes look like and how they differ from one another. To the bottom right is a photo of different kinds of microbes which live on the skin and actually protect the skin from fungi. The exhibit was filled with information about microbes and the ways in which they actually benefit human health. Included was information about how obese peoples have particular microbe species in their gut, which may foster their weight gain or obesity. Scientists have been able to differentiate between healthy microbes and unhealthy ones, and these findings may in the future be able to prevent or even treat obesity. 

    Another fascinating part of the gallery included information about microbes and their interaction with the birthing process. Although microbes are beneficial for humans, exposure of microbes to fetuses is very dangerous and could lead to death. I found it incredibly fascinating that despite the fact that we may have more microbes than human cells in our own bodies, the womb completely protects fetuses from it's mothers microbes. In fact, the very first time that babies are exposed to any microbes at all is through the birthing process as babies pass through the vaginal canal. 

        Another fascinating discovery I learned about in this exhibit is that our mental health may be connected, even reliant, on microbes in our gut. Unhealthy microbes in our guts can lead to depression and other mental health issues, and scientists are continuing to learn more about the ways in which our brain and our gut are connected, and the role which microbes play in that connection. 

More Information on this Exhibit: 

http://www.amnh.org/calendar/the-secret-world-inside-you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfXDYGzJM0s

Event 2 : TeamLab Pace Gallery: Living Digital Space and Future Parks

     Last weekend I attended an immersive gallery which combined technology and art in various ways. The Pace Gallery had multiple exhibits, including moving artwork which told stories as it moved and interacted with people as they stepped closer and farther, a room which contained projections on multiple walls set up throughout the area, and a kids section in which people drew between the lines of cars, homes, UFOs, and fish, and scanned the images which were then added to a continually moving and evolving piece of 3d artwork. 

    This exhibit combined art and technology in extremely innovative and revolutionary ways.  It was filled with creativity, beauty, and science on many different levels. An image of the first piece of artwork I saw when entering the exhibit is shown directly below. With this particular exhibit, there were multiple panels which extended from the floor to the ceiling, as shown. The image was constantly moving, and as I stood closer to the image, the leaves would come together and bloom into flowers. Standing farther from the image would cause all of the lights to come together making for a much brighter image. 

    The next piece I saw began with a dark room. I walked in and immediately felt immersed in the experience as the room was filled with walls that were projecting a film accompanied by music and sounds. There was one main wall at the very back of the room which projected a very large video, however, on both the left and right sides of the room, there were projections as well which created a very interesting peripheral imagery sensation. Captured below is a video of the back and side walls, as well as an image of the changing imagery. 

     


      Another very interesting piece of artwork was one which incorporated technology, art, and storytelling. With this piece of artwork, panels expanded across an entire wall, and consecutively told an ancient Japanese story from left to right. To me, this piece was like a super-modern version of calligraphy. It reminded me a lot of calligraphy as it exemplified a continually changing story across an entire wall. Within each panel, however, the same part of the story happened over and over as a video. Rather than a stagnant image, videos represented each part of the story. In the video shown, the entire story is being wiped out by a golden pattern. 

       

      Next, perhaps the most immersive of all the exhibits, was one in which I got to color in a house with pastels, scan the image, and watch as it became 3d and joined a piece of artwork which combined hundreds of children and other adults drawings along with very advanced technology. 

      This entire gallery was one of the coolest incorporations of art and technology that I have ever seen. Each piece of artwork relied heavily on modern technology, and would be utterly impossible without it. Seeing this gallery whilst learning about science and technology and the way in which they interact and have interacted throughout history was very powerful. To me, this gallery captures the possibilities of art and technology, and even brings out a whole new genre which will hopefully be explored much further by artists in the future.




Here is a link to information about the gallery which is currently being shown in Menlo Park, California:
http://www.pacegallery.com/exhibitions/12781/living-digital-space-and-future-parks