Event #3 : Midterm Presentations

 For my 3rd event, I attended the midterm presentations. Hearing the very interesting ideas from my classmates and being able to expand my idea of the relationship between science and art was fascinating. These ideas helped me understand the perspective of the student who presented, as we each were able to make our own unique project. The two most creative projects that stood out for me were the artistic solar panels by Mary Gallo and the memory bank by Katharina Stahl. 

“Art and Science”

Solar panels have been around for a while now, and they have recently been evolving and improving to become the future of energy. As we know, fossil fuels are running out and clean energy sources like solar energy are what we will be using once they deplete. Mary proposed a way to make these dull-looking solar panels into a canvas for artistic expression. There were multiple ways in which she claimed this could be done. For one, the panels could be produced with a piece of art on top and displayed in places like a garden for many people to see. Another way she proposed is through advertisements. By putting an ad on the panel it gets the company’s message out there and also produces reusable energy. This project was my favorite as it clearly intertwined the topics of art and science and created a product that we could see one day on Earth.

 

A solar panel in the shape of a flower

The midterm presentation by Katharina Stahl was also a great combination of art and science. She proposed a device that would store memories so that they could be lived again later. This topic was very interesting to me for multiple reasons. For one, it would be really cool to be able to go back and relive some of the fun/exciting things that I’ve done. However, I think the coolest feature would be having other people experience your memories. By having someone else dive into your memory it shows them your perspective and the way you experienced a certain situation. However, this project did raise a couple of ethical questions for me. As I listened to her present I wondered if reliving memories is actually something that I would want to do. Would the excitement and thrill go away after tapping back into that memory again? I feel as though going back to the old event would take away the preciousness of that memory. 

“Memory Bank”

Everyone who presented their project did a great job and gave me ideas on how to expand my project. I enjoyed this event and would recommend anyone who didn’t go that they go back and watch the recording.  

References:

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fartscienceconnect.gc.cuny.edu%2Ffiles%2F2019%2F12%2Fbrain-bg2-2060x170

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Faround.uoregon.edu%2Fsites%2Faround2.uoregon.edu%2Ffiles%2Ffield%2Fimage%2Fbrain_memory_shutterstock.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Faround.uoregon.edu%2

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FBdmozbY45h7esSUaqdijhwkPnFU%3D%2F0x0%3A1149x707%2F1200x800%2Ffilters%3Afocal(484x263%3A666x445)%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads

Rischar, Haley. “New California rule will facilitate the recycling of solar panels.” Waste Today, 2020, https://www.wastetodaymagazine.com/article/new-california-rule-will-facilitate-the-recycling-of-solar-panels/. Accessed 2021.

“SOLAR PANELS THAT DON'T LOOK LIKE SOLAR PANELS.” Land Art Generator, https://landartgenerator.org/blagi/archives/75833. Accessed 2021.

“WHICH PHOTO ALBUM?” Harrison Cameras, 2019, https://www.harrisoncameras.co.uk/blog/guides/which-photo-album_whichphotoalbum. Accessed 2021.

“Art Inspired Solar Cells.” YouTube, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_zEvVU-ork. Accessed 2021.

Paul, Sonia. “Researchers Say Memories Can Be Relived, Not Just Recalled.” Mashable, 2012, https://mashable.com/2012/03/24/researchers-memories-physical/. Accessed June 2021.