Week 1: Pencils, Breathing and Microscopy 1/22/23

On Tuesday, the class learned about the complicated processes behind the production of a seemingly simple graphite pencil. From the mechanical engineering of the individual pencil parts to the molecules of the graphite, there is almost endless information one may research about the pencil. We also explored the importance and prevalence of hexagons in our ecosystems and the history behind it. Buckminster Fuller was an architect that created a three-dimensional dome made up of a pattern of repeating hexagons which ended up representing the structure of a newly discovered carbon molecule. I was surprised to learn that hexagons are one of the most common shapes in nature, especially since most of these instances are on a microlevel that is not easily seen by the human eye. 

Screen Shot 2023-01-22 at 11.55.58 PM.pngThe Pencil notes.

In the second half of class, Anna Nacher gave a guest lecture about the importance of breathing and being conscious of your breathing. Closing my eyes and listening to all of my classmates breathe with me at the same time felt powerful and meditative. The guided breathing led by Ms. Nacher reminded me of the sleep meditations that I listen to in order to relieve my anxiety and stress. After more research, I was intrigued by an article that discussed the health benefits of sleep meditation and how it is likely that it can improve the microbiome in your gut (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/deep-meditation-might-it-change-the-gut-microbiome-to-boost-health#What-is-the-microbiota-gut-brain-axis?). After the guided breathing and sleep meditations, I definitely feel an improvement in my physical body; I feel less overwhelmed, more focused, and more in touch with how I am feeling. I am not surprised that these meditations improve my body on a nanolevel, I am grateful for the opportunity to experience this with my classmates.

 

Visiting the microscopy labs was an enlightening experience because as a Design Media Arts student, all of my classes are in the Broad Art Building and I rarely have the opportunity to visit other departmental buildings. Many of the processes used in microscopy were surprisingly related to the processes that we use as design students to create art with technology. For example, whereas we use AI technology in our curriculum to visualize data in a more abstract way, the lab uses it for assisting in scientific findings. The cameras and lenses we use to photograph something visually appealing are used by the scientists of the lab to capture pictures of organisms and molecules on a nanolevel. At times, I felt like the work that we do in our arts classes with this technology is a bit trivial compared to the tangible results and discoveries that the scientists could achieve with the same technology. But, I remember that artists and designers are important in helping to create these technologies and make them accessible in a visual way. IMG_4140.JPGBirthplace of the Internet.

“Might Deep Meditation Act on the Gut and Improve Health?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/deep-meditation-might-it-change-the-gut-microbiome-to-boost-health#What-is-the-microbiota-gut-brain-axis.