Wonders of Wisconsin: A Study on Insect Macrophotography

This past year I have been honing my skills as an entomologist and as a photographer. My solo exhibition “Wonders of Wisconsin: A Study on Insect Macrophotography” not only presents my personal progress, but also represents an overarching theme of a liberal arts education: connectivity. Everything we see or learn on campus and throughout life is connected. This audience-engaging exhibition has provided a visual for the connections between the fields of science and studio art, the art movements of New Objectivity and Relational Aesthetics, and between human and insect life. The final exhibition opening on May 1st at 5:30pm in the Science Hall Atrium includes two insect display cases, 20 11x14’’ aluminum prints with corresponding postcards, a poster with information regarding all species presented in the display cases, and assorted food items relating to insects and other arthropods (including hand-made chocolate-covered crickets). A blog has been set up for this project, where I have posted some images and talk about my experiences and future plans. At the opening, viewers can take the postcards and discuss how they personally view insects at the provided seating areas. This all provides a context for conversation that can encompass many environmental issues and human-nature interactions

The Ephemeral, the Essential and the Material in the Conservation of Contemporary Art: Decision-Making for the Conservation of a Work of Art Made with Butterfly Wings

[EN] This article presents the intervention process carried out on a work of art created by artist Yolanda Gutiérrez Acosta, using a series of ephemeral materials such as butterfly wings and agave thorns. The work, an installation from 2002, is entitled `Efímeras¿ (`Ephemera¿) and consists of 12 flowers mounted on acetate sheets and attached to the same with vinyl acetate copolymers and acrylic acid esters (Mowilith®). These flowers are installed on the floor in a bed of dried flowers. The conservation of contemporary art can lead to some previously unimaginable problems for restorers. Current works of art are somewhat material in nature, but they also have a conceptual dimension that is essential for their artistic interpretation. The artist¿s participation in the decision-making process prior to the restoration was quite useful. The passage of time, its effect on the work, and the need to understand the possibility of the demise and destruction of the work were implicit as of the onset of its creation, such that, according to the artist, we are forced to reflect upon the possibilities of its future state.This research is part of a research project financed by the Office of the Secretary-General for Research, Development and Innovation, within Spain's Ministry for Economy and Finance [HAR2013-41010-P].Llamas-Pacheco, R. (2018). The Ephemeral, the Essential and the Material in the Conservation of Contemporary Art: Decision-Making for the Conservation of a Work of Art Made with Butterfly Wings. Studies in Conservation. 63(8):441-449. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2018.1501960S44144963

Learning through interactive artifacts:Personal fabrication using electrochromic displays to remember Atari women programmers

In recent years makerspaces have gained traction as an environment where makers and tinkerers can freely create artefacts with digital fabrication tools. They are particularly suited for introducing new fabrication techniques because these spaces support hands-on experiences. Electrochromic displays are one such technology that has become possible to fabricate using new techniques and off-the-shelf tools which lends itself to be used in a workshop setting. Leveraging this development, we facilitated a makerspace workshop that introduced participants to this new technology. To limit the scope of the workshop outcome we used the little known history of female developers of video games (Atari) from the 1970s and 1980s as a design framing. The participants (undergraduates, 16 female, 2 male, aged 19–21 years) explored the Atari women’s role in development and through this exploration they created artifacts using novel electrochromic displays as designed responses. Throughout the workshop participants answered daily questionnaires and kept records of their progress. Our analysis of the questionnaires and the resulting projects suggests that having a relatable and meaningful context increases both motivation and engagement of the participants. We discuss the extrinsic motivations that enhance engagement, and provide suggestions for introducing new technologies in the makerspace context

Materialism as A Cultural Medium Three Projects by Finnish Architects in China

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Un-Natural Histories: The Specimen as Site of Knowledge Production in Contemporary Art

One of the primary functions of museums is the deployment of knowledge through collected artifacts. In the case of natural history museums, these collections consist largely of preserved specimens that all share the marks of the human hand as a result of the processes of preservation and display. Such processes result in the transformation of nature into objects of material culture. Given the challenges that arise from shifting definitions of the natural history specimen in an age when life is being re-defined and re-configured, and living matter is treated as a mutable and expressive substance, I question how our perception of the “order of life” has been impacted by recent developments in genetic manipulation, tissue engineering, and DNA taxonomy. I extend the discussion of the impact of the human hand on natural objects to include the practices of contemporary artists who employ taxidermy, wet preservation, field research, scientific illustration, and biotechnology to investigate the shifting relationship between living organisms and taxonomy. I focus on the hierarchical nature of knowledge in art and science, the changing use of language in classification, systems of preservation and display, and mutations and hybrid organisms, to suggest that natural history as a discipline, can be viewed as a mediating factor between the museum, on the one hand, and both scientific and art practices on the other. The specimen therefore functions as a site of knowledge production that merges both the museological impulses of preservation and conservation with the scientific/laboratory-based impulses of experimentation and alteration

Spartan Daily, January 12, 1959

Volume 46, Issue 61https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/3840/thumbnail.jp

3D Animation: Creating an Experiential Environment.

This thesis is a supporting paper for three of my 3D animations created and presented for a Master of Fine Arts graduate exhibition. It discusses how the two realms of graphic design and 3D animation helped me to develop my heuristic techniques of creating animations. Using the three animations as examples, I make an attempt to explain how linear and figurative images influence each other in the creative process of creature/character development. I also discuss the various influences and cumulative explorations behind the imageries of animation. A brief discussion about Asian Indian aesthetic concepts and the general methodology of creating 3D animation using Alias|Wavefront Maya is also included