Thermochromic Pasteur

I made a second edition of my Louis Pasteur block print. You may recall I made a portrait of Louis Pasteur for a Mad Scientists of Etsy challenge. Though his work was extensive in a variety of fields, I chose to depict him as I see him; a man who saw bacteria in his environment and developed a means of protecting people from this ambient menace. The image is based on a photograph of Pasteur and the background, of course depicts various morphologies of bacteria. I don't know anything in particular really, about bacteria, but morphologies I can understand. Plus, I like his face. You can see his concern in his eyes. And he sticks his glasses in a button-hole in his coat- a interesting touch. Suggests he is thinking about other things. The lino block print is a 2nd edition of nine (some variability in mixed colours) in dark blue and turquoise thermochromic ink on 9 inch by 12 inch (23 cm by 31 cm) Japanese kozo paper.

Thermochromic ink changes colour with temperature. If you heat the print above about 30 C ( 86 F) the turquoise bacteria go white and disappear. It's like a metaphor for pasteurization. Consider these two side by side prints:



Look what happens if I apply heat to either one (with the help of a hair dryer):




The heat makes the bacteria disappear!

I've been thinking about 'smart' materials and using my scientific background to make more interactive, time-varying art. This is my first venture into this area. I've been doing some research about what is out there. There are a lot of interesting inks and textiles, but often they are only really sold on an industrial scale. To make this print, I purchased a small about of thermochromic powder and - after some experimentation - mixed it with block printing medium, or ink extender.

Hello (cloned) Dolly!

So, this February, the Mad Scientists of Etsy challenge is Keith Campbell the biologist, who was part of the team that produced the cloned sheep Dolly. You remember Dolly? She was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer. She was born 5 July 1996. Usually, when the theme is a scientist, I do a portrait. I am a little more wary about the 20th century scientists, because we lack distance. Further, being out-numbered by biologists, on the Mad Scientists team, we do get some characters about whom I know next to nothing. Undoubtedly, Dolly was a big science story, but I know nothing of Campbell and I can't say that naming this sheep, cloned from a mammary cell, for the "most impressive mammaries" really impresses me. Ms. Parton has a great sense of humour, but that doesn't mean that I support objectification. I wouldn't want to be humourless, but people are more than their parts. Likewise, sheep. Though really, I suspect we likely need more distance to fully grasp the ethics of cloning issues too, so this is not that kind of post. No, this is simpler: the really cool thing about block printing is that one gets (or can get) multiple originals so there's a obvious analogy to cloning. The title I'm blaming on the accidental punning headline-writer. After groaning, I decided RJH's comment of "Hello Dolly!" was corny but funny. Plus, I'm obsessed with typography. He also said I chose to "go pink or go home" but I really wanted the contrast with the gray. I must say, my magenta ink is the pits. I wonder if it's a bad batch or whether there's some sort of chemical problem with their emulsifier. Anyhow, enjoy the sheep: edition of 6 on Japanese kozo (or mulberry) paper, each sheet is 12.5 inches wide by 10.25 inches tall (31.8 cm by 26 cm).

I must run. I'm in the middle of a symposium on scientific visualization. This is my lunch break.

spectacularly ugly

The Mad Scientists of Etsy theme for June is Ichthyology. I can't even spell Ichthyology, as will come as no surprise to Reynardin. I look it up every time. Anglerfish are spectacularly ugly fish of the order Lophiiformes who use a fleshy growth from their heads (ummm... doesn't that sound appetizing?) as a lure to fish their prey. This one is a bottom-dwelling (benthic) predator with a bioluminescent lure (the esca or illicium). It's like Nature decided, well it's too dark down there to see much, let's make it as ugly as possible. If any little fishies think they see a big gaping jaw full of sharp, pointy teeth, by the eerie blue glow of the bioluminscent lure, they'll assume they must be imagining things. Nothing could be that ugly.

This is a lino block print of an anglerfish in white and blue ink on Japanese teal unryu paper, 7.35 inches by 15.5 inches (18.4 cm by 39.4 cm). It is one of a hand-pulled edition of 6.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt

This is a first edition lino block print of the woman who was able to set the scale of our Universe. A portrait of Henrietta Swan Leavitt is printed in silvery lavender ink on Japanese kozo (or mulberry paper). Behind her is a line showing stellar luminosity (capital L with subscript sun-symbol, a circle with a dot) as a function of time (t). She is printed over constellations in gold (Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Draco, Ursa Minor and Andromeda). The first edition is a run of 6 prints, each 10" by 12.5" (25.4 cm by 31.8 cm).


Henrietta Swan Leavitt (July 4, 1868 – December 12, 1921) was an American astronomer. In her day, women scientists were regularly hired to do menial chores. She was hired to count images on photographic plates as a "computer".* In studying these plates, in 1908 she was able to deduce a ground-breaking theory, which allowed Hubble's later insight about the age and expansion of the universe**. Her period-luminosity relation for Cepheid variable stars radically changed modern astronomy, an accomplishment for which she received little recognition during her lifetime.

Cepheid variables are a class of pulsating star. They are named for the star Delta Cephei in the Cepheus constellation. The relationship between a Cepheid variable's luminosity and pulsation period is quite precise. It had not been obvious to tell whether a star was dim because it was less luminous, or whether it was merely further away. Swan Leavitt's discovery lets astronomers use Cepheids as "standard candles". They allow astronomers to determine distances to celestial objects and form the foundation of the Extragalactic Distance Scale.



This April, the Mad Scientists of Etsy are celebrating Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who died too young, but accomplished more than most and greatly added to our understanding of our place in the Universe.

Also, she's a serious contender to battle Annie Jump Cannon for "best astronomer middle name".



*These "computers" were quite literally treated like automatons.

**Ejnar Hertzsprung used her discovery to plot the distance of stars; Harlow Shapley used it to measure the size of the Milky Way; and Edwin Hubble used her work to ascertain the age of the Universe.

Entomology Pillow

Watch minouette compulsively avoid grocery shopping by wasting time on the internet. I hate grocery shopping. It's a problem. Anyhow, here's a new pillow:





This one of a kind pillow features three original, hand-pulled block prints on fabric, of some of the loveliest insects: butterflies and a bumblebee. The front is a patchwork of a contemporary faux-bois print in deep blue, with a butterfly on a grass green cotton, a bumblebee on a delicate pin-striped umber and sunny yellow, and a monarch butterfly on a vintage floral. The reverse combines a rustic, hand-woven Nepalese fabric with a contemporary print like a scientific illustration of butterflies, moths, ladybugs (ladybirds) and bees.

I like the idea of combining vintage and rustic fabrics with contemporary fabrics, and embellishing things through printmaking to make something new.

The Mad Scientists of Etsy challenge for March is entomology. Natural history is still hot. When I was an undergrad studying physics, people would invariably ask, "Why would you want to do that?!" assuming, erroneously that their own tastes were universal and I was some sort of masochist. I always thought about the entomologists, because, while I know intellectually, they must derive pleasure from it, and probably think bugs are cool, I feel that the fear of creepy-crawlies is primordial. Though, it's the helminthologists I really worry about. If there's ever a helmintology challenge, I think I'll sit that one out.

Bumblebee

I posted a new bumblebee chine collé linocut in my shop


This is a first edition lino block print of a bumblebee on Japanese kozo (mulberry) paper with yellow washi chine collé (collaged fine Japanese paper). The term chine collé is from the French for "papier-chine collé" or glued Chinese paper (though fine Japanese is more likely); it's a way to get a different colour or texture in a relief print. The bee itself fits with 10 cm (4 inches) square and the sheet is 20 cm (7.9 inches) square. The print is one of only 12.



For the month of March, the Mad Scientists of Etsy are celebrating entomology! Even though, butterflies are the new pirates, I thought I would make a bee, and since Reynardin encourages me to carve fur, I went for the fuzzy bumblebee.

Actually, this is sort of Step 1. I am planning an entomology pillow (yes, really). Also, I have this New Year's resolution to submit prints to print shows and contests, and there is a mini-print show in Ottawa, I'm considering. Prints must be 10 cm by 10 cm (and can be on sheets up to 20 cm by 20 cm). My other option would be, the Hand-Held Harpy. Or to make something else, pronto.

Mad Scientist (of Etsy)

I convinced the MSOE folks that what we need are some interviews on the blog. Who are these scientist-artists anyway? What do they do? Well, I've posted the fist interview. Check it out. We have tiger quolls. *the cute it burns!* Watch out though - that there is a carnivorous marsupial. In fact, it is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial and considered an apex predator.* Further, there are immortal jellyfish and beautiful needle-felted sculpture animals.

By the way, you (especially the Torontonians) should be reading the TESTy blog (I mean, basically, I write it) and the Printsy blog is stupendous (but dangerous to the wallet).

I think I should adopt Reynardin's accidental catch-phrase, "Hey check-it check-it!"

*I think of Australia as being full of dangerous animals, like spiders, snakes, sharks and killer jellyfish. I didn't expect the apex land predator to be so cuddly-looking. But perhaps Australians mistakenly think polar bears look cute (as opposed to lethal and stealthy) and I wouldn't even want to mess with an angry raccoon, so what do I know?

Ada Lovelace Day - March 24, 2010

One month from today, on March 24, 2010, the second anual international day of blogging to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and science, Ada Lovelace 2010 (ALD10).

Women’s contributions often go unacknowledged, their innovations seldom mentioned, their faces rarely recognised. We want you to tell the world about these unsung heroines, whatever they do. It doesn’t matter how new or old your blog is, what gender you are, what language you blog in, or what you normally blog about – everyone is invited. Just sign the pledge ... and publish your blog post any time on Wednesday 24th March 2010.

Over on the Mad Scientists of Etsy blog- many of whom are women in science or technology (or both) I'm hosting our own Ada Lovelace Day mashup! I hereby pledge to blog to draw attention to the achievements of women in technology and science on March 24th. Further, I will link to my team mates ALD10 posts and we will cross-post all our various entries here, on the Mad Scientists of Etsy Blog. Last year's event was a great success (my own post from 2009 is here) and this year, I'm looking forward to learning about other female innovators and heroines of my fellow Mad Scientists.

So, please get involved!
1. Go sign the pledge.
2. Read the MSOE ALD10 Mashup.
3. Blog on March 24th, 2010.




The Enchantress of Numbers is calling on you

p.s. For the raving comix consumers/steam-punk fans: check out The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace & Babbage.

Feathers and Snowflakes

This month the Mad Scientists of Etsy challenge is the Feather. As some of you know, I am allergic to feathers. I made a block printed Guinea fowl feather fabric (feather-free, vegan even) brooch.




Meanwhile, the Trans-Canada Etsy Team chose the theme of snow. Bizarrely, we currently have no snow. It felt like spring out there today (though, I'm not sure I believe it... it might change at any moment). I carved two snowflakes (based on microscopic photographs of individual flakes) and printed them on irridescent silk. Here's a sneak peek of a two-brooch set in the works.

Imaginary Friends of Science: Descartes' Demon

The 2nd in my 'Imaginary Friends of Science' series - after Maxwell's Demon* - is Descartes' Demon. Despite (or because) of his rationalism, René Descartes hypothesised the existence of an evil** daemon, a personification who is "as clever and deceitful as he is powerful, who has directed his entire effort to misleading me." The evil d(a)emon presents a complete illusion of an external world, including other people, or even his own body, when perhaps they didn't in fact exist. This is a sort of thought experiment to test the very idea of empiricism.

The modern version of this is the "brain in vat" (i.e. how do we know we aren't just brains in vats of biochemicals being stimulated to simulate what we sense). Descartes' Demon moves with the times, except perhaps when it comes to fashion. In fact, he bares an uncanny ressemblance to René Descartes himself, except for the horns, and the brain in a vat, of course.

Prior to taking the methodological skepticism (or, in the lovelier original, doute hyperbolique) to its extreme, in the Demon, Descartes used the dream argument as a thought experiment. Do we know this reality we each observe and experience exists or is it nothing but a dream? He uses this to show that in fact we can distinguish dream from reality. In this argument he was preceeded by two millenia by Zhuangzi (庄子;), 4th century BCE Chinese philosopher, who wrote, amongst other things "Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly", which I came across in Jorge Luis Borges' famous essay "A New Refutation of Time".

Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things. (2, tr. Burton Watson 1968:49)

This philosopher was influential to Zen.

It's little wonder that in more recent and contemporary culture, we are still fascinated by these ideas. Consider Tweedledee and Tweedledum's warning to Alice in Through the Looking-Glass that the Red King asleep in the grass is dreaming about her, and that if he were to wake up she would "go out—bang!—just like a candle." Or The Matrix, which directly alludes to Alice. Likewise "Abre Los Ojos" (Open Your Eyes) (or its American remake, Vanilla Sky). Also the brain in a vat specifically makes appearances everywhere from Star Trek to Donovan's Brain.



Descartes himself was quite the character, alarming to contemporaries, even the scientists and philosophers. He liked to stay in bed until noon. It seems the enthuasism of his last great patron, Queen Christiana of Sweden, who demanded early morning tutorial, may have killed him. The moral of the story kids: no good come from studying before noon. Also, it's fun to try and tie all one's favorite things together.

*Remember him? Maxwell's Demon fights entropy, rather than empiricism. I love these far-out gedenkenexperiments (or thought-experiments, but if you are trained in physics you take language cues from Einstein) of such solid rationalists. Maxwell's Demon is more benign... after all, he might yet save the Universe from heat death.

**Personally, I would translate malin in le malin génie as wicked, rather than evil. I associate the word with mischievious, clever elves in fairytales... a trickster rather than something you'd see on Supernatural.

mad scientist ornaments

There is a treasury of Mad Scientist ornaments here. You can vote for your favorite Mad Scientist ornament here, including my Natural History Ornaments.

Natural History

Ah, yes, what we have all been waiting for... a way to combine our raging obsession with the wunderkammer, the Cabinet of Curiosity, with... the holidays. In fact, Natural History is rather hip, for home decor.

The Mad Scientists of Etsy challenge for October is to re-invent the ornament in the light of science. So, this is what I've been up to:




This collection of ornaments ranges from the microscopic radiolarian (inspired by the 19th century German naturalist and artist Ernst Haeckel) to the Moon in scale. Mammals are represented by their largest member: the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). The insect class is represented by the mighty traveller, the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). The fungi are represented by the pretty, but poisonous fly agaric (Amanita muscaria).



Cause who doesn't want poisonous mushrooms on their tree? Bwhahahaha!

fractal geometry

You were dying to know why I've been hunting ferns, right?

For the month of September, 2009, the MSOE challenge is 'Fractal Geometry'. Fractals are self-similar: their parts mimic (more-or-less) the whole. Some of the exotic species within this mathematical family have precise familiar shapes, like the simplest rectilinear object you could imagine, the triangle. Others have organic lines like coast lines or plants. The fern is a stereotypical example; oblong leaves with branch off of veins which in turn branch off of other veins, in a self-similar manner.

In this mono print, I am comparing and contrasting the aspect of self-similarity, by combining a block printed Sierpiński Triangle (the holes in which could in theory continue ad infinitum, but being human, there is a practical limit to what can be carved) and a printed fern leaf.



Then, I did it again:

Reflecting on the Moon Pillow

This month, the MSOE are honouring the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I am playing with the idea of reflection (to think back, refléchir, the reflection of light and reflection after a collosion). I carved a reduction print* lino block of the moon reflected in the sea. The way we usually see the moon, its light refracted through the atmosphere, is rather like trying to do astronomy from the bottom of a swimming pool - we can only really see a distorted image of our night sky from Earth, like observing the moon's reflection on the ocean. Actually going to the moon, allowed humankind a direct observation like no other.

The moon itself was formed, early in the evolution of our solar system, when a Mars-sized object collided with the young Earth. The object shattered and large amounts of the young planet's early mantle splashed up into orbit. Eventually all this material, both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial coalesced under gravity and our home gained a satellite we know as the moon.







*A reduction print involves carving a block, printing one colour, carving some and printing the subsequent colour or colours on top. It is not a technique a use often.

mad scientists: horror most fowl

So the Mad Scientists of Etsy were talking* about chickens (with the exception of a group of biologists who keep persisting in talking about about dissecting frogs... from which I really wish they would desist) and tyarkoni wrote,

"So here's my bit 'o chicken: I used to do a lot of acting in indie films, and one of my favorite (and strangest) was a spoof on horror films I did called "Zombeak!" It's a hilarious zombie/chicken movie & in one scene I had to deliver a monologue to a fake chicken possessed by satan! Talk about suspension of disbelief, phew."

Yep. Scientist-etsians are not like other people. I <3 the mad scientists. They have more off-beat life stories.
_______________________________________________________

In other news, I sold a walrus print, yay! Reynardin and I persisted, though we had to wait in line in the cold (Hey! You there, yeah you, Climate - wake up! It is mid-May... enough with the frost already!) to get into to the music to draw to soiree, because as kid koala said, they "grossly underestimated how many of [us] wanted to draw". But draw, to music, we did.

*I mean really typing, or chatting online.

Quail Monoprint

Quail monoprint
Originally uploaded by the.minouette

This is a block print on various Japanese washi papers, in brown and black. It is 8.5 inches by 9.75 inches (21.5 cm by 24.8 cm). The top has inclusions of fibres, the bottom has gold and silver foil flecks.

The MSOE challenge fro May 09, is ornithology.

I may make some more birds before the month is through, but I added a quail to my shop.

Q is for Quail & Quilt

So I finally added another block to my alphabet-quilt-in-progress. Q is obviously for quail. They are so comical looking. We used to see them a lot on Vancouver Island. Whole little bustling families, with bossy parent-quails trying to round up bumbling, fluffy, little balls of quail. They would walk in a line from tallest to smallest. The male top feathers look so imperious and pompous. Plus, they are very small, and yet make quite the racket if they think you might step on them.

Also, I love self-referentiality: a quilt within a quilt, with some vintage fabric showing game birds including quails. (The same fabric appears on the giraffe I made ).


Coincidentally, the MSOE team challenge for the month of May is Ornithology. So I whipped up some multimedia quail-on-various papers. I think I'll submit a pillow. I printed the quail block on print fabric showing calligraphy. I think it worked well with my letterpress Q.

In fact, the top-feather echoes the tail of the Q.

Alphabet quilt remaining letters: U, V, X, Y. I will finish this project! I will.