Event 1: Cosmological Elements--Space and Art #1

On April 21, I had the opportunity to attend the first of three events in the Cosmological Elements exhibition series. The event featured a number of impressively talented artists, including Angela Davies, Daniela Estrada, Eli Joteva, Seph Li, and our very own Victoria Vesna! Each of these artists showcased their own unique interpretation of the connection between art and science through their breathtaking artworks. 

Email Confirmation of Event 



Although all of the artists' work was equally captivating and admirable, I wanted to highlight the two projects that I considered to be out of this world (pun intended)! The first of these was Professor Victoria Vesna's [Alien] Star Dust: Signal to Noise. This is a multi-faceted, research-based project that provides individuals with the opportunity to explore the dust from which we were created. Now, I must admit that I was initially a bit confused about the term "alien" in this context. However, after doing some further research on Vesna's work, I discovered that this term is used to refer to the idea of "looking up into outer space for star dust," but at the same time, redirecting our gaze to earth to observe the ways in which everything is interconnected and "mixing around our planet and beyond" (Vesna). It is through her incredible research that Vesna reminds us to take a look around us and be mindful of our complex "cosmic roots." Remember: We are all stars! 

Alien Star Dust installation at the Cosmology Exhibition, Shanghai 

The second project that immediately caught my attention was intermedia artist Eli Joteva's Biogram Blueprints. This is a particular body of work that explores the "digitization of organic structures" through the spectrum of light (Joteva). During her discussion, Joteva explained that the process by which these prints were produced involved a combination of infrared light and UV light, two imaging technologies from two different time eras, and the use of 3D scanning. 

Biogram Blueprints (2018) at the New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this event! Although it was a virtual exhibition, I felt like I was still able to establish a strong emotional connection to all of the artworks. I never knew how many different aspects of cosmology existed until I attended this event. And the fact that I was able to observe these various aspects from an artistic perspective is something truly remarkable. Truthfully, I don't think there is a better way of describing this exhibition than as a space of collaboration and synthesization, one in which scientists, artists, and designers have come together from different cultural backgrounds to create a beautiful, coherent universe (Vesna).



Works Cited: 

Joteva, Eli. "Biogram Blueprints." Joteva, http://www.joteva.com/work. Accessed April 25, 2023. 

Vesna, Victoria. "[Alien] Star Dust." [Alien] Star Dust, https://alienstardust.com/about/. Accessed April 25. 2023. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between." Vol. 34, No. 2, 2001, pp. 121-125. 








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