[SUN]Flower Plasma

Current Event
Art | Sci

[SUN]Flower Plasma

Victoria Vesna | Walter Gekelman | Haley Marks

Harvestworks Art and Technology Program
30 Aug 2024 - 2:00pm to 27 Oct 2024 - 5:00pm

We are thrilled to announce the premier of [SUN]Flower Plasma, a collaborative project by media artist Victoria Vesna, plasma physicist Walter Gekelman, and biomedical engineer Haley Marks.

This piece will be featured in the Elements! in Art and Tech exhibition, organized by Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center as part of their Art and Technology Program on Governors Island.

Opening August 30, 2024 – Closing October 27, 2024
Artist Opening Saturday, August 31, from 2 – 4:30 pm

Location: Harvestworks Art and Technology Program Building 10a, Nolan Park Governors Island

More info:
https://www.harvestworks.org/aug-30-oct-27-elements-in-art-and-tech-exhi...
https://sunflowerplasma.com

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This project resulted from years of dialogue between Victoria Vesna and plasma physicist Dr. Walter Gekelman, an expert in Alfvén waves who built one of the largest basic plasma machines in the world. In addition to gathering materials from the plasma lab, Victoria worked together with biomedical engineer Dr. Haley Marks to image sunflower parts, revealing their remarkable microscopic structures resembling the sun.
Building on the “Art + Physics = Energy” explorations, [SUN] Flower Waves delves into the ecological and geopolitical significance of sunflowers and the scientific importance of Alfvén waves. The installation features sound and images from the Large Plasma Device, solar wind data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, and natural recordings, offering an immersive meditation on solar energy and the cycle of creation and destruction. The sound was mixed at Harvestworks NY, adding an additional layer of depth to the experience.
Consider the sunflower, with its radiant bloom following the sun, and Alfvén waves, which are magnetohydrodynamic waves in plasma traveling along magnetic field lines. Both the sunflower and Alfvén waves exemplify a harmonious interaction between natural elements and forces, illustrating how art and science can intertwine to reveal deeper understandings.
The sunflower’s heliotropic movement, where it follows the path of the sun across the sky, is a natural manifestation of phototropism, a biological response to light. This elegant dance with the sun not only optimizes the plant’s ability to photosynthesize but also symbolizes growth, energy, and the intricate patterns found in nature.
Similarly, Alfvén waves propagate through the plasma of the sun’s corona and the interstellar medium, transporting energy along magnetic field lines. These waves play a crucial role in space weather phenomena, influencing solar wind and magnetic fields that impact our planet. The study of Alfvén waves provides insights into the dynamics of the sun and other astrophysical bodies, highlighting the delicate balance of forces at play in the universe.
By drawing parallels between the sunflower’s interaction with sunlight and the behavior of Alfvén waves in cosmic plasma, we can appreciate the interconnectedness of all things, from the smallest biological systems to the vast expanse of space. This connection underscores the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, where the principles of art and science converge to deepen our understanding of the world and inspire solutions to global challenges.

TEAM:
Victoria Vesna
Victoria Vesna, Ph.D., is an artist and professor in the UCLA Department of Design Media Arts and the founder/director of the Art|Sci Center at the School of the Arts and California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). Trained as a painter at the University of Belgrade, her work now resides at the intersection of disciplines and technologies, focusing on experimental creative research. Her installations explore how communication technologies affect collective behavior and perceptions of identity in relation to scientific innovation (Ph.D., CAiiA-STAR, University of Wales, 2000).

Victoria Vesna
Victoria’s work involves long-term collaborations with composers, nanoscientists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary biologists, enriching her students’ learning experience. She has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows and delivered over 100 invited talks in the past decade. She serves as the North American editor of the AI & Society journal (Springer Verlag, UK). Her publications include “Database Aesthetics: Art in the Age of Information Overflow” (Minnesota Press, 2007) and “Context Providers: Conditions of Meaning in Media Arts” (co-edited with Christiane Paul and Margot Lovejoy, Intellect Ltd, 2011). Currently, she is co-curating the exhibition “Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Arts in Times of Climate Disruption” and working on a new book, “Vibrations Matter: Art & Science of Listening” (Routledge Press, forthcoming fall 2024).

Walter Gekelman
Walter Gekelman currently leads the Large Plasma Device (LaPD) laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles. The original machine was funded by the Office of Naval Research and a major upgrade funded by the National Science Foundation. The LaPD is now a national user facility funded primarily by the Department of Energy office of Fusion Science. He and his students have worked on a number of problems related to space and solar physics. These include a variety of waves (Alfven, whistler, lower hybrid, Langmuir, ion acoustic) to name a few. Experiments on magnetic reconnection, processes in which magnetic energy is converted to other forms occur when magnetic ropes collide or in intense laser plasma interactions. Additional studies involve trapped particles in the earth’s radiation belts caused by ejection of plasma from the sun. In addition to the work on basic plasma physics he is engaged in a low temperature plasma physics program with industrial support from LAM research corporation, one the world’s biggest manufacturers of etch and deposition tools used by the semiconductor industry. For years now Prof. Gekelman has engaged in projects on the intersection of science and art with Prof. Victoria Vesna in the media arts department.

Haley Marks
Haley Marks, Ph.D. is a biomedical engineer who serves as a technical expert and project scientist at the California Nanosystems Institute at UCLA, providing advanced light microscopy training and services to users of the Advanced Light Microscopy and Spectroscopy (ALMS) tech center. Her research interests include the development of novel imaging contrast materials, translational medicine, and optics education. She has expertise in developing nanobiophotonic reporter molecules as well as extensive experience working with spectroscopy/microscopy instrumentation, 3D printing, and developing microfluidic and lateral flow assay platforms. She currently works on developing and optimizing ALMS’s existing two-photon, super-resolution and high-speed optical imaging methods, developing strategies and tools for in vivo imaging, as well as optimizing and disseminating computational imaging techniques. Haley was a recipient of the Whitaker International Fellowship and of the SPIE Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Biophotonics.

Mae Chen
Mae Chen is a multidisciplinary artist and designer with a focus on technical arts, motion and graphic design, and liberal arts. She is currently pursuing a degree at UCLA Design Media Arts. Her deep interest in the fusion of art and science was developed through her previous collaboration with Professor Victoria Vesna on the “Interactive Fiat Lux Water Bowl installation.” This experience led her to join the UCLA Art | Sci Center as a student worker in 2024. She served in roles such as project assistant, web designer, and graphic designer for the [SUN]Flower Plasma project.