This series of evenings illuminates the extraordinary interdisciplinary research and applied practice taking place across Houston in our laboratories, art studios, and classrooms. LASER Houston showcases the art and science practices across the city that have independently brought international recognition and are unique to Houston’s identity. These evenings are a platform to cultivate an interdisciplinary community, expanding the local art and science network, fostering creative dialogues and future collaborations. 

CHAIRS: Surpik Angelini and Aisen Caro Chacin

TECHNICAL DIRECTION: Carlos Pelayo Martinez Rivera

Rafael Verduzco

Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Rice University

Plastic Fantastic

In our increasingly connected world, there is a demand for materials and devices that are portable, lightweight, foldable and flexible, low-power, and sustainable. Polymers provide a viable route to a remarkable set of electronic and functional materials with these characteristics. In this talk I will discuss our work in the development of flexible and bendable solar cells, shape-changing elastomers, and self-assembled coatings. Each example presents a unique molecular structure and architecture of polymers that provides unexpected and useful properties.  

Bio

Rafael Verduzco, Ph.D. is as Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. R. Verduzco graduated summa cum laude from Rice University and received his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology working in the group of Prof. Julia Kornfield. From 2007-2009, he served as a Postdoctoral Associate at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research interests include block copolymer photovoltaics, liquid crystal elastomers, and bottlebrush polymers.

http://verduzcolab.blogs.rice.edu/

Geraldina Interiano Wise

Artist

The Brain, Painting, and the Nahual Project-Towards Data-Driven enhancement to visitor's Experience at Museums and Galleries

Graphonomic digital painting (Nahual) with Eric Todd- artist & neuroengineer, UH

Directed by Dr. Jose L Contreras-Vidal, Director, NSF I/UCRC BRAIN University of Houston Site, Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Lab, UH

The Nahual came from Wise’s artist voice which is embedded in the intellectual and cultural patrimony of her Maya ancestry, which extends from the Yucatán to the highlands of El Salvador, her country of origin. In Maya cosmology, at birth, every human is assigned a mirror spirit- the nahual- which guides and connects us to the ecosystem. For her live painting performance at the 2019 International Graphonomics The Brain on Art Conference, Wise was equipped with mobile brain-machine interface (BMI) which provided the brain output that produced a generative digital piece by running it through signal analysis algorithms by Todd. Using state-of-the-art mobile technology, for each mark she made on the canvas, a corresponding “mark” was generated on a digital screen, the shape and color of which determined by taking snapshots of Wise’s brain waves during the continual 15 min. creative process. The result of this closed-loop of creativity, including the sonification of her brain, was her original physical art piece and her digital nahual, as a graphonomic painting by the artist’s brain. As a counterpoint to the technologically advanced environment for the Nahual project, Wise brings the authenticity of intent and artistry with her Maya performance outfit, ancient seed sourced indigo pigment, house paints, and coffee ink. She paints with brooms, rakes and laborers tools, as a nod to her fellow immigrants.

In subsequent iterations of the Nahual project, viewers are outfitted with MUSE mobile brain devices, the output sonnified towards an interactive experience. Can we use the present technology to set up experiments towards gaining data from viewers/visitors towards data-driven potential applications for museum exhibitions/settings and heightened or therapeutic interaction with visitors? This is the intersection of art and science.

Bio

Geraldina Interiano Wise discovered art at a young age in El Salvador under the tutelage of Violeta Bonilla, a protégé of Diego Rivera. An accidental immigrant, she came to America to continue her education and was separated from her family by the Civil War. A graduate from Rice University in Architecture/Art/Art History,  she is now a dedicated artist in the realm of Abstract Expressionism. She does painting, collage, 2 1/2D, printmaking, and performance art. Her artist’s voice comes from the intellectual patrimony of her Maya ancestry, rooted in ethnography and science of Houston and the world. She approaches her art as a future archeological site, layering information at a molecular level. She paints with rain water and local ocean water. She uses house paints, coffee ink, ancient seed sourced indigo pigment from El Salvador; she applies paint with household cleaning tools as an ode to her fellow immigrant people. Her overarching themes are coexistence and connectivity.

www.geraldinainterianowise.com

SPONSORS:

LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) Talks is Leonardo's international program of evening gatherings that bring artists and scientists together for informal presentations and conversations. LASER Talks were founded in 2008 by Bay Area LASER Chair Piero Scaruffi and are in over 30 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. 

The mission of the LASERs is to provide the general public with a snapshot of the cultural environment of a region and to foster interdisciplinary networking.