nyt r&d: reveal [smart mirror]

The NYT R&D Reveal mirror ties more into the work I was doing last semester dealing with digital data and the interaction between humans and technology – the work that I’ve abruptly stopped this semester for reasons still not fully understood – but it’s too cool not to share… even if it’s not technically an art project and even if it’s not relevant to my current work.

 

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The New York Times R&D Lab is working on a project they call Reveal, which is basically a smart mirror with the ability to project things you typically receive on your smartphone or laptop on a large mirrored screen. It looks like a huge mirror you’d typically have in your bathroom, but the special semi-reflective glass surface overlays your reflection with real-time graphics such as news feeds, a calendar, the weather, and health stats. They call this “augmented reality” and the various features are designed to be personalized to your specific interests and needs. They’re also voice-activated so you can still do your hair or shave or put on makeup while hands-free commanding the screen on the mirror to change to show the information you want.

 

 

 

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I really want one of these. Or at least just test one out. And maybe this is just me being a pre-med nerd, but I’m probably the most interested in the health stats part of the mirror, where it can take your temperature, track your sleep patterns, and who knows what else. I almost think of it like a radically updated mood ring or sorts (but one that is actually accurate rather than changing color in response to your body heat).

I’m not sure how practical having ALL of these components really is, but I’m definitely down with the weather and news headlines features. They’ve probably also already integrated this and I just missed it, but having your email inbox pop up would be super useful too. I’m a self-proclaimed email addict between my laptop and Blackberry and check it first thing in the morning every day. To have it come up on a mirror when I’m putting in my contacts would be really great. That, or I’m just too lazy to start up my laptop and open a browser.

As much as I love the idea of Reveal, I’m not sure if I’m 100% on board – it might be closer to 98.9%. I feel like we’re already constantly so connected that brushing your teeth or getting ready for something in front of the mirror are some of the only times you’re not checking your cell phone or staring at a screen. This sentiment isn’t strong enough to not still want a smart mirror, but Reveal is just a touch excessive to me. In today’s world though, that’s not surprising at all.

If I had continued my Craigslist Missed Connections work from last semester, I could have seen my art take a turn towards this digitized, hi-tech, video/sound/interactive realm of art. The professors last semester were all really helpful in giving me ideas, such as using augmented reality phone apps or projects or sound to accompany my post-its or faux metrocard system but instead, of course, I’ve decided to just go back to pencil and paper. Not sure if this is considered growth/branching out or regression, but I guess I’ll find out once my exhibition goes up.

please vote for me!

I entered the ArtLA Student Artist of the Year Contest!

Here is the link to my entry: http://www.artlastudents.com/index.cfm/search/detail/entry/1595. You can vote once per day until June 10, 2012 and if you like my drawing, I would REALLY appreciate it if you would vote for me as often as you remember! Maybe set the link above as your homepage? :)

Here’s a shot of my entry (click to enlarge) – a drawing of the cross section of a red cabbage, using a Bic 0.7mm mechanical pencil on paper.

I’m not sure why the picture on the voting page is so small but if you search for my first name, Nan, on the website, it will let you click on a slightly larger shot of the drawing there too.

Thanks so much in advance!!

a semi-new beginning.

I’m in a huge dilemma right now concerning my plans for the fall (I know I’m going to med school, I just don’t know where – waitlists are the worst thing ever invented) so I guess it was inevitable that this personal crisis would start seeping into my art. Not exactly a bad thing, just something I hadn’t planned on happening as I try to keep my science and art equal, but separate. (Please ignore any unintentional historical references this makes.)

It started a few weeks ago when I was, admittedly, freaking out about medical school. I was (and still am) very excited and very ready, but also nervous and disappointed and financially insecure. I was overthinking just about everything (no surprise there) and somehow Netter popped into my mind as I was contemplating anatomy class in the fall, hence my previous blog post. Using his illustrations as inspiration, I had planned to create meticulously labeled posters with a similar anatomical feel for my new work this semester, except featuring fruits and vegetables instead of human organs. I had planned to spotlight a graphite drawing of a particular food in the middle of a large sheet of paper, and then visually “dissect” it into its parts and associations: what each veins are named (xylem vs. phloem), where it’s are grown, how much it costs, what bacteria it harbors, and other random facts.

I embarked on my first piece, choosing a romaine lettuce leaf as my subject, only to find that it took me nearly 12 hours to complete just the drawing part because I became so obsessed with capturing the details of every shaded segment and the precise pattern of the network of veins. The leaf was initially intended to be a simple illustration with the labeling aspect taking the bulk of my time, but my perfectionist tendencies won and the drawing became my sole focus. Once I finished the leaf, I stepped back and decided to ditch (or at least hold off on) the labeling and any other accessory I had originally mapped out, leaving only a stark high-contrast graphite rendering in the middle of the cream-colored sheet. It’s hard for me to not overwork these drawings and I’ve tried to picture them with various added components, but in the end, I think they look better like this – left clean and simple without distractions.

Romaine lettuce, graphite (Bic 0.7mm mechanical pencil) on paper, 18″x24″

Artichoke, graphite (Bic 0.7mm mechanical pencil) on paper, 18″x24″

I’m continuing in this direction with five drawings completed so far and planning on featuring ten or so in my show (opening April 11th, 2012!). Although this means scrapping basically everything I did last semester and pretty much starting over during the very last semester of my college career, my artistic process remains consistent in its attention to and preoccupation with detail. My media and the final overall look of my work have changed radically, but my innate obsessiveness drives everything I do and hopefully that will show through in the end. Plus, it’s definitely a great feeling returning to drawing after a nearly 4-year hiatus. More to come.

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P.S. Any ideas for other fruits or vegetables with detailed features that I should draw? In addition to the romaine and artichoke, I’ve done red onion, red cabbage, and grapefuit. Planning on trying out pomegranate, collard greens, and portabello mushroom next…

P.P.S. Any tips for photographing work are welcome. I am terrible at both shooting and Photoshop, and I think the drawings look 90349285 times better in person than they do in these photos. This needs to be reduced to, at most, only 10 times better.

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frank h. netter, MD

Dr. Frank H. Netter is a medical illustrator whose drawings have served as the authority for anatomy diagrams for decades. Though today there are so many digital/3d/animated/hi-tech diagrams that are used as tools for medical students, there is something so appealing about Netter’s good old-fashioned hand-drawn pictures that nothing in this era of digital art can replicate. Even though they may not be as intricate as digitally generated pictures or 3-dimensional models, they are beautiful in their own right and works of art that are impressive in both form and function.

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I’m obsessed with labeling, organizing, sorting, categorizing, and anything to do with these activities, and since I’m also starting medical school in August 2012, it only seems logical that I love Netter and was bound to mention his name sooner or later.

His drawings are very graphic and realistic, but not at the same time. This doesn’t make a lot of sense, but here’s what I mean: real human organs are obviously not as clean cut and perfectly proportioned as they are in Netter’s illustrations (my autopsy observation proved this to me three years ago) but the drawings themselves do look real by virtue of their level of detail and precision. Netter makes these drawings to serve as guides for the real thing. They are almost too real for their own good – perfect organs – leaving every vein & vessel, muscle & tissue accounted for and completely documented. This is what I like most about them and why I see them not only as educational tools but also as pieces of art.