Event 2: Museum of Jurassic Technology

I visited the Museum of Jurassic Technology on May 9, 2015. Below are a picture of me in the gift shop and a copy of my receipt, since they, unfortunately, do not allow photography inside the exhibits. 

The inside was dimly lit and the atmosphere was spooky. Somewhat like the feeling you have when watching the Twilight Zone. It didn't help that there was a constant sound of metal wind chimes, which turned out to be an array of bells on a rotating apparatus powered by a motor that would rotate periodically. The layout was very much like a maze and it gave off a very mysterious vibe. 

This museum had a plethora of interesting exhibits. One that caught my eye in particular was Art in the Eye of a Needle by Hagop Sandaldjian. He is an Egyptian-born Armenian American micro-miniature sculptor. His most notable works are nano-scale sculptures in the eyes of needles, which ties in with week eight's lecture on nanotechnology. His art requires insane precision and patience. Sandaldjian worked extremely slowly under a microscope and had to time his motions in between heartbeats to maximize his control. The ability to manipulate matter with such precision at that scale is awe-inspiring.

Napoleon

In the eye in the needle stands the colorful statue of Napoleon on a large pedestal.

The Micromosaics of Henry Dalton also tie in closely with nanotechnology and Art in the Eye of a Needle. Dalton was an English scientist and artist who was passionate in science but especially microscopy. He also had an amazing eye for aesthetics. His micromosaics were intricately crafted under a microscope from up to one thousand diatoms and individual butterfly scales. 

Micromosaics of Henry Dalton

Another exhibit that caught my attention was Dreams of Earth and Sky by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a Russian school teacher who first imagined space travel and life in space. This ties in with week nine's lecture on space. His ideas provided the foundation for modern space travel and inspired space pioneers after his time. His work was also the foundation of rocket theory, and he created the idea of artificial satellites. The Museum of Jurassic Technology displayed Tsiolkovsky's highly technical notes on space travel. His notes were very interesting and contained many detailed sketches of rockets and vessels for sustaining human life.

This was a very interesting experience, and I would recommend the Museum of Jurassic Technology, but bring some friends so it doesn't feel as spooky.

Works Cited

Dalton, Henry. Micromosaics of Henry Dalton. Digital image. Museum Of Jurassic Technology. Web.  

Sandaldjian, Hagop. Napoleon. Digital image. Museum Of Jurassic Technology. Web. 

Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin. Tsiolkovsky Rocket Designs. Digital image. Urbana High School. Web.