Plant Modifications poster by Kandis Elliot. Click on the image for a larger size.

Kandis Elliot didn’t think she’d make art her profession. “When I was in high school and thinking of a career, we were told back then that you can't make a living as an artist and if you're smart enough you go into the sciences,” said Elliot. She was smart enough- and interested enough- in the sciences to graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a BA in biology and Masters in zoology. “In all these courses I drew like crazy without letting too many people see these drawings,” she recalls.

But art drew her back and after her advanced degree Elliot returned to school, this time in a technical college program in commercial art. Shortly after that, the perfect opportunity came knocking. “I was out about a month when four people, four or five people called me up the same day and said, ‘The botany artist is leaving, go apply for a position,’" Elliot says. The position was as staff artist for the University of Wisconsin’s Botany department, one of the best in the country.

Elliot was strong on science and gifted in art, but she also had another card up her sleeve, “I knew back in 1988 there was this new thing called Apple Computer where you could draw a perfect square. You didn't need a right angle. You could draw a perfect circle, you didn't need a compass. And I said, ‘Surely you want to do this kind of work on a computer.’ And they said, ‘Alright, let's try it.’"

Kandis Elliot's poster "Introduction to Fungi". Click on the image for a larger size.

The idea of using computers appealed to the scientists, but Elliot had never actually used one. So she went to the campus computer center, held up a hundred dollar bill, offering it to anyone who could teach her how to use an Apple. That investment paid off in a position she held for over two decades. As the botany artist, she created charts and graphs for countless scientific publications and perfected the art of digital painting. Starting with less-than-perfect images taken by scientists in the field, or dried, pressed plant samples, Elliot’s job was to transform them into striking, painterly objects that could hold a student’s attention.

“It makes your eye dwell on the picture a little bit longer,” says Elliot, “I guess the only way I can describe it is that the paintings say, ‘Look at me.’”

After years spent shining the spotlight on nature’s botanical beauty, Kandis Elliot retired from the University of Wisconsin in 2011. But not before receiving one of the highest honors in her profession. A poster titled “Introduction to Fungi” won the 2010 prize for information graphics in the National Science Foundation’s International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. Mushrooms capped a brilliant career.

Anyone who recognizes the man in this sketch can contact either the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office at 330-643-2101 or Detective Sgt. Greg Feketik from the Twinsburg Police Department at 330-963-6221 or 330-425-1234.

The Twinsburg John Doe case is an especially tough one, and the Summit County Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s office need help identifying this man.  No dental records have been found that match his teeth.  I hope my facial reconstruction will jog someone’s memory, and that he will be recognized.

Background for Twinsburg Case

The remains of a young adult male were found behind a small factory in Twinsburg, Ohio in 1982.  The bones and body parts had been cut up and wrapped in plastic garbage bags and buried. It was believed the man had been dead several years when the remains were discovered.  There have never been any leads in the case.

Lawrence Angel, of the Smithsonian Institution, was the first physical anthropologist to examine the bones.  He determined the victim was an African American man in his early 20s to mid-30s. He was about 5 feet, 5 inches tall with a slight but muscular build.

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer of Bath Township was questioned as a possible suspect for two days in 1991 by investigators from Bath Township Police Department and the Summit County sheriff.

Preparing the skull

Photograph of Twinsburg, Ohio John Doe skull with tissue depth markers.

The Twinsburg John Doe skeleton was only partial, and the skull was badly damaged on the forehead, nose, back of the head and both mastoid processes (lumps of bone near the ear).  It looked like the bones had been injured.  Imagining that someone may have died a violent death is very troubling, but this should not influence you to make the subject look ‘sad’ in your facial reconstruction.  The people who knew this man probably knew a young, energetic person and shared happier times with him.

I had to reconstruct the bridge of the nose.  Luckily some of the surrounding bone was undamaged, so it was possible to estimate the slope of the nasal bones.  The bridge of the nose is where tissue depth marker #4 is glued, so it’s important to reconstruct the anatomy here.

Except for one molar tooth the mandible was missing.  A new mandible had to be reconstructed, one that fit well with the upper teeth and the region of the temporomandibular joints (TMJs).  Tissue depth markers #7 – 10 and 18, 20 and 21 are on the mandible.

Twinsburg, Ohio John Doe skull (profile)

I measured, on the John Doe skull, how wide the mandible would have been and then found one just that wide (an adult, African American male) from the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection and roughed out a clay copy, using some of the dimensions from the actual bony mandible, and the width of the TMJ region of the John Doe skull.  I inserted the real molar tooth that was found at the crime scene into its proper place in the clay mandible. 

A colleague, Anne Sanford, made a plaster cast of some anterior mandibular teeth from an adult male in the Osteological Collection, and I embedded these into the clay mandible so that they articulated with the upper teeth of John Doe in the way they would in a normal dentition (no marked overbite or underbite).  Unless we have evidence to the contrary, we always make the guess that the individual was ‘normal’.  If the proportions (evident in the skull) are reflected in the features the artist creates, this should produce a likeness that friends and relatives will recognize.  You would never want to make extra big ears, or really bushy eyebrows, or an elaborate hairstyle (unless there was some evidence for them) because this would be distracting.

It’s been more than 30 years since this man died.  I dearly hope that by sharing this information, and the images of his face, someone will recognize him and we can finally determine his identity.

Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio.

We met Linda in the Main Osteology Lab of the Physical Anthropology Department of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This facility is home to the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection; the largest well-documented human skeletal collection in the world.

In order to “resurrect the dead” Linda uses the skull of an individual to either sculpt or sketch an image of what the person may have looked like in life.  While she sculpts 3-dimensional models on occasion, this method is not often the best approach in forensic reconstruction cases.  It is more time-consuming and is sometimes impractical, especially if the skull is fragile. Most of the time, she creates a 2-dimensional sketch for the police department.

By looking at certain features of a skull, a biological anthropologist can determine the approximate age, gender, and ethnicity of an individual but it is up to forensic artists like Linda to “narrow down the possibilities” in order to trigger recognition by relatives and loved ones.

The first forensic sketch she did for law enforcement was based on the bones of a girl that were found in Portage County, Ohio in 1994.  The sketch was seen and recognized by a police officer working on a case of a missing girl from Rochester, Pennsylvania. This led to the DNA testing of the missing girl’s family in western Pennsylvania and the bones found in Ohio. It turned out that they were a perfect match.

After obtaining the bones from the police department, Linda prepares the skull by gluing the lower jaw into position.  Next, she takes careful measurements to determine specific characteristics of the skull.  She then cuts and glues on markers fashioned from mechanical erasers. These “tissue depth markers” indicate how far the soft tissue and skin would have extended out in life.  Next, a colleague takes two photographs of the skull:  one from the front and another from the side.  These are then printed at exactly life-size and taped to a board over which tracing vellum is then attached.

Linda Spurlock putting the finishing touches on a forensic sketch.

To start a sketch, Dr. Spurlock draws the outline of the face based on the tissue depth markers.  She then draws in eyeballs, the widest part of the nose, and marks the dimensions of the mouth.  On the profile, she determines the projection of the nose and sketches in the forehead, nose and lips.  Next, she adds ears, hair, some shading, and fills in some of the features based-once again-on the unique qualities of the skull.  She considers herself lucky if there are a few hair samples remaining on the skull from which she can determine length, texture and color. It also helps if there are articles of clothing or a belt found with the remains. These can help determine the size and weight of an individual, and informs her decision about which standard of tissue depth markers to cut (slender, normal or obese).

Dr. Spurlock admits that even her best sketch will not be evidence enough to identify a person in a court of law.  Additional information including DNA samples, dental records, and unique medical hardware (like an artificial hip) may lead to the “positive ID” of an individual.

The older a case, the less likely it is that the individual will be recognized.

Most of the time, she works on cold cases in which the victim has been dead for several years or even several decades. In 2009, Linda was asked to sketch the likeness of a man whose bones were found in Twinsburg, Ohio in 1982. Even though it has been more than 30 years since this man was killed, Dr. Spurlock hopes that someday he will be recognized- the first step in solving the crime and catching the murderer.

Anyone who recognizes the man in this sketch can contact either the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office at 330-643-2101 or Detective Sgt. Greg Feketik from the Twinsburg Police Department at 330-963-6221 or 330-425-1234

Web Extra – Linda Spurlock's First Forensic Reconstructions and Sketches

Linda shares how she first learned to do forensic work, both for anthropology and law enforcement.

Zimoun's work is being showcased at GAFFTA.

This is the last week to check out Swiss artist Zimoun's kinetic exhibit at the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA). Zimoun uses basic mechanical objects, such as vibration motors and combines them with parts such as PVC, ventilators and wire to create sonic sculptures. This is a unique exhibit you don't want to miss!

From GAFFTA:

"Zimoun has been compared to a watchmaker of self-reproducing time. His kinetic, sonic sculptures feature armies of mechanical entities that form worlds both uniform and chaotic; futuristic robot battalions and writhing, life-like beings desperate to break free. On Saturday, January 22, 2011, swissnex San Francisco and Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA) team up to present the artist’s first solo exhibition in San Francisco.

Inspired by the sciences of generative systems, robotics, and swarm behaviors, he prepared for his San Francisco exhibition by spending time with the Artifical Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Zurich and the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Lausanne, where researchers study the behavior of ants."

This exhibit is running until February 26th at GAFFTA. For more information, visit their website.

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Photo taken by Edgar Lee

There have been times I’ve seen the Crucible from the road, as I made my way to visit my dad. Last year, Creative Director, Michael Sturtz gave me and a few colleagues a tour through the space. Walking through in awe, I kept thinking about my dad and how he would be a kid in a candy store at the Crucible. My dad got his degree in mechanical engineering and I grew up with the mantra, "If something works, take it apart and find out why”.

Crucible takes that one step further in adding artistic and community components. The Crucible is a non-profit arts education center that fosters a collaboration of arts, industry and community by teaching and showcasing fire, metal, glass and light art. Founded in 1999, The Crucible offers more than 500 classes to nearly 5,000 students annually in disciplines such as bronze casting, neon art, welding, glass working, blacksmithing, fire dancing, textiles and woodworking. One of my favorite parts of the Crucible is the converted fire truck coined the Educational Response Vehicle that acts as a mobile classroom. It was brought out to the California Academy of Sciences for our NightLife World Ocean day celebration last June. Off the truck came blacksmithing, glass blowing and torch welding units. The fire cannon also welcomed guests at it belched out billows of fire into the night sky.

I was also very impressed with the strong community tie of the Crucible. They have a few tiers of a bike program for local west Oakland youth. Workshops are set up for kids to bring in their bikes to be fixed. Technicians explain what they are doing so the kids can get a better understanding of “how it works”. For those interested, there is a six-week Earn-A-Bike program where youth can learn more. They fix two bikes, one to keep and one to sell to raise funds for the program. Youth who want more after the six-week course can also enroll to create their own custom bike in by bringing in their own bike to re-create using more intermediate skills. The bike program has been the most popular community outreach program and continues to grow.

Last Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15, 2011 from 7PM-11PM, the Crucible had their 12th Anniversary Benefit show entitled, "The Crucible Revival; Keep the Fire Burning." Proceeds went to support educational programs at the Crucible and the line up included a fabulous mix of performances, dance, fire and art. Performances focused on reviving beloved and specataular moments of Crucible history in tribute to Michael Strutz’s contributions in his tenure as founder and both Executive and Creative Director. More information on the line up and tickets can be found here. This Thursday, the Crucible comes out to NightLife to add the heat to the theme Fire and Ice.

Being in the Crucible space reminds me of sitting in the garage when I was young watching my dad work on something. The space is set up so people can take “how it works” and transforms it into knowledge, community, art and performance. It’s an inspiring place.

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These glass capillaries contain liquid solutions of silver nanoprisms synthesized by artist Kate Nichols. Image courtesy of Kate Nichols.

Originally inspired by the work of Northern Renaissance painters, one could also describe artist Kate Nichols as a “Renaissance” artist herself. Nichols applies a wide variety of skills and media to her creations, most recently with her pieces that incorporate her experimentation with nanotechnology.

Nichols was fascinated with the rich, bright hues of the Morpho butterfly, and sought to replicate those vivid colors in her work. Through research, she learned that the butterfly wings' brilliant blue color arose through structural color, and that nanotechnology could help her obtain this vibrant palette.

After writing an e-mail to scientist Paul Alivisatos and expressing her interest in nanotechnology, he enthusiastically supported her endeavors (Alivisatos is also a photographer) and Nichols became the first artist-in-residence at the Paul Alivisatos Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Working in the laboratory setting didn't come naturally to her as she had no background or formal training in science.

"I spent the first part of my experience in the laboratory reading scientific papers that would describe specific procedures. And I would get so frustrated that I couldn't achieve the same results. It takes a lot of practice to be able to be up and running in a material science chemistry lab," says Nichols.

But over time and through the guidance of her colleagues, Nichols learned to synthesize nanosilver particles to create the beautiful colors she uses in her work.

Learn more about Nichols and her work in Color By Nano: The Art of Kate Nichols.

QUEST on KQED Public Media.

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 Color By Nano Educator Guide

Artist Kate Nichols longed to paint with the iridescent colors of butterfly wings, but no such pigments existed. So she became the first artist-in-residence at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to synthesize nanoparticles and incorporate them into her artwork. From the laboratory to the studio, see how Kate uses the phenomenon known as "structural color" to transform nanotechnology into creativity.

Gray Area Foundation for the Arts offers a variety of classes to hone your DIY skills. Whether you're looking to program, take in some pilates or yoga or even build circuits into clothing (think light up' clothes), there's something for everyone.

On a seedy street within the heart of the Tenderloin lies one of San Francisco's newest arts and culture non-profits. Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA) officially opened its doors in October 2009 and has since been involved in a variety of community projects that bring together and promote collaboration between art, design, sound, and technology.

I recently paid a visit to GAFFTA to take a class in a programming language called Processing. The language was developed in 2001 with the goal of helping artists and designers use computers to generate art, analyze data, create visuals as well as design sound and interactive experiences. Designed to make programming digital art approachable and accessible, Processing is an excellent first choice for new programmers looking to get their feet wet.

Not only is it easy to learn, but after one class you can see your designs come to life. Check out this example (and the image above) of what Processing can do:

While my creations were not nearly as sophisticated as those shown above, I was able to create some really neat designs that have sparked my imagination. If you're interested in learning more about Processing, GAFFTA is offering a weekend intensive class this weekend, August 21st and 22nd.

GAFFTA offers a variety of classes to hone your DIY skills. Whether you're looking to program, take in some pilates or yoga or even build circuits into clothing (think 'light up' clothes), there's something for everyone. Check out their calendar for the most updated list of classes and exhibits at GAFFTA.

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Four Bay Area art groups have come together to build a 2.5 ton fire-breathing collaborative musical instrument. Syzygryd (pronounced Si-zee-grid) is a 2010 Burning Man art installation that will be assembled in Black Rock Desert later this August for the event.

Syzygryd was conceived of by Nicole Aptekar and Ian Baker, two core members of Ardent Heavy Industries, in late 2009. Together, Ardent Heavy Industries, Interpretive Arson, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA) and False Profit Labs joined forces to conceive of and build this installation.

I first heard of Syzygryd last Spring by one of the main collaborators, Dan Silverstein. As Dan explains, “We'd like Syzygryd to be a town square for collaborative creation of music; a public space, a sculpture, and a musical instrument.  We want to share the joy we take in community, music, technology, fire, sculpture and architecture, and show that anyone can learn to make music with others, regardless of experience.”

With that in mind, Syzygryd consists of three custom grid sequencers arranged at three equidistant points around a 60' diameter circle.  The center of the circle is a huge metal tornado of cubes that pulse with synchronized sound, light, and fire.

Each grid sequencer controls a single instrument that is syncronized with the other two. By controlling time, pitch and harmony, these devices make it easy for people with no musical training or talent to create compositions on the fly.

To get a better idea of what this might look and sound like when completed check out this video the Syzygryd team created:

Syzygryd Software Preview from nicole aptekar on Vimeo.

Syzygryd is being built at NIMBY and recently reached its Kickstarter goal that will allow for fire art to be included on the piece. While I won’t be making it to Burning Man to see the project live, this is an awesome example of one of the really innovative projects local makers are working on.

If you'd like to learn more, or are interested in helping with the construction, coding and design Syzygryd is looking for volunteers (no experience necessary). Learn more here.

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photo credit: Sabin+Jones LabStudio

I was recently at the annual AAAS meeting in San Diego, the largest scientific conference in the world. After days and day of symposiums and discussions (some of which make you want to gnaw off your own ear), I walked into the exhibit halls hoping for a respite. In a corner of the enormous room, I found the winners of the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. I was simply blown away. Self assembling polymers arranged around a green sphere showing the need for all of us to work together to save the planet. 75,000 cable zip ties illustrating lung endothelial cells pushing against and pulling on the protein matrix that surrounds them. The works were absolutely astounding and illustrated the benefit of artists adding their perspective to often difficult-to-understand scientific concepts.

The growing blend of art and science is not lost in our local community. Next week, two events in particular illustrate the trend. On Wednesday April 7th, Swissnex San Francisco hosts a discussion on Visualizing Science focusing on how artists can enrich scientific concepts and results. The panel discussion features a scientific illustrator, marine biologist, and exhibit developer from the Exploratorium. The scientific illustrator, Cornelia Hesse-Honegger, spent years drawing mutated insects near fallout areas of nuclear power plants, including Chernobyl. Even if I tried, I couldn't have made up a stranger idea for an art project. The results are stunning and will appear in WIRED’s May issue. For those unfamiliar with Swissnex, it is a venue for the discussion of science, education, art, and innovation – highlighting the ingenuity of Switzerland and the Bay Area.

On Sautrday April 10th, see art and science merge in celebration of Yuri Gagarin's first orbit around the Earth. The annual Yuri's Night Bay Area is a blend of space science, interactive art, and popular music all in the cavernous Moffett Field Hangar. This year's art installations include the Raygun Rocketship, a retro 100' tall rocketship which debuted at Burning Man and the Serpent Mother, a 180' animatronic fire breating snake. Worry not science fans, as there will be over 100 exhibits featuring an outdoor planetarium and even Steve Wozniak speaking on the early days of Apple. Music acts include Common and Les Claypool along with dozens of other performers.

Visualizing Science
When: Wednesday, April 7th, 630-930 PM
Where: Swissnex San Francisco
Cost: Free, RSVP Required

Yuri's Night Bay Area
When: Friday April 9th and Saturday April 10th
Where: Moffett Field, NASA Ames Hangar
Cost: Friday is free for students and educators. Saturday is $55.

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