Thursday, November 12th, 2020

FDA Approved: Changing Lives with Andrew Pelling

Cover Image: Andrew Pelling

Though he is well known for making “Ears out of Apples,” Andrew Pelling had an even bigger announcement this week…

Pelling is Chief Science Officer of Spiderwort, a Canadian medical device company that develops innovative biomaterials for use in regenerative medicine. If unfamiliar, biomaterials are materials that have been engineered to interact with biological systems for medical purposes.

A firm believer in embracing creativity in the lab and pushing the limits of science, Pelling has been experimenting with biomaterials like apple-derived cellulose to efficiently produce low-cost scaffolds. Plant-based scaffolds have the ability to support mammalian cell growth, serving as a base for tissue engineering.

Pelling and his team at Spiderwort developed CelluBridge™, a Spinal Cord Scaffold Implant. This week, CelluBridge™ was designated by the U.S. Federal Drug & Administration (FDA) as a “Breakthrough Device.” The device has micro-channels to guide regenerating neurons through damaged areas of the spinal cord and preclinical studies have demonstrated restoration of motor function in individuals.

You can read more about Andrew Pelling here in Issue #2 of E-Squared Magazine.

Thursday, August 20th, 2020

The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild

In this inspiring manifesto, an internationally renowned ecologist makes a clear case for why protecting nature is our best health insurance, and why it makes economic sense.

Enric Sala wants to change the world––and in this compelling book, he shows us how. Once we appreciate how nature works, he asserts, we will understand why conservation is economically wise and essential to our survival.

Here Sala, director of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project (which has succeeded in protecting more than 5 million sq km of ocean), tells the story of his scientific awakening and his transition from academia to activism––as he puts it, he was tired of writing the obituary of the ocean. His revelations are surprising, sometimes counterintuitive: More sharks signal a healthier ocean; crop diversity, not intensive monoculture farming, is the key to feeding the planet.

Using fascinating examples from his expeditions and those of other scientists, Sala shows the economic wisdom of making room for nature, even as the population becomes more urbanized. In a sober epilogue, he shows how saving nature can save us all, by reversing conditions that led to the coronavirus pandemic and preventing other global catastrophes. With a foreword from Prince Charles and an introduction from E. O. Wilson, this powerful book will change the way you think about our world–and our future.

Check out the virtual book launch here.

Saturday, July 18th, 2020

A Time for Nature

James Prosek’s work as a visual artist and a writer questions accepted notions of how we understand and interpret the natural world. Prosek’s interest in taxonomy, and in general how we join words to the world, began with his passion for nature. He discovered that the process of taking nature and partitioning it into units that can be labeled for convenience of communication is problematic. He explores, among other things, the points at which language fails, and those points are opportunities for communication through other tools, like drawing.

Examining the ways in which we name and order nature, the systems we use to try to harness nature, our classifications and taxonomies, and the limitations of language in describing biological diversity, Prosek invites us to reflect on what these systems say about our culture, our priorities, and our values. Likening to that of John James Audubon, Prosek studies, documents, and illustrates species in their local habitat. He often collaborates with biologists in creating works and exhibitions. His most recent project involves research on species migration in and out of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Working closely with an ecologist studying elk migration, he explored the lines that are drawn in nature but nature does not always follow. His work takes the form of paintings, sculptures, installations, murals, and film.

James Prosek is the author of eleven books and has written for The New York Times and National Geographic Magazine and won a Peabody Award in 2003 for his documentary about traveling through England in the footsteps of Izaak Walton. He co-founded a conservation initiative called World Trout in 2004 with Yvon Chouinard, the owner of Patagonia clothing company, raising money for coldwater habitat conservation through the sale of T-shirts featuring trout paintings. He has exhibited at places like the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Aldrich Contemporary Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. His work is currently exhibited at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. He is currently working on a book about how we name and order the natural world.

See his full spread here.

Monday, June 15th, 2020

Documenting the Silent Story of an Ecosystem w. Amanda Lebel

Inspired by her environment Amanda Lebel prints pochoirs that flourish with life. A former city-dweller, Lebel created works inspired by interiors but after moving to the countryside, her work shifted towards all things alive and natural. Reminiscent of wallpaper interiors, Lebel’s work focuses on native plant species and their importance in our ecosystem.

Full of vibrancy and realism, Amanda Lebel’s pochoirs lend themselves to that of classical botanical illustrations. Upon closer inspection though, something more is going on in her printed forms – she is also documenting the silent story of an ecosystem. While exquisite with color and life, another kind of life is taking over, that of invasive plant species. In her pochoirs, Lebel thoughtfully designs and prints the process of invasion. Native plants are depicted in individual prints to celebrate their color and form; invasive plants are depicted by double-layered prints or collages of repeat patterns like that of wallpaper to symbolize their ability to grow and overtake. With these story-telling pochoirs, Lebel evokes upon the viewer both a sense of beauty and overwhelm.

Amanda Lebel currently teaches painting and printmaking at Naugatuck Valley Community College. She is a highly-valued resource in the arts as she is trained in many areas of printmaking that are becoming a lost art. Lebel has received several grants and fellowships and exhibits her work regularly in the Northeast.

lebel_mileaminuteovertakingelderberry-lowres

Thursday, May 28th, 2020

The Hard Facts w. Mauro Perucchetti

Cover Image: Hard Facts by Mauro Perucchetti. 2006. Pigmented urethane resin, stainless steel & acrylic. 94 x 180 x 30 cm.

As protests continue over the death of George Floyd, I thought it was pertinent to look back to Issue #3, an issue revolving around the topic of man, machine, & power. Featured artist, Mauro Perucchetti has spent much of his time focusing on human rights and the abuses that come along with it. A clear misuse of power can be seen in his rebellious resin sculpture, Hard Facts. Perucchetti also created a poster years ago which was prompted by similar events to those happening today. Read more about Perucchetti’s work in Issue #3 of E-Squared here.

Recently, a video went viral that showed a white police officer exerting excessive force with his knee on the neck of a black man (George Floyd), who later died. Another unrelated video went viral this week, of a white woman in NY’s Central Park who called the police on a black man (Christian Cooper). Cooper was birdwatching and asked the woman politely to leash her dog. She called the police on him, falsely accusing him of threatening her life. I don’t even want to talk about the dog here––these false claims could have cost him his life.

I prefer not to name the names of the people who are in these privileged positions of power, but instead, I want to honor George Floyd, who lost his life, and be thankful that Christian Cooper is lucky enough to still be alive. I also want to callout and be mindful of the imagery that we post of black and brown bodies, which can easily serve as “trauma porn.” While it is necessary to highlight these injustices, we need to be careful, making sure to be respectful of black and brown people while doing so.

For those who are unaware of what trauma porn is, it can be defined as “any type of media – be it written, photographed or filmed – which exploits traumatic moments of adversity to generate buzz, notoriety or social media attention,” and it has been my experience that trauma porn is particularly rampant when it is Black bodies and/or people of color who are the ones being displayed as victims.––Blue Telusma

Let’s stop kidding ourselves with the thought that the police exist to “protect and serve” the population. They may have been established with this thought in mind, but the reality is that police exist as an arm of power for the ruling class, to instill “law and order,” to control the working class and poor people––a clear misuse of power.

Maybe there are a few bad apples, as we like to lay claim, but a few bad apples in any other industry is unacceptable.

I don’t think they pay cops enough. I don’t think they pay police enough. And you get what you pay for. Here’s the thing, man. Whenever the cops gun down an innocent black man, they always say the same thing. “Well, it’s not most cops. It’s just a few bad apples. It’s just a few bad apples.” Bad apple? That’s a lovely name for murderer. That almost sounds nice. I’ve had a bad apple. It was tart, but it didn’t choke me out. Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. I know being a cop is hard. I know that shit’s dangerous. I know it is, okay? But some jobs can’t have bad apples. Some jobs, everybody gotta be good. Like … pilots. Ya know, American Airlines can’t be like, “Most of our pilots like to land. We just got a few bad apples that like to crash into mountains. Please bear with us.––Chris Rock

Friday, May 22nd, 2020

Thoughts on Existentialism w. Oliver de Sagazan, Artist of Issue #1

Previous Artist of Issue #1

Olivier de Sagazan is most recognized for his performance art utilizing clay and paint. Since 1999, he has actively been performing his Transfiguration series which involves building clay and paint onto his face and body and then destroying it.

Existentialists and intellects alike do not have to dig too deep to derive some sort of symbolism here – underneath all of the layers of being human, we are actually just animals and our perceived notion of identity is but a fleeting thought…

Monday, May 18th, 2020

Sticker Design Contest

DESIGN AN OFFICIAL STICKER FOR E-SQUARED!

E-Squared wants to feature artists on our website and with magazine releases!

ABOUT

E-Squared is an international art + science print magazine featuring innovative projects from around the world.

STICKER THEME

For ideas and inspiration, draw from what you envision art + science | innovation to be.

If your sticker is selected, you will receive $50 and your sticker will be distributed with the next magazine release. You will also gain a spot on the “shop” section of our website!

RULES

To enter the contest, eligible participants must create a sticker design that follows the rules and guidelines below. Submit your questions and final design to Emily Dustman, at emmyannephibian (at) gmail.com by June 14. Please also include your name, contact information, and links to any website or social media platforms where your artwork is displayed.

GUIDELINES

Design must not exceed 3.5 inches
Art + Science can appear on the sticker design, but this is not required
Art files must be .psd, .jpg, or .tif, formats
Your submission must be a high-resolution format (@300 dpi; larger than 3 inches; file will be sized down)
Feel free to tastefully include your name or handle

DISCLAIMER

All submitted work must be the original work of the entrant and must not include, be based on or derived from any pre-existing or third-party designs, trademarks, or copyrighted images.

All entries will become the property of E-Squared Magazine. By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees that any and all intellectual property rights in the logo design are deemed assigned to E-Squared Magazine. Except where prohibited by law, an entry submission into this contest constitutes permission to use the winner’s name, prize information, and information provided for publicity purposes, without further permission or compensation.

EXAMPLE

Thursday, April 30th, 2020

Insights into Curing SARS w. Mara Haseltine

Cover Image: SARS Inhibited. Mara G. Haseltine. 2016.

In light of the pandemic, I thought it was time to glance back to Issue #1 at featured artist Mara G. Haseltine. In 2006, Haseltine created SARS Inhibited, a life-size sculpture depicting the active cleft of the SARS Virus with protease inhibitor.

For those of you not spinning in science circles, let’s go over some basics first…

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What is SARS? It is a virus first identified in 2003 that is responsible for causing a respiratory illness referred to as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It is named for the crown-like spikes on the surface (corona = crown; coronavirus), and it spreads when droplets enter the air and people come into contact with them. The particular strain affecting the world right now is known as SARS-CoV-2 and it can develop into COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease 2019).

What are viruses? Viruses are a submicroscopic collection of genetic code (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. They are not classified as “living,” but instead are considered non-living entities. This means that they must rely on a host (i.e. humans) to function and replicate. SARS itself has an unusually large RNA genome with a unique replication strategy.

How do they replicate? Once a virus infects you, they use the machinery within your cells to reproduce. Think of your cells like little factories that produce components that are essential for you to live. When a virus infects you, it takes over these factories, and uses your machinery to make what it needs (i.e. the proteins it needs in order to replicate).

–––––––

Now, let’s get back to Haseltine’s work, a life-size sculpture of the active cleft of the SARS Virus with protease inhibitor.

A protease is an enzyme, and an enzyme is a very specialized protein. So, “protease” is just a fancy term for a specialized enzyme that increases the rate of protein breakdown (prote(in) +‎ -ase). Proteases are found in all forms of life as well as viruses.

An inhibitor is something that slows down or prevents the action of. In this instance, it would be molecules that prevent proteases from functioning properly.

In a nut shell, what we’re talking about here is the inhibition of the main protease found in the SARS Virus. Understanding the structure–function relationships of these proteins will help to identify targets for the design of anti-viral compounds against coronaviruses. Recently, Zhang et al. determined the x-ray crystal structure of a key protein in the coronavirus life cycle: the main protease.

To date (May 3), SARS-CoV-2 has infected 3,555,338 people, with a death toll of 247,631. The more we understand about the structure of the virus itself, the greater our chances will be to find a remedy.

Haseltine’s work, SARS Inhibited, depicts a discovery made in 2003 on the SARS virus, and if this discovery had had been funded properly, it could have potentially led to the creation of anti-viral drugs to treat coronaviruses, including SARS CoV-2.

What does all of this mean? It is possible that this pandemic could have been avoided entirely. Structural biologist Rolf Hilgenfeld had an integral role in the discovery of anti-viral drugs and his work on the SARS virus was highlighted in the 2003 May 14th NY Times article, Experimental Drug May Fight SARS, Researchers Say.

Hilgenfeld is currently working on anti-viral drugs for COVID-19. His work on the SARS virus was the inspiration for Haseltine’s sculpture and you can read her interview with him here.

“I was compelled to do this interview because I felt it would be illuminating and give the public a unique way of looking at coronaviruses and their morphology through the lens of art and scientific discovery. In addition I felt it was my moral obligation to conduct this interview because with knowledge comes power. I want empower your readers, to rally them to demand funds for this kind of research not only to develop treatments for our current pandemic but to prepare mankind so that future Corona pandemics which scientists predict will be much more severe than COVID 19…can be avoided. I Believe art is a profound way to get this message across.” (Mara Haseltine)

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Are you in Venice eating pizza?

While I wish I could say I was in Venice, mindlessly floating down the Grand Canal in a gondola, noshing on some pizza…I am not. I have received numerous inquiries regarding the magazine so here’s the deal:

LONG STORY SHORT

I have not run away.
Issue #5 is STILL happening.
Issue #5 will be released Spring 2020.

LONG STORY

Supporting Print. I have said it before, and I will say it again––printing is incredibly costly, and I believe in quality over quantity, further adding to cost. Have I thought about offering digital versions of the magazine? Yes, I am adaptable, and I would like to do this (beginning with earlier issues), BUT again, there is always a cost.

Finances. On the financial side of things, I always do what is referred to as a “personal draw” to initially print the magazine. This means that I withdraw money from my personal account to print the magazine. Rest assured, all of your pre-order money is sitting in a separate business account just waiting to be pulled for print too––myself as well as my accountant and lawyer at Tomerlin Bookkeeping would have it no other way (Hooray for E-Squared Tax Books!!).

Perseverance. It takes years of hard work, determination, and perseverance to build something. Over the past seven months, I have made difficult decisions regarding my career, transitioned jobs, and sometimes, based on personal principle alone. Have my finances taken a hit? Absolutely. I have also been dealing with several family member hospitalizations and deaths. Yes, it is true, we all experience this little thing called “life,” BUT being the only doer for every single aspect of my business is REALLY HARD. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t want to, it’s just that I had no other choice but to hit pause. I haven’t felt good about it. I think about it every single day. I lose sleep over it each and every night.

Change. I would like to say that my business is separate from me but it is not nor will it ever be. At present, the two are very intimately woven together. My aim is for E-Squared to grow, and to be able to weave those personal and business threads together more loosely so that when life happens, E-Squared doesn’t have to hit pause. Please bare with me through this process––it takes time and unfortunately, more money.

Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. I wanted to thank the artist (of Issue #5) who really did message me to ask if I ran off Venice. This person gave me a good laugh (which I really needed) and they also provided me with a lot of input regarding small business operations. Oh, and a whole heck of a lot of encouraging words––apparently, their daughter thinks I am a “real hero.” Who knew? I’ll take it. Hold on for just a little bit longer for the SPRING 2020 RELEASE!!

Your doer behind all things E-Squared,

Emily A. Dustman
Founder & Director
E-Squared Magazine

Sunday, September 1st, 2019

Pushing Boundaries with Kit Webster

Previous Artist of Issue #1

Kit Webster is known around the world for pushing the boundaries of art and technology through his innovative audio-visual installations. His procedure is multi-faceted, incorporating mathematical formulas, computer programming, and unique installation design to generate various digital projections transected by sound. Webster encourages the fusion of vision and sound stating that his designs are employed to deliberately cultivate a deeper audiovisual, synesthetic connection.

Webster’s work is complex in its implementation, yet minimalistic in presentation. By accurately positioning pixels and programming them to illuminate his installations, he reveals simple shape as light. He then synchronizes his installations with cybernetic volumes to create an overall experience that simultaneously stimulates the visual and audio cortexes of the brain.

Kit Webster’s willingness to experiment in his work yields a final product that is both precise and visceral to the viewer. Showing great proficiency for choreographing light and music, he is truly spearheading the creative-tech scene. You can see his work showcased around the world at numerous festivals and shows like Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and Summer Well Festival.

See his full-spread from Issue #1 of E-Squared here.