Learning from the Surface

How does your artwork depict the contribution of engineers to a better world?

My artwork, a wind turbine printed onto a sand dollar, shows the intersection between nature and engineering, and how they can coexist. I used this combination to represent three ways that engineers create a better world. The first is clean energy. Wind turbines are an important contribution created by engineers that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help protect the environment. The second is biomimicry, which is when engineers study nature to inspire better designs. The sand dollar has radial symmetry and a lightweight structure that has influenced things like architecture and medical devices. The third is environmental engineering. By placing an image of renewable energy on something fragile and natural, I wanted to show that the best engineering works with the natural world, not against it. Engineers have the ability to build solutions that help future generations inherit a healthier planet.

Describe how you think viewers from at least two different audiences might view or interpret your work.

I think an environmental advocate would see my piece as an example of sustainability. The wind turbine is a symbol of clean energy, a direct reflection of a sustainable design. The sand dollar shows the natural world that we are trying to protect. Because the sand dollar comes from marine ecosystems that are especially vulnerable to the rising temperature and acidification of the ocean caused by fossil fuels, the subject itself adds emphasis to the meaning. Together, they show that technology does not have to hurt the environment and can help protect ecosystems that are facing a threat.  An engineer or scientist might look at my artwork from a different perspective. The turbine’s evenly spaced blades are designed to capture wind efficiently, while the sand dollar’s petaloid pattern functions to allow the animal to breathe. Both structures use radial symmetry to balance efficiency and function, highlighting how similar designs appear in both engineered systems and natural organisms. This parallel may encourage technical viewers to see nature not just as something to protect, but as a source of engineering insight.

Briefly describe the materials you used and the process you went through to create your piece.

My submission was created using a technique called liquid emulsion. Liquid emulsion is a light-sensitive base made from gelatin and silver halide crystals, similar to what is used in traditional black-and-white photography. I applied the emulsion to sand dollars I had collected over several years from different beaches. First, to prepare the sand dollar, I sealed it with Mod Podge to prevent the gelatin from soaking into the porous material of the sand dollar, which had happened in previous attempts. In order to use liquid emulsion, I had to melt the gelatin to a liquid so I could even paint a thin layer on the surface of my sand dollar. I printed a photograph I took of wind turbines during a road trip in Arizona onto acetate, which allowed the image to be used as a photographic negative in the darkroom. Then, using an enlarger, a darkroom device that projects light to expose an image onto a light-sensitive surface, I exposed my acetate onto my sand dollar. After, I chemically developed my image, fixed it, and rinsed it in the dark room. Because the surface was uneven, the process required repeated testing, adjustments, and re-coating to achieve my desired results. Finally, to photograph the final piece, I created a water background by printing an image of pool water and placing a clear container of water tinted with blue food coloring on top of the image. I elevated the sand dollar above the waterline using a small cup-like item, so it appeared to rest on the surface while remaining dry, allowing me to capture the final image.

Explain anything you learned from the process. Ideally include any failures you experienced along the way. Failure and subsequent improvement are critical to engineering design, so please tell us how you failed, how you dealt with it, and how that influenced your submission.

At the beginning of this project, I did not realize how different it would be to work on a porous and curved surface rather than traditional photographic paper. Because I had never used liquid emulsion on anything other than flat and hard surfaces, I initially did not realize the sand dollars needed to be sealed. In my first attempts, the gelatin emulsion soaked into the surface instead of sitting on top, which caused the image to blur completely. After several failed exposures, I learned to seal the sand dollars first, which created a protected surface. Another challenge was the thinness of the photographic gelatin layer and the curved surface of the sand dollar. Because of its slippery nature, it often slid off or ripped when I was developing it. This required careful handling and patience to find new techniques. I ended up realizing that placing my exposed sand dollar directly into the chemicals would cause bubbles, and later discovered that gently pouring with a cup while holding the sand dollar slightly tilted downward provided the best results. Exposure time was also difficult to control. Because Liquid Light behaves differently from my usual photographic paper, and because each sand dollar varied slightly, I had to test exposure times repeatedly. Many of my prints were either underexposed or overexposed. Through this process, I learned how to evaluate my results and make small adjustments based on prior errors. Overall, I developed a lot of new skills through this project. Although it took several weeks of experimentation and failure, through it, I learned that engineering and art share the same process: testing ideas and making adjustments and changes to see desired results.