Thursday 25 March 2010

Sunday 7 February 2010

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Friday 11 December 2009

First Term References

Abraham, R.J. Fisher, J. Loftus, P. 1998. Introduction to NMR spectroscopy. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.: England

Canet, D.1996. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.: England

Glimn-Lacy, J. B.Kaufman, P. 1984. Botany Illustrated. Chapman & Hall.: New York

Llyod A. Tree Coring http://cr.middlebury.edu/biology/treeline/educ_dialogue/virtual_tour/how/treeCoring.htm (Accessed 29th November 2009)

Moir, A.K. 2005. Tree- ring analysis of branch from the ankerwyke yew.
www.ancient-yew.org/pdfs/Ankerwyke%20Yew%20Article.pdf. (Accessed 25th November 2009)

Menderski, M. 2009. Tree rings hold the key to Hickam House's age. http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/09/29/mu-professor-plans-determine-age-historic-cabin/ ( Accessed 29th November 2009)

NHS Estates.1994. Health Building Note 6 Supplement 1: Accommodation for magnetic resonance imaging: England

Natural Resources Canada. 2009. Calculate the age of a tree. http://scf.rncan.gc.ca/index/education2 (Accessed 23 rd November 2009)

Peterson, H. 2009. Dendrochronologists at MU use tree rings to reveal answer s from the past. http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/09/28/tree-rings-date-history/ (23rd November 2009)

week 8















SHIMMERING ELECTROMAGNETIC BODIES
The project intends to explore the shimmering electromagnetic bodies creating new architectural spaces and then build these spaces in the virtual environment by using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI) technique.
Firstly, Belly dancer was chosen as a clear example of atomic structure producing shimmering by body motion and vibration. Belly dance was formed and developed by different societies which have cultural and historical diversities. To clarify both the shimmering and cultural motion of atomic structures, three types of trees were selected from different geographies of the world (volcanic region, sea, forest) and the growing periods of them were analysed. There are valid reasons to choose trees. Firstly, they are suitable structures to show the motion of shimmering and they genetically have water and light which provide together a kid of shimmering to grow. It is also interesting that if the growing of them were observed, it would be able to be seen the similarity between the belly dancer and the tree because all branches of the tree grow to different directions as if they dance. Secondly, trees can naturally record the phenomena which occur their environments such as volcanic eruptions, flood or damages by humans as memory structures.
In the next step of the project, chosen trees were embedded in different shapes by opening from their rings on a surface and a time based electromagnetic landscape was constituted which enable trees to record the conversations around and historical phenomena. At the same time this landscape gave us opportunity to scan the body motions and shimmering of trees which create new spaces by using NMRI.

Friday 13 November 2009

Shimmering Electromagnetic Bodies



SHIMMERING ELECTROMAGNETIC BODIES
The project intends to explore the shimmering electromagnetic bodies creating new architectural spaces and then build these spaces in the virtual environment by using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI) technique. This is a technique which was developed from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) theory.
Isidor Isaac Rabi found that atomic nucleuses which are in magnetic field absorb the electromagnetic waves in certain frequencies in the year 1938. By 1946 NMR was discovered by Felix Bloch and Edward Mills Purcell that it is a physical condition related to atomic nucleuses. All stable nucleuses that contain an odd number of protons and/or of neutrons have an intrinsic magnetic moment and the most commonly studied nucleuses are 1H and 13C. Magnetic nucleuses have in a magnetic field and applied electromagnetic (EM) pulse or pulses, which cause the nucleuses to absorb energy from the EM pulse and radiate this energy back out. The energy radiated back out is at a specific resonance frequency which depends on the strength of the magnetic field and other factors. This allows the observation of physical and chemical properties of an atomic nucleus. By 1973 NMR was started to apply in imaging field and the technique was entitled as NMRI, Which is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the internal structure and function of the body. It uses a powerful magnetic field to align the nuclear magnetization of (usually) hydrogen atoms in water in the body. Radio frequency (RF) fields are used to systematically alter the alignment of this magnetization, causing the hydrogen nucleuses to produce a rotating magnetic field detectable by the scanner linked to a computer. This signal can be manipulated by additional magnetic fields to build up enough information to construct an image of the body.
In this project, firstly, a powerful magnetic field is constituted around the belly dancer and four scanner devices which are linked to computer are embedded different parts of her body (hands, head, hips and feet), which are essential for Bell dance. The vibration which is emerged by the shaking and shimmering of her body produces powerful sounds which can be used instead of radio frequencies. The hydrogen atoms which are in the body are affected by these sounds and enable scanners to observe and record their locations in terms of intensity and their motions. This data collected from the body is transmitted to computer from the scanners. As a result of this, by observing the shimmering, shaking or in general word the motion of body new architectural spaces are created.
Belly dance which emerged first time in Middle East today has a great popularity worldwide. During the history, it was formed by different societies thus it was developed in terms of different regions of the world. It includes history, culture diversities and sexuality. This project gives opportunity to examine the translation of belly dancing as cultural motion of atomic structures.

Belly Dancer