NT21 is excited to work with artist Joseph Cohen for this year's nanotube conference. Joseph Cohen produces art that illustrates nanomaterials' unique characteristics. Working alongside scientists, his nano-paint work blends artist, researcher, and scientist. His work has resulted in tangible discoveries and patents from collaborations with the scientific community. To learn more about his artwork, visit https://www.josephcohenart.com.
MSP-001 (Multi-Spectrum Painting), 2019
Separated carbon nanotubes, surfactant, binder, tracer dyes, and doped fluorescent and phosphorescent gouache on linen
24 x 24 inches
Working with the Heller Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering/Cornell Weill and the Weisman Group at Rice University enabled Cohen to develop carbon nanotube-based "pigments" with optimal fluorescence in the near-infrared. Utilizing this paint, along with tracer dyes and pigments with phosphorescence, this work has fluorescence and can be visualized in the UV, Visible, and NIR spectrums. From Cohen, "What I am trying to achieve through this endeavor is to illustrate that although we may often perceive our eyes as infallible, they indeed oftentimes fail us, and offer but a small sliver of reality, as we see only a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. I believe this type of approach affords the viewer the opportunity for a richer experience of an artwork. Through collaboration, it became possible to not only create a paint with unique optical properties with tremendous potential that goes beyond the artist's studio, but also to image these works and visualize the medium in a more meaningful way." Created with contributions from the Heller Lab and the Weisman Group.
590 EP (Excitation Print), 2019
Archival pigment print on paper
24 x 24 inches
Accompanying MSP-001 (Multi-Spectrum Painting), 590 EP (Excitation Print) gives the viewer visual access to the fluorescence of specific species of carbon nanotubes (found in the physical painting) while the work is being lit from 3-30w LEDs at 590 nm. This wavelength is thus serving as an excitation state for particular "colors/chiralities" of carbon nanotube-based paints. This image was generated during a collaboration with Photon Etc. using the ZephIR® 1.7. Created with contributions from Sébastien Blais-Oullette, Jacob Yvon-Leroux and everyone at Photon Etc.
MSP-002 (Multi-Spectrum Painting), 2020
Separated carbon nanotubes, surfactant, binder, tracer dyes, and doped fluorescent and phosphorescent gouache on linen
60 x 60 inches (linen) (shown in image)
Utilizing similar materials found in MSP-001, MSP-002 addresses physical scale, as the work is 3 times larger than MSP-001. Also unique to this work is the incorporation of an internal lighting structure built within the frame (not shown in the image). This lighting structure enables the fluorescence of both the UV and phosphorescent material, allowing for the work to be viewed in the dark.
If she could only see my love, 2017
Diptych of enriched carbon nanotubes, 590 nm 30w led diode chips, short pass KG3 filters, heat sinks, fans, power supplies, spacers, screws on acrylic and polycarbonate
24 x 24 inches
From Cohen, "Vision shapes our world and contributes to the manner in which we perceive our surroundings. The human eye is only capable of perceiving light at wavelengths between 390-780 nanometers, and yet the visual information conveyed in this relatively minuscule spectrum governs a great deal of our understanding. The unique optical properties of carbon nanotubes-forms of carbon with cylindrical nanostructures-have both inspired and allowed me to address the near-infrared spectrum as a means to more fully engage with our reality."
"Working with the Heller Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering/Cornell Weill and the Weisman Group at Rice University enabled me to develop carbon nanotube-based "pigments" with optimal fluorescence in the near-infrared. My collaborators and I have likewise developed novel solutions to excite the material and image paintings in the near-infrared. If she could only see my love, 2017, serves as both a device to excite the carbon nanotubes, allowing for the painting to be imaged, and a self-contained art object. Derivative images and photographs, such as Spectrum RGB, are offered as a bridge that may generate a richer experience with the art object." Made with contributions from the Heller Lab and the Weisman Group.
Spectrum RGB, 2017
Pigment print on fiber paper
26 x 26 inches each
From Cohen, "Spectrum RGB, 2017, utilizes the image captured from If she could only see my love, 2017, and incorporates false color to reference the three color cones found in the human eye. These three cones are referred to as red cones, green cones, and blue cones because of their respective sensitivity to the wavelengths of light that are associated with red, green, and blue. These three cones enable us to see all colors in the visible spectrum. Their collective orientation, in a cone/triangle formation, attempts to illustrate a portrait of the entire visible chromatic atmosphere, while the source image was taken from beyond, that being the near-infrared spectrum."
