Much of my interests in mechanical and product design stem from my enjoyment of art. I've never been the best at traditional art but I see engineering as its own art form that can be seen anywhere from mechanisms to 3D prints.
WPI Humanities Practicum - Science and Technology Art
Mar 2021 - May 2021
The purpose of this practicum was to explore how science and technology can push arts of any medium in new directions. Working in new mediums such as 3D printing, analysis of data, and usage of technology opened discussion for new conceptual art practices. I created projects that explored concepts of biology, climate change, and astronomy that were visually appealing and incorporated deeper artistic meaning.
Tech Creation of Life
Tech Kinetics Robots & AI
This piece is a representation of my older sister's most recent ultrasound (at the time). To create this, I hacked my personal 3D printer to become a "pen plotter", a machine that is used with a pen and paper and is programmed to draw or write on only 2D vector axis.
The deeper meaning of the piece is about the relationship between the life of technology and the life of a human. We, as humans, develop and program “life” into technology and robots, much like I have done with my printer. So, as I develop a sense of “life” into the printer, the printer, in turn, draws the development of human life.
Barrera - Tech Kinetics Robots & AI project - Vid1.MOV
Perseverance
Reaching Outer Space
When thinking about space I have always been interested in the “human” aspect of space, especially on Mars. Mars has been a huge topic for some time, and recently the 2020 landing of the Perseverance rover will enhance our understanding and discoveries dealing with Mars. My project idea revolved around the landing and its meaning to those on Earth.
I personally modeled parts and an assembly using a reference of the Perseverance Rover. I also found an STL of the Jezero Crater that the Perseverance landed in. The process of this piece incorporated modeling and 3D printing miniature pieces, intricate painting, and resin techniques.
Barrera - Reaching Outer Space.movGenerational Climate Play
Eco Art & Climate Change
For this piece, I made an Earth stuffed animal but with a twist. Instead of the usual green and blue we all know, I will be following the NASA Scientific Visualization of rises in global temperature.
The main concept of this piece is to appeal to the younger generations that will have to improve and “save” the world from the climate change crisis. A great deal of climate change today will largely affect the future of the Earth and those living on it. Recently, I have been introduced to the art medium of sewing and stuffed animal making. As a deeper metaphor, I wanted to make a stuffed animal piece so that children could be exposed to the important concepts and play with the idea of climate change at a young age.
Eco Art & Climate Change.MOVThe Chance of Trait Selection
Biology as a Medium
Birthparents provide the information and genetic data that build us to become who we are. Inherited data, however, is never hand picked. Randomness in chromosome pairings, alterations, and mutations occur during your “trait selection” much like a dice roll is a game of chance.
To represent the “randomness” of a dice roll I 3D printed and colored a set of dice, each with different numbered faces. Dice like these visually represent the “options” that can exist when pairing chromosomes; aspects of who we are. My basic idea for each dice is to have a different aspect on the dice rolls. For example, each side of the D20 represents a chromosome, each side of the D4 is the physical aspect, and then maybe a dice of internal aspects, like disease or history.
