Phil Ross wrote to tell us about an event coming up at CRITTER, a salon that explores the science of everyday life. Enormous Microscopic Evening is described as a “large microscope jam session.” It is a free event “celebrating and demonstrating the range of equipment people are using to explore the invisible, from state of the art futuristic equipment, to home made one-of-a-kind technologies.”
Phil explains more:
“A microscope can be thought of as a super high octane camera, a camera that happens to have incredible zoom powers, with fine-tuned filters, diverse illumination possibilities, precise tracking, and software comfortable in handling a bazillion images at a time. These controls let us see things deeply hidden from normal view, while at the same time, showing us how to move through space with very fine control. Everyone who I’ve invited to this event at the Hammer uses a microscope as a central part of his or her work, research, or play. This broad cross-section of practitioners will be showing off their spectacular instruments and imagery, and will also show how they get around when they do things in micro-space.
“In particular…er… focus at this event will be miniature and DIY microscopes. Microscope design is benefiting from the same technologies that are driving innovations in digital cameras, computers, and telecommunication devices. Cheap, mobile magnification is upon us, with scopes that easily fit into a backpack, lock to the end of a cell phone, are hacked from a webcam, or crowd-sourced to accelerate innovation. At Enormous Microscopic Evening, I hope to offer a glimpse of how these devices are enabling application in telemedicine, environmental mapping, and other areas where we might start to see the world in greater detail. And, as machines, they are pretty cool looking!”
Enormous Microscopic Evening
Saturday, Nov 6, 2010, 4pm – 7pm
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-443-7000
Admission: Free
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