Sleek Aquaculture

Hey everyone! Sorry about the lack of posts these couple of weeks. This month has been crazy with all my tests (finals, SAT subjects, ACT).

But look what I found in the aisles of Petco! Its an AquaFarm by Back to the Roots.

An aquaculture is a system where an aquatic fish tank (with fish of course!) is attached to a plant system and both benefit. The fish deposits nutrients into the water which then is taken up by the roots, and feeding the plants. And the plants help keep the tank cleaner!

Co-founders Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez first launched their mushroom kit (where the mushrooms grow on coffee grounds) and now are adding to their products with the AquaFarm.
They got this idea when they first discovered that you could grow mushrooms on recycled coffee grounds. And though they were about to graduate UC Berkeley (Go Bay Area!), they decided to start pursue urban farming!

I also appreciate the sleek modern design of the product. It conveys the message that urban farming is the cool and important aspect of the future. It reminded me at first of Mondrian and his clean, distinct,  perpendicular lines. But since the shape is more curvy then straight, its not true to the Neo-Plasticic style of art.

I will keep you all updated on how my aquaculture is doing this summer. Until then hope everyone is having a great summer, and happy farming!

https://www.backtotheroots.com

Remember Those Crazy Christmas Light Houses?

When it gets close to the holidays, more and more news stories are about insane homeowners who decorate their houses with a millions of lights. And even though they probably spend thousands on their electrical bills, at least they are having fun.

"Lightscapes" are similar to this idea. In the New York Times article, "Brightening the Night With a Spring Palette", the Van Cortlandt Manor twists this idea by making it a scene of mushrooms, and spring flowers. Most of the objects that are illuminated are actually made of recycled material or paper mache.

Check out the article for more information.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/nyregion/brightening-the-night-with-a-spring-palette.html?ref=design

'Till next time

Art History Girl Says Whaaaat?

Awhile ago, I had to do a Modernist project of Cindy Sherman, a revolutionary photographer,  that involved a class "exhibition", dress up discussion, and debate. Unfortunately, I was away in Louisiana when all this was happening. Super bumming I know. I ended up putting in a lot of effort so I wouldn't have to do a makeup project.


I gave my partner a thrift store jazzercise jacket to recreate a photo of Cindy Sherman. And I also did a boring writing blurb.


But the coolest part is that I created a website that went along with the display so check it out! And learn more about Cindy Sherman :)

http://regangong17.wix.com/apahcindysherman

Happy viewing!!

Regan

Pre Prom Predicament

Emerging 

About 2 weeks ago, I had Junior Prom. Let's just say that I am not a huge fan of school dances. I even missed the week of school before the dance because I was in Louisiana with the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab (BELL). But since I had a date, I wanted to look somewhat decent and got my nails and hair done at my local salon. 


So while I was getting my nails done, I met a sweet lady who had multiple sclerosis (MS). This disease affects the brain and the spinal chord. She asked me about prom and also about colleges. I told her some of the schools I was interested in and she asked me what I wanted to study. When I told her how I loved environmental science and art history, she totally understood where I was coming from! She told me how she is an artist that works with advance neuro-imagining technology to create her artwork. Her artwork has been featured in books and publications, such as the Oxford University Press. 
When I checked out her website, it honestly blew my mind. I connected with her art on such a deep level. Because in a way, those pieces represented me. 

Honestly, I am very blessed to have met her. She inspires me to continue my passion and gives me the reassurance that I am not the only one who likes art and science. 

Please, Please, PLEASE check out her amazing artwork! 

Jameson Fine Art 

'Till I write again 

Regan 

Sleepwalking in the Middle of the Day?

This is a throwback to when I was visiting colleges in the Boston area. My Dad and I drove around Wellesley College in none other than Wellesley, Massachusetts. There, I got to take the coolest picture every with this guy.

Now when I first saw him, it was actually on TV sometime in the winter. My Mom told me flat out, "You are not going to school there." Now going there for school and visiting the school are different stories.

It has been dubbed the name "The Sleepwalker". This very realistic statue created by Tony Matelli for his exhibit on campus. The statue though, looks like a middle aged man... in his underwear... sleepwalking... I think the picture will better explain this. 

Kinda creepy isn't it? My Dad didn't get why I was so excited to take a picture with him. But it's just SO REALISTIC. I could even see his wrinkles around his eyes... talk about detail. I can see why people got so freaked out when it was winter. Many thought he was frozen stuck!! 

Is it nerdy that this was one of my biggest highlights from the trip? 

'Till the next time I find a cool statue... 

Regan 

Resonate Bracelets

Today I stumbled upon a cool gift that combines sound waves and jewelry! It's called the Resonate by JOJARA Designs.

Ordering is simple. You send them an audio clip, such as someone saying "I love you", you saying your favorite quote, or sounds in nature, and they take your sound waves to make a custom design! They do this by taking the sound waves and rotating them around the axis. This I found very ironic considering that was a good portion of my AP Calculus AB test that I took yesterday (it was 4 hours long!)

This would be a great gift to give for Mother's Day! I'll provide the link below

http://projectresonate.com

'Till next time!

Regan

Mondrian Cake

Well as a junior in high school, May has been kinda hectic. Just finished taking my SAT and this week I have all 3 of my AP Tests. Ek. That being said, I need to study my modern artists for my AP Art History class. So a couple of weeks ago, I made a Mondrian cake!

Piet Mondrian is a part of the Neo-Cubism movement. By reducing his artwork to primary colors, black and white, Mondrian believe his artwork represented the purest beauty. He is also part of the Neo-Plasticism moment. Typically, most people look at his paintings, which have sleek straight lines, and basic squares, and think, how is this art? Most of you will probably have seen his work before.

So since I had to miss a week of school for a program in Louisiana in addition to missing my Modernist Project, which was 3 days long, I decided to bake an artful cake! When I was looking online, I saw the Mondrian Cake and feel in love with the concept.

It's actually a cake from the Blue Bottle Coffee Cafe on top of the San Francisco MOMA. Not only do I live in the Bay Area, but I also love Blue Bottle mochas! It's sad that I didn't visit the MOMA before the remodeling started. Now I have to wait another year to see it :( But if you are ever in SF, go to the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero and get some coffee!

Now I did some shortcuts. I bought pound cake mix and got store bought frosting.

So the way the cake is constructed in a nutshell:
1. make the pound cake by splitting up the batter and dying it with different colors



2.  level the cakes off and cut the strips (make sure when you put your cake together, it comes out as a   square!

3. ganache the pieces (or frost it like I did)
4. construct it!


But it actually turned out very well!!!! Mine is not as precise as Mondrian would of liked, but it works! Note to make: the bigger the sections, the more stable the cake is. It leaned but my class and teacher LOVED IT!!! Who knew art could be tasty?

Please Leave comments if you have any suggestions on how to improve the recipe!


Till Next Time!

For the true recipe, buy the book Modern Art Deserts:
http://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/products/modern-art-desserts

If you don't want to buy the book I took the recipe from this blog:
http://ronnas.blogspot.com/2012/03/step-by-step-mondrian-cake.html

Left Side + Right Side

Have you ever taken a quiz to see what side of the brain you supposedly use the most? "Left-brained" learners are said to be more logical, analytical, and objective, while a person who is "Right-brained" is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful, and subjective. But at, least for me, I have found that I am a crazy mix. 

As a high school junior, I enjoy two entirely different subjects: Art History and Environmental Science. I love looking at Impressionists paintings. But I also like doing research about wetlands. Most of the time, it seems to me that many high school students are either one or the other. Some are into calculus and chemistry. Others like history and english. 

This blog is for all you awesome oddballs out there who are like me and find value in both! In this blog you could see anything from recent scientific discoveries to restorations of famous art works. But my passion is to find things that are a mix of the two! For example you might see a post (fairly soon) about my Mondrian pound cake! 

Hopefully this blog will brighten up your day and make you question whether science is art or visa versa! 

More to come soon! 

Regan (pronounced like the President Reagan )