Tag Archives: Bratsa Bonifacho

Cafe Scientifique, wiki project, and more Bonifacho

Just found this today. There’s a science get together in Vancouver that sounds like it’s modeled on the Philosopher’s Cafe events they run through Simon Fraser University. It’s 7:30 pm tonight at Steamworks (brewpub), 375 Water St., Harbourview Room and it features three scientists giving  a somewhat eclectic mix of presentations ranging from Pathogenomics, to climate changes, to DNA Nanotechnology. The last one sounds a little bogus to me. It smacks of someone in the biotech field deciding to rebrand their work as nanotechnology in the wake of the anti-GM (‘frankenfood’) movement.  I will go see for myself and report on it tomorrow. The Vancouver Cafe Scientific folks have a site here but there are more details for this event here.

Yesterday, I mentioned my wiki project, which is called The Nanotech Mysteries: an initiation into the science and the technology. It’s my dissertation project (MA at De Montfort University, UK) and I’ve been gathering information for about 1/1/2 years now and writing papers and even presenting them all in preparation for my wiki. I put up a prototype for workshop review a few months ago and Sunday I created the project wik at PBWiki.com but I’m running into some problems. I sure they hope resolve them soon or I’m going somewhere else. (I created the wiki in their 1.0 version and then, under the impression that it would be easy to accomplish,  asked to move it to their 2.0 version. I’m still waiting for a reply. Fingers crossed that they can do this in a timely fashion. So I can have something happening there soon.

Couple things regarding Bratsa Bonifacho and his street banners. I got a few things wrong. The banners are going to be all over Vancouver and not just on Cambie St. and it was the 24 Hours newspaper and not Metro News which claimed the banners on Cambie St. were in support of anti-homophobic rally. For anyone interested in a better image (than the jpeg I have here) of the work appearing on the banners you can go to Bratsa’s website here. Just click on a Habitat Pixel (the collection he used as the basis for  the banners)  image for a closer view. Although, you should see one of the paintings…if you get a chance. A digital image just doesn’t convey the texture of the work, how he builds layers, cuts into them, and the more subtle use of colour. (He’s represented by the Bau-Xi Gallery on south Granville St., Vancouver.)

Nano Oreal, Bonifacho, and Krazy

I received an invitation to a nanotech event “Small is Beautiful” just yesterday for a June 5, 2008 at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, DC. Luckily they webcast their events so you can tune in 1pm – 2pm EST here. And in case that link doesn’t work, you can try here in the invite and click in the right sidebar under Webcast Live. And, here’s why you might be interested. They’re featuring a representative from L’Oreal, Dr. Francis Quinn, and the Chief Science Officer for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Dr. Andrew Maynard. Apparently, L’Oreal ranks sixth in nanotech patents in the US. So, the beauty and cosmetics sector has embraced nanotechnology and introduced it into their products. I will be interested to hear about any risk assessments L’Oreal has made for people slathering nanoparticles onto their skin. Maynard should be interesting too. He writes a about risk on a Safenano Community blog here.

On another note, an artist I know, Bratsa Bonifacho, just had a launch event for his latest project, a series of street banners that have been placed along Cambie St. and its eponymous bridge in Vancouver. He was invited to Vancouver City Hall and feted by mayor Sam Sullivan and various city councillors yesterday for the launch. (late breaking…here are some links to articles about Bratsa and his banners…Vancouver Sun and Metro News…despite Metro News, the banners are not about anti-homophobic rallies…Bratsa did a series of paintings about computer viruses and that’s what you can see on the street banners)

Tomorrow I’m off to a press preview of Krazy! The delirious world of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art at the Vancouver Art Gallery. More about that afterwards.

I was out of commission for a few days. Twisted ankle on Saturday, May 10 and tooth extraction yesterday, May 13. I should be back to normal in the next few days.