We are pleased to announce a new, online edition of the NICAS colloquium on Thursday 16 March 2023 from 12.00 to 13.00 hrs. The colloquium will take place online through Microsoft Teams.
Throughout the year, NICAS organises a bi-weekly Colloquium consisting of two short research lectures. It provides researchers with the opportunity to present ideas for, updates on or results of their activities. The NICAS Colloquium allows people to stay informed on a regular basis about the latest developments and results of research and to exchange information and expertise.
The chair of this colloquium is Francesca Gabrieli (Rijksmuseum)
The presenters are:
► Jesse Buijs – Nano-Motion Imaging: Making User-Friendly Laser Speckle Imaging Available For Broad Application
Abstract:
Imaging inside non-transparent materials is often challenging and requires complex equipment. Laser Speckle Imaging (LSI) visualizes nanoscopic motions inside such materials and gives a unique insight in dynamical processes such as solvent activity, drying, melting, crystallization, cracking. LSI can be performed with a simple machine, but relies on advanced data processing algorithms to visualize the results.
This presentations main focus will be on our current effort in adapting the technique to make it accessible for conservators and heritage science, by automating these data processing tasks. I will also show the results of LSI experiments on varnish removal from oil paints, cracking in metal objects, and salt crystallization in porous materials. Our findings show that there are many possible applications where LSI can be used for monitoring objects, fine-tune conservation efforts, or gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes underlying dynamical materials.
Bio:
Jesse Buijs is a postdoctoral researcher at Wageningen University and an expert in Laser Speckle Imaging (LSI). In 2022, he earned his PhD from the same university, during which he developed an algorithm to perform real-time LSI analysis. In collaboration with the Rijksmuseum, he adapted LSI to measure solvent presence in oil paints during varnish removal from oil paint. Currently he is working as a postdoc on making the method broadly applicable and user-friendly and is exploring the potential of commercializing the technology by means of a spin-off company.
► Ellen Pater – Drawing Things Unknown: The Case of the Queen Bee by Johannes Swammerdam
Abstract:
Seventeenth-century drawings made with the microscope are easily taken for granted. Especially the artistic knowledge involved in their production. In my research project I am looking to uncover the artistic processes and materials involved in making images of the microworld: from preparation to drawing to print. To do this, I draw with seventeenth century microscopes during MicroLabs at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave and also produce early modern artistic materials based on recipes by o.a. Willem Goeree (1635-1711) and Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678). In this presentation, I will take a closer look at a drawing of the uterus of the queen bee that was made by Johannes Swammerdam (1637-1680), to show how such drawings may have come to to be, and why it is important to consider the role of artistic knowledge to gain a deeper understanding of such representations.
Bio:
Ellen Pater is a PhD student at the NWO project Visualizing the Unknown, and the Huygens institute and Leiden University. Previously she completed her Research Master at University Groningen and her Bachelor at Minerva Art Academy in Groningen.