Sensing Nanotechnologies through the Arts: Seeing and Making on the Surface of Things

The author assesses the role played by the surface in selected nanoscience and nanotechnology (NN) practices by examining the interaction between surfaces and their viewers. In NN, issues of scale and perception challenge those involved in science-art projects, forcing them to engage with nano-objects and surfaces by using either highly specialized instruments or metaphors. The most interesting examples of nano-based artworks give the audience the opportunity to interact with NN through haptic sensing.