YQI/Franke Nontechnical Talk Series: Nicholas Milkovich

Event time: 
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 - 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Audience: 
Yale Community
General Public
Location: 
Linsly-Chittenden Hall - Auditorium 101 See map
63 High Street
Event description: 

Join us for the 16th talk of Yale Quantum Institute series of nontechnical talks aiming to bring a new regard to quantum physics and STEM by having experts cast new light on often-overlooked aspects of scientific work.

Your cells are leaking! - The uncanny biomechanical world of polyethylene art

Why choose between Biomechanical Engineering and Art when you can do both? Sculptor Nicholas Milkovich studied Mechanical Engineering and Studio Art at the University of Virginia, and doubled down with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University and an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Truly at the intersection of art and science, engineering has played a critical role in his arts education and permeates almost every aspect of his art-making process, without never becoming the focus. Nicholas’ practice sits in a foundation of material science and structure, always closely linked to research. His work often pays attention to mechanical concepts such as structural load distribution, elastics, and tension. Inspired by the human body, perfectly fabricated machine made up of nature’s most clever designs, his installations use smaller repeated units inform the larger structure, mimicking the biological motif in an effort to both overwhelm and control processes otherwise left passive. For this talk, Nicholas will guide us through his wonderful uncanny biological world of synthetic nylon and polyethylene! Join us for a journey of uncanny bodily “wrongness”, both physical and internal.