Although we normally place the academic, institutional gallery or museum exhibition space in a separate domain from the virtual space social sites like Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest provide, I argue that the motivations that determine our uses of both spaces are the same. Using the writings of theorists such as Foucault and Baudrillard, and the history of Cabinets of Curiosities, I look critically at the creation of online profiles (primarily related to Facebook, but also found in other popular social sites) and traditional exhibitions spaces (for instance, the galleries of the Museum of Modern Art). I examine the logic of categorization and the intended impact this will have on viewers, comparing the nature of collecting and the curatorial impulse to display, showing that ideas surrounding collection function in both spaces. Through this I illustrate that a curatorial impulse is present in each, revolving around some sense of identity, although there are clear differences in ability to create context and exhibition time frames among other things. This will demonstrate that such spaces provide similar outlets for engrained human behaviors that mediate our interaction with and understanding of not only culture, but social interactions and even personal identity. In effect, I show that these spaces are much more closely related than they have previously been given credit for, and that certain social networking sites might even be the next logical stage in the continual development and progression of our understanding of collecting and exhibiting.

The acrosome is a sperm-specific organelle which is best known for its release of digestive enzymes to degrade the egg’s outer membrane during fertilization. Interestingly, it is required for successful fertilization in Drosophila despite the absence of gamete membrane fusion. Here, we show that sperm lacking Pskl, a predicted membrane protein, display irregularly small and round acrosomes, are unable to breakdown the sperm’s plasma membrane after entry into the egg, and prevent the completion of fertilization. Although Pskl's role in acrosome biogenesis is unknown, comparative analysis indicates the pskl gene gains certain groups of exons over evolutionary time. We propose that Pskl has a modular structure and are testing which modules are necessary for subcellular localization and protein function. To determine the minimal requirements for targeting Pskl to the secretory pathway and specifically the acrosomal membrane, we constructed fluorescently tagged deletion derivatives. The results of these studies will be informative for understanding the protein’s complex evolutionary origin and its role in Drosophila-specific features of fertilization.

During spermatogenesis in animals, the developing male germ cell undergoes dramatic changes in nuclear morphology. This transformation of round spermatid nuclei into condensed nuclei of mature sperm is accompanied by loss of histones and enrichment of several sperm-specific chromosomal proteins. To date, the function of only a few sperm-specific chromosomal proteins has been studied. We are using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate the function of a protein that is encoded by the CG14835 gene. The protein is interesting because it is small, highly enriched in positively charged amino acids and it contains a small region of similarity to other known sperm-specific chromosomal proteins. To test for the possible requirement of CG14835 for spermatogenesis and male fertility, we are generating mutations by imprecisely excising a transposable element that resides within the gene. Currently, we are molecularly analyzing independent excision lines to identify gene deletions. The phenotype of males deleted for the CG14835 should reveal whether the protein plays a role in sperm chromatin remodeling, sperm success during fertilization, or the maintenance of paternal chromosomes in the early embryo. Overall, these studies should contribute to our understanding of the possible roles that sperm-specific chromosomal proteins play in sperm function.

In this paper, I consider Timothy Morton's idea of ecological thinking and Dipesh Chakrabarty's arguments about humans as geological agents. Both scholars argue for a new mindset in the face of the current climate crisis. For example, Morton attributes our present ecological predicament to the misunderstanding that nature is a separate entity — an object ready to be exploited. We can no longer afford to think this way because industrialization of natural resources has led detrimental effects, everything from climate chaos to species extinction. For Morton though there is hope. If we were able to think more broadly then we could perhaps understand that ecological thought is about coexistence. Similar to Morton, Chakrabarty emphasizes the complex interconnectedness of humans and nature. He maintains that humans can no longer differentiate between human history and natural history, especially since human activity and consumption turned us into geological agents. Guided by these theories, I turn to art — which as Morton states has “something to tell us about the environment.” Art, he suggests can “make us question reality.” To further his point, I compare Albert Bierstadt’s Mount Sir Donald, a late nineteenth century painting, to three contemporary works: Subhankar Banerjee’s Caribou Migration (2002) and Spencer Tunick’s Aletsch Glacier #4, Switzerland (2007), and Camille Seaman’s Grand Pinnacle Iceberg, East Greenland (2006). I use the comparison to question the extent to which our thinking about nature has become transformed — from a nineteenth century notion of the picturesque to a twenty-first century ecological awareness of the environment.

Black Maps: The American Landscape and the Apocalyptic Sublime, a recent show at the Western Gallery, brings together a wide variety of David Maisel's large scale aerial photography. Typically, the artist travels to isolated locals and flies over barren industrialized sites to document the grounds below. Rather than devastation however, Maisel produces breathtaking aesthetic images. For example in Lake Project 20, pulsating red veins run through seductive violet pools that punctuate the surface of the image. While a Greenbergian formalist, through and through, Maisel is also anti Greenbergian, clearly he has concerns for the environment. In my essay I will analyze Maisel's photography highlighting his formalist approach to abstraction. Simultaneously, I will consider the narrative content of his work - which runs counter to his professed aesthetic of formalism. My main point is that Maisel opens a dialogue between visual abstraction and environmental issues. In doing so, he fills viewers with delight and excitement suggesting there is some hope in regards to our recent environmental crisis.

David Maisel changes the terms of environmental art. Black Maps, his recent exhibition at the Western Gallery, demonstrates this shift. In his work, he shifts the syntax, changing the signification of nature within art photography. For example, in his large scale photographic series “Terminal Mirage,” the artist depicts aerial shots of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. These images, at first glance, appear aesthetic with vivid purples, blues, and reds swimming across the picture plane. Yet, upon closer look, a viewer is confronted with the apocalyptic sublime. Through iconography, I will concentrate on how Terminal Mirage 2 is a prime example of his capacity to elicit, initially, the feeling of apocalyptic sublime while the knowledge of context and meaning of the work create a dialogue. Instead, Maisel undermines our ability to understand through obstruction to reveal the themes of his work.