My artwork was created using a special canvas, paint, black felt, string and some rhinestones. These materials were all used to create and portray the emission spectrum for helium and how the emission spectrum is seen. This idea was built on from the quantum theory and how the emission spectrums of elements are not gradual increases; they are in some way random. This also represents the wave-particle duality of light for helium, how light can act both as a particle and as a wave. This artwork was inspired by the emission spectrum of white light and the whole idea behind wave-particle duality is just a basic idea that I chose to relay throughout this project.
The artwork starts out as a representation of light from a helium lamp going into a diamond that acts as a prism, which then leads to the colors that are emitting when this light is observed very closely. These colors are the colors that are seen in the emission spectrum of helium. The light that is passed through the prism is first seen as wave and then as a particle. This idea is then shown in the emission spectrum showing the lines of color that are visible from the element, helium.
The emission spectrum of white light shows that the visible spectrum is like a rainbow of many different colors and every element has a unique spectrum. It is something that can define the element; each element has a unique spectrum. I chose to use helium to portray my artwork because it was enough to prove both theories equally as well.
From the start I knew I wanted to portray the emission spectrum in my artwork, but I didn’t know how. With help, I was lead to using the helium spectrum to portray my idea. Once my idea was polished, I knew that with both of these ideas, the portrayal of the wave particle duality of light and the quantum theory with the helium spectrum and how the lines are quantized, and not gradual as we predict the lines are supposed to be. It is a basic idea that proves and brings across what is supposed to be seen directly without having to guess what is trying to be portrayed. The emission spectrum along with the wave-particle duality portrays how the helium light can be seen when it is carefully observed under a microscope.
To create this piece of artwork I used paint, black felt paper, diamond as a prism, string, and rhinestones. These materials help me put my point across with the quantum theory and the wave particle duality for light. I decided to use these materials to create the artwork because I thought it would be most effective at proving my point.
The idea was taken from what was seen is class with the emission spectrum lab and the art and science site but it is completely my own. I am quite pleased with the way I portrayed my artwork and how it all come together in the end. The emission spectrum and the quantum are closely connected and have proved to be linked to each other. There are still many improvements to be made and new discoveries to be found.