My STEAM project focused on the objective: identify the four most abundant elements in the body. Since we are all made of the same basic elements (in order of abundance: Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen), I wanted my digital art piece to ask the question— what are you are made of? What are you doing with your set of elements? Are you achieving your potential, or are you not yet making the most of substances you have been endowed? 

I chose to depict this using two figures. One figure is not yet who they have the potential to be, and their carbon makeup is portrayed as mere graphite. The other figure, perhaps a promising reflection of the first, is making the most of who they are and their carbon makeup is portrayed as dazzling diamonds. Since oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen all form colorless gasses in their elemental forms they are depicted by the empty space in the bodies of the two figures. I tried to keep the ratio of carbon to empty space in each figure somewhat akin to the abundance ratios of the elements themselves, but carbon’s influence may be slightly exaggerated (artistic license and all 😉 )

Thanks for looking!

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One Comment

  1. We are all made of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen as the objective informs us. However, the objective above also questions what we are doing with our set of elements and the potential of the substances. I enjoyed the way they chose to depict this with their art in the post. On one end the person is filled with graphite and hasn’t yet reached their potential. On the other end the person is filled with diamonds to show that they have their reflection of what they can be. I enjoyed that because oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen are colorless gas. She chose to leave empty space in the two human outlines to represent those three gasses. I was also impressed by her attempt to use the open space to reflect the ratio of the elements in the body as they are in real life.

    The approach to this post “What Are You Made Of?” was an interesting and creative license to take. It took something scientific and made it philosophical which was a good choice as we were given free reign of our creative license for this project. Yes, we are all made of teh same elements oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. However, what we are all doing with the elements we have been given differs from person to person. Some of us are still filled with graphite and looking into the reflection of diamonds and some of us are filled with diamonds looking at a reflection full of diamonds. Either way we are all made of the same thing working our way towards our own potential.

    Lily Reichard

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