Nobel Prize-winning laureate Kostya Novoselov creates graphene-embedded art at MWC
25 February 2019
Kostya Novoselov and Kate Daudy at previous art project for Selfridges
Celebrating 15 years since his successful isolation of graphene, Nobel laureate, Professor Sir Konstantin ‘Kostya’ Novoselov produced pieces of art using the innovative material live on the show floor at MWC 2019.
Russian physicist and Langworthy Professor in the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Manchester, Novoselov is best known for his ground-breaking experiments on graphene, the strongest and thinnest material in existence. The material consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The achievement earned Professors Andre Geim and Novoselov the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Novoselov is also one of the founding principal investigators of the Graphene Flagship — a €1 billion research project funded by the European Commission.
At Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Novoselov will collaborate with British conceptual artist, Kate Daudy, a partnership which reflects his regular involvement in art projects. The demonstration will see the pair create a piece of art using materials printed with embedded graphene. The installation will be entitled ‘Everything is Connected’, the motto of the Graphene Flagship and reflective of the themes at MWC 2019.
The demonstration took place on Tuesday 26 February in the Graphene Pavilion, an area dedicated to demonstrating inventions made possible by funding from the Graphene Flagship.
Alongside the art demonstration, exhibitors in the Graphene Pavilion showcased 26 state-of-the-art graphene-based prototypes and devices that will transform the future of mobile phones, telecommunications, wearables and home technology.
Interactive demonstrations included a selection of health-related wearable technologies, exhibited in the ‘wearables of the future’ area. Prototypes in this zone included graphene-enabled pressure sensing insoles, which have been developed by Graphene Flagship researchers at the University of Cambridge to accurately identify problematic walking patterns in wearers.
Kate Daudy and Kostya Novoselov at previous art project for Selfridges
Another prototype demonstrated how graphene can be used to reduce heat in mobile phone batteries, thus prolonging their lifespan. In fact, the material required for this invention is the same that will be used by Novoselov and Daudy during their art installation demonstration.
“Graphene and related layered materials have steadily progressed from fundamental to applied research and from the lab to the factory floor,” explained Andrea Ferrari, Science and Technology Officer and Chair of the management panel of the Graphene Flagship. “Mobile World Congress is a prime opportunity for the Graphene Flagship to showcase how the European Commission’s investment in research is beginning to create tangible products and advanced prototypes,” he adds.
Ferrari also highlights how “Outreach is also part of the Graphene Flagship mission, and the interplay between graphene, culture and art has been explored by several Flagship initiatives over the years. This unique live exhibition of Kostya is a first for the Flagship and Mobile World Congress, and I invite everybody to attend,” he concludes.
More information on the Graphene Pavilion, the prototypes shown and the interactive demonstrations at MWC 2019 can be found on the Graphene Flagship website at https://graphene-flagship.eu/exhibitions/MWC2019
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