Physical Science and Art

Week nine

Overview

The challenges of conceptualizing space, time and matter, has shifted considerably since the 19 th Century.   As the interest of physical science focused on things that can not be observed with the naked eye, because of its scale or velocity, it has become increasingly dependant on instrumentation and theory to verify the reality of the physical world.   It's importance has declined and it has moved closer to the idea of constructed realities, investigated by cultural theorists.   This has placed it in a closer proximity to contemporary art, which steered right away from the big questions posited by physicists.

Now that the nature of what is seen is questioned in science, as is the way in which scientists construct knowledge, some artists have taken on physical science as the focus of their practice.   There is a shared interest in non linear dynamic systems, chaos, the world of dynamics and unpredictable behavior, as well as complexity, the study of large scale systems. This includes astronomy, cosmology, space science, epistemology, natural phenomena, geology, water, solar energy, materials science, rapid prototyping and GPS.  

Ken Goldberg , Shawn Brixley , Ned Kahn , Peter Richards & George Gonzales , Paul DeMarinis , Stephen Wilson , Michael Brown , Paul Sermon & Andrea Zapper , Sally Weber , Lewis Alquist, Stephen Pevnick, Michael Redolfi, Pamela Davies, Taylor Column, Anthea Tacha , Yuki Sugihara, JoAnn Gillerman & Rob Terry, Ken Goldberg, Randall Packer, Wojciech Matusik & Gregory Kuhn , Walter De Maria,

Gene Cooper, SolArt Global Network, Robert Mulder and Kristi Allik, Arts Catalyst, Norman Tuck, David Durlach, Heather McGill & Stan Axelrod, Bill Parker, Jean-Marc Philippe, Richard Lerman, Ted Krueger, Evelyn Rosenberg, Ronald Warunek, Michael Rees, Eva Wholgemeuth, Tom Longtin, Stewart brand, Pierre Comte, Tom Van Sant ; Joe Davies, Arthur Woods, Jean-Marc Philippe & Richard Clar; Arthur Wood, Kitsou Dubois, Michael Heivly, Jean-Marc Philippe , Steven Hartzog, Ian Mott, Masaki Fujihata, Teri Rueb, Andrea Wollensak, Andrea Di Castro; Tom Bonauro, John Randolph & Bruce Tombs; Stephen Schemat

Primary Reading

DeLanda, Manuel Nonorganic Life in Crary, J & Kwinter, S Incorporations

Exploratorium Art & Science Museum Turbulent Landscapes

Malina, Roger 1998 Real Science and Virtual Science, Ylem Newsletter, no 6, May/June

More

Capra, Fritjof Tao of Physics (alternative physics)

Comte, P 1987 Leonardo in Orbit: Satellite Art , Leonardo 20:1

Dick, Steven Other Worlds: The Cultural Significance of Extraterrestial Life Debate

Fujihata, M Proposal of Impressing Velocity

IIT Research Institute Introduction to Rapid Prototyping

Kauffman, Stuart

National Academy of Sciences Cosmology Questions

Matrice Technology

Mind into Matter

Penley, C NASA/Trek: Popular Science & Sex in America

Project Taos

Rueb, T Trace: A Memorial Environmental Sound Installation

Schlain, Leonard Art and Physics

Sensitive Chaos , ICC

Space and the arts , Leonardo, links

TerraVision

Wollensak , A GPS Project

Woods, A Art & the New Millenium