Event 1 | From Forces to Forums #2 | Maya Srinivasan

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The event I attended (From Forces To Forums), regarding morphogenesis, shed important light on the connections between science and art. The artists displayed their works and explained the thought processes behind each piece that they chose to share with the audience. With detailed descriptions from artists such as William Lamson, Haresh Lalvani, and Gemma Anderson, I was able to make connections with their art and what I have learned so far about how science and art are intertwined. 


Solarium, 2012 (William Lamson's artwork made of sugar and caramel) 


As noted in Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C.P. Snow, scientists and artists have a "distorted image of one another," believing that they have no common ground (4). I noticed that this notion is slightly disproved through the artists' explanations of how their artwork was created, and the methods they used for art-based research. Lamson describes that in his work, he studied chemical and physical reactions to create various sculptures, such as the sugar-based piece above. In a different work, that utilized table salt that formed stalagmites, he had to consult with glassblowers and obtained pumps and fans to create a greenhouse-type environment for his sculpture to thrive. Without knowledge of science, Lamson would not have been able to create the beautiful and intriguing pieces of art that he has displayed today.  


Isomorphology by Gemma Anderson 



Lalvani and Anderson reported similar experiences, with each of their works requiring knowledge of mathematical equations and relationships between plants/nature and art (respectively). Anderson's work on isomorphology showcases biological processes through art, combining her understanding of science and its ability to be translated visually. Visual art has been used to "document the natural world" for thousands of years, and this phenomenon has only expanded as time goes on (EBSCO para. 2). With new technologies and a drive for artists to incorporate scientific aspects into their art, we are currently witnessing the evolution of the "third culture" (Vesna 1).

I believe this event helped shape my understanding of how the two cultures of science and the arts influence one another and provided great insight as to how I could incorporate this topic into my midterm project. I would recommend this event to not only my other classmates but to the general public as well; it showed the intricacies of creating art and disproved the notion that artists can't be scientifically involved. 

Proof of attendance: 




References:

Anderson, Gemma. “Gemma Anderson - Isomorphology.” Isomorphology Homepage, 2013, https://www.isomorphology.com/. 

Artwork Abode. “Combining Art and Science – Creativity at Its Best.” Artwork Abode, 10 July 2019, https://www.artworkabode.com/blog/when-art-meets-science/. 

EBSCO. “The Steamy Relationship between Art and Science: Ebscopost.” EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | Www.ebsco.com, 20 Nov. 2017, https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/ebscopost/steamy-relationship-between-art-and-science. 

Keller, Eric. “Mona Lisa.” The Fibonacci Sequence, https://thefibonaccisequence.weebly.com/mona-lisa.html. 

Lamson, William. “Light & Landscape .” Light & Landscape - William Lamson, 2012, https://stormking.org/exhibitions/lightlandscape/artist/lamson2.html. 

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Cambridge University Press, 1959.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in between.” vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121-125. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1577014?seq=1.






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