Final: Gravity Lens

Seth Josephson

Intersection of Art and Science

Artist Statement

Due 5/19/2014

There is no specific scientific principle that has totally influenced my work. I feel that through curiosity and the search to discover our purpose, we naturally include a variety of principles in our studies. This semester I have discovered more about my curiosity than I have about actual scientific principles. Each project has it’s own scientific basis, from magnetism, to illusion and light, and though I spent hours studying these principles, I have found that the process of discovering is the most interesting principle of science. The endorphins our body releases when we discover something new drives us to search for information. Some do this by browsing the internet or watching TV, but it is the people who search for information that has never been found before that truly make an impact on the world. Though I don’t believe I am introducing a new concept to the world, I believe that this curiosity is reflected in my final project. Originally studying the gravitational lens effect of black holes, I found that the actual effect itself was not nearly as interesting nor important as the relationship created between the figures and the looming mysterious objects in the sky. I attempted to show them with a curious longing, trying to understand what it is that they are observing. I hope that the viewer shares a similar relationship with the pieces, possibly seeing themselves in the vague human-like light paintings.

It is difficult for me to describe any current scientific influences, simply because that is not necessarily where I draw my creativity from. I would say that Janna Levin influenced the final result of my project a large amount, giving me the information that I need to understand the concepts behind my piece. I am influenced by the science of aesthetics in all of my pieces. My love of film has driven me to study composition through filmmakers like Stanley Kubrik, Nicolas Roeg, and Frederico Fellini. Creating an interesting narrative without the use of dialogue has been an interest of mine for a long time. My main goal has been to manipulate visual imagery in order to evoke an emotionally driven narrative. For my final project I was influenced by Rogier Van der Hyde’s ideas on darkness in architecture. I felt that the most effective way to create this imagery was to start with a dark palette and utilize precise points of light to emphasize the foreground narrative of the pieces. Caravaggio utilized a similar method for his paintings.

I think that Art and Science are inherently connected through curiosity. Good artists and scientists are curious about the world, and work to understand their environment more fully. They share an interest in the unknown and attempt to make it known. The main difference between artists and scientists in my opinion, is perception of the world vs. reality of the world. Artists deal mostly with understanding through the lens of our senses, whereas scientists primarily deal with objectivity and the laws of nature through any lens. I think professionals in either field should incorporate principles from the other to drive their ideas.