Monday, July 29, 2013

[Yasmin_discussions] impact of the arts on science practice

Hi Roger



I have not yet come across a scientist or engineer who would admit in
writing the influence of art on his or her work, except now by Dr
Marrin; and that is why I was interested in contacting him. However
the following information may interest you.



I studied physics and mathematics before graduating in civil
engineering from University of Karachi in 1962; but then changed to
art. Although I tried to escape from engineering, it has greatly
influenced my art; some of the ideas of which then emerged,
subsequently, in the work of both architects and scientists,
independently of what I had done. Here are two examples:



1) During 1965-68, I produced a body of sculptures whose symmetrical
structure was taken from the lattice structure of engineering (the
kind you see in the cranes used for building works). Besides these
works being pioneering works of Minimalism (as acknowledged by the
Tate in 2007), they were the first attempt to infuse aesthetics into
the functionality of lattice structure; and in fact this aestheticism
of what were before only functional structures was picked up
architects about ten years later (such as in the design of Pompidou
Centre in Paris), and now architects all over the world use these
structures aesthetically in their work.



2) In 1968, I proposed that the symmetrical structure of my work Zero
to Infinity should be broken by public participation, resulting into
their continuous transformation leading to infinity. A similar
phenomenon of "breaking symmetry" was discovered by some physicists in
the nineties for which they were awarded Nobel Prize in 2008.



My point is that same or similar ideas can emerge from different
disciplines more or less during the same time.





Best wishes




Rasheed Areen

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Saturday, July 27, 2013

[Yasmin_discussions] how my art work influenced my mathematics research

from michele emmer, mathematician

Untill the end of the seventies I was a pure mathematician working on
minimal surfaces and calculus of variation. Then I started making
films on math and art, more or less 22 (including Escher, soap
bubbles, Flatland....). My father was a well known Italian film maker.
I also started organising large exhibitions on art and math including
a section at the Biennale of Art in Venice. This work was a sort of
parallel activity to my academic work.
In 1997 I started organizing an annual meeting in Venice on math and
culture, covering the relations between maths and art, architecture,
music, litterature, films, theatre. Later, I started givind courses at
the university for math and design students. My professional activity
was really changed. In the last 20 years I have written books,
including the one on soap bubbles in art and science, which won the
Viareggio award as best Italian essay in 2010. I am a mathemician
working on the connections between math and culture, mainly on math,
art, architecture and technology. All these started in 1976 viewing an
exhibhtion by Max Bill, with whom I cooperated in several projects
thereafter. A special session of my annual confrence in Venice will be
dedicated to him, on the 20th anniversary of his death.
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Friday, July 26, 2013

[Yasmin_discussions] Does Art-Science Collaboration Contribute In Any Way to Successful Scientific Practice?

Does Art-Science Collaboration Contribute In Any Way to Successful
Scientific Practice?

D.L. Marrin, Ph.D. (Biogeochemist and Water Scientist)

Although I have only been collaborating with artists for about 6
years, there are three fundamental ways in which those interactions
have assisted me in my scientific work or in designing my applied
research to serve its target groups. The first is providing me
a broader range of options for presenting and applying my basic
science. This includes not only more comprehensible and relevant
ways to portray water to laypersons, but also a different perspective
on interpreting and expressing my data and observations.
Specifically, I learned to discern patterns and rhythms within data
and models that permitted me to transcend conventional and entrenched
techniques for analyzing and interpreting my work.

The second is a reminder that science
provides only one of many valid ways of "knowing" the natural world.
While this may sound more humbling than useful, it has provided
me opportunities for talking science with groups whose primary
connection to nature is more sensory, intuitive, or spiritual than it
is intellectual.

The third way is in altering a traditional approach to my applied
research, which consisted of defining a problem or conundrum in terms
of its description in the scientific literature and then crafting a
strategy based on past successes or on general principles. In working
with artists, who were more interested in how a problem affected the
balance or integration of seemingly unrelated factors, I realized
that my approach was sometimes too narrowly focused. Hence, even if
I were to "solve" the immediate problem, the underlying issue
would likely continue to arise in modified forms. In my opinion,
this is why many technological "fixes" to water quality and quantity
problems have been only marginally successful. I am beginning work on
a watershed project in Mexico that is based (from its inception) on
art-science collaborations.

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

[Yasmin_discussions] DOES ART SCIENCE COLLABORATION CONTRIBUTE IN ANY WAY TO SUCCESSFUL SCIENTIFIC PRACTICE ?

yasminers

we have just started a discussion on

DOES ART SCIENCE COLLABORATION CONTRIBUTE IN ANY WAY TO SUCCESSFUL
SCIENTIFIC PRACTICE ?


http://xsead.ame.asu.edu/works/57

SEAD DISCUSSION : Opportunities and Obstacles Facing Scientists,
Mathematicians, and Engineers Deeply Engaged in the Arts and Design
We solicit invited comments to help understand the perspective of
researchers working in realms traditionally designated as scientific,
or pertaining more broadly to the STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics) who are heavily involved in
collaboration with artists, designers and humanities scholars.

A SEAD White Paper has been posted for comment and discussion:
Opportunities and Obstacles Facing Scientists, Mathematicians, and
Engineers Deeply Engaged in the Arts and Design by Carol Strohecker,
Roger Malina, and Wendy Silk and is available at
http://xsead.ame.asu.edu/works/57

The White Paper resulted from interviews with 20 scientists : 7 women
and 13 men. All the responding scientists have been working
collaboratively with artists and/or designers for 5 years or more,
some for as long as 20 years or more, with one reporting such
collaboration dating back about 50 years.

Not surprisingly, a strong message throughout the interviews is that a
strong benefit for scientists collaborating with artists is to support
communication and education – with students and colleagues, and
especially among the general public. However many of the scientists
report having experienced changes in their methods, priorities,
focuses, or ways of conceptualizing. This provides a critical focus on
the benefits to science itself from SEAD practice.

If you wish to provide a public comment for this discussion please
contact Roger Malina at rmalina@alum.mit.edu. Please provide a very
brief bio and a few sentences on the main argument you would like to
make. We will then make invitations to selected contributors. We are
particularly keen to hear the opinions of scientists and engineers
involved in SEAD practices.

We also welcome discussion posted to the YASMIN list

Moderated by Roger Malina, Astrophysicist

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