Event 1 "From Forces to Forms" Part 1

 My first Art event in Spring quarter was the first episode of the “From Forces to Forms” series of lectures. It was definitely an interesting experience, which I recommend everyone try. The panelists are artists that were inspired by different natural phenomena and created beautiful pieces. One of such works, which is called “She Changes”, mesmerized me by its scale. A 300 ft. by 240 ft. colossal installation of a net suspended by three 25 to 50 steel poles created by Janet Eckhelman blew my mind. This piece combines the laws of nature such as gravity with wind, weather and creates an aesthetic of something airy and weightless. As Victoria Vesna explained in her article, artists are playing a critical role in helping to shrink the gap between science and art, I think that Echelman managed to connect art and science perfectly with her work (Vesna, 122). She Changes inspired me to create my midterm piece with many repeating patterns just like the net that would create an illusion of a grand object while being small in size.

She Changes 

Another piece that fascinated me a lot is “Eating Light” by Meredith Tromble. It is a video that shows the artist’s vision of how photosynthesis happens. The absorption of energy by the chloroplasts is depicted as the “dance” of the energy cells supporting all life and chemical processes. It is an interesting installation that gives the viewer a new perspective on the chemical reactions happening within the body of every plant. You can see the whole video by the link: 

https://vimeo.com/647977758/e28defca63

Eating Light

This event helped me further understand the connection between science and art by  looking at each piece separately not only as a scientific phenomenon but also as an artists’ representation of biology, chemistry, physics, and so on. 

Confirmation email

Sources: 

Janet Echelman, https://www.echelman.com/#/project/she-changes/. 

“Artist and Writer.” Meredith Tromble, 31 Jan. 2022, https://meredithtromble.net/. 

Tromble, Meredith. “Eating Light (Single Version).” Vimeo, 12 Mar. 2022, https://vimeo.com/647977758/e28defca63. 

“Explore 144 W. 14th St. in 3D.” Matterport, https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=svTRafZLydD. 

National Geographic Society. “Photosynthesis.” National Geographic Society, 5 Sept. 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/photosynthesis/. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121–25, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1577014. Accessed 22 Apr. 2022.