Event 2: Ellen K. Levy Talk

For my event, I attended the live zoom lecture with artist Ellen K. Levy who discussed the importance of scientific models and their intersection when it comes to art.


One such example was Richard Hamilton, who in his exhibition “Growth and Form'' which drew from ideas by Darcy Thompson explores the integration of scientific knowledge into visually pleasing design. This can be seen as inside the exhibition there were models of, “atomic particle traces, crystal structures, chromosomes and cell divisions,” (Kim) illustrating the idea that presenting scientific knowledge to the general public can be crucial in encouraging open discussion of ideas between artists. Instead of being independent and on opposite sides of the spectrum, art and scientific models can coexist and lead to each other's benefit.

 


Moreover, one of the main points that stood out to me was the evolution of technology and how they play such an influential role in modern day art. An example of the integration of robotics in art can be seen in the Robotic church installation that features, “pneumatic sculptures that measure from one to 15 feet and are controlled via a computer.” (John)

 


Something intriguing that Levy also discussed was human attention when it came to viewing art and how it was often so easy for the human eye to overlook the most basic thing. This type of idea was clearly demonstrated in the phenomenon, Gorillas in our midst shows how people are sometimes “unaware of the details of our environment from one view to the next. “ (Simons) This is helpful in understanding how human perception of art is often shaped by other scientific variables outside of the piece itself. Overall, I found Levy's talk extremely interesting and makes me wonder what the future has in store as the gap between art and science continues to dwindle.

 



References:

Kim, Haram. “Growth and Form Exhibition 1951.” Medium, Medium, 3 Apr. 2017, medium.com/@hhkim/growth-and-form-exhibition-1951-7561090e91d5.  

Simons, DJ. “Gorillas in Our Midst: Sustained Inattentional Blindness for Dynamic Events.” Perception, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10694957/. Accessed 19 May 2024.

John. “10 Mind-Blowing Pieces of Robot Art.” Computer Science Zone, 30 Apr. 2021, www.computersciencezone.org/10-mind-blowing-pieces-robot-art/.

Young, Michelle. INSIDE THE ROBOTIC CHURCH IN RED HOOK, BROOKLYN, A SITE SPECIFIC ART INSTALLATION AND WORKSHOP. Untapped New York, https://untappedcities.com/2017/08/01/inside-the-robotic-church-in-red-hook-brooklyn-a-site-specific-art-installation-and-workshop/. Accessed 19 May 2024.

Rattan, Aneeta. The role of social meaning in inattentional blindness: When the gorillas in our midst do not go unseen. ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103110001502. Accessed 19 May 2024.


 


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