physics & art

Dino Jaroszynski

Col. 6.31, Tel. X3057, email: dino at phys.strath.ac.uk

Lecture 1

In this lecture we will attempt to consider some of the following questions and points: 

  1. How can art or literature be used as a medium for communicating physics?

  2. What artistic media are available for use to communicating physics?

  3. Science as part of culture, art as part of culture. Different ways of describing the world we live in.

  4. How is the world of the scientist perceived by the outside world?  What is potentially observable?

  5. What has art got to do with physics? Making connections with the ordinary world.

  6. How can we capture the imagination of the public using art as a medium to convey the world of the physicist.

  7. Art used as a convenient and powerful way of advertising physics or used to convey meaning and educate the public.

  8. Contentious issues in science: The responsibility of the scientist. How can this be portrayed by scientists and artists? What can we learn from this?

  9. Discussion of class projects.

Lecture 2

In this lecture we will discuss creativity in science and art and hear a poetry reading on science by the well-known poet (Ian McDonough).

The Quark Sisters (Ian McDonough)

Yes, you may date us, but let us say at once
That we are many, some strange, others
Displaying bags of charm. Perhaps you know
We always go around the place in threes?

Sometimes we may be up, sometimes
Like anyone, we may be down. 
We are all shapely, though some display
More bottom, some more top.

Our favourite colours? No, the only colours
We can wear are red, green, blue. We do not speak
Of our half-sisters, the anti quarks, who hussy around
In yellow, magenta and cyan.

Still interested? Then follow up our tracks.
But please don't try to get our knickers down
To see what's underneath
By turning on your massive energies.

Remember, we go about in threes. You could never afford it.

Lecture 3 (2 hour workshop)

Mini workshop will be held where the students will present artistic material that could be used to convey science.

  1. We will hold a debate with contributions from a scientists and artists.

  2. Self-evaluation: How well have we done? Have we succeeded in getting into the mind of Joe Public? Did it appeal to him? Can we learn from artists?

Selected Bibliography:

  1. Beate Allert, ed., Language of Visuality: Crossing between Science, Art, Politics and Literature (Detroit, Wayne State University Press, 1996)

  2. John D. Barrow, Theories Of Everything: The Quest For Ultimate Explanation (Oxford University Press, 1990)

  3. Marga Bijvoet, Art As Enquiry: Toward New Collaborations Between Art, Science And Technology (NY, Washington DC, Baltimore etc. Peter Lang, 1997)

  4. David Bohm, On Creativity, ed. Lee Nichol (London and NY, Routledge, 1998)

  5. Paul Davies, God And The New Physics (London, Penguin Books, 1990)

  6. Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker (London, Penguin Books, 1986)

  7. Richard Dawkins, Unweaving The Rainbow (London, Penguin Books, 1989)

  8. Denis Dutton and Michael Kraus, eds. The Concept Of Creativity In Science And Art (The Hague and Boston, MA, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1981)

  9. Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Law (London, Penguin, 1995)

  10. Tony Hey and Patrick Walters, Einstein's Mirror (Cambridge University Press, 1997)

  11. Caroline A Jones, Peter Galison, Amy Slaton, Picturing Science, Producing Science (NY, Routledge, 1998)

  12. Martin Kemp, Structural Intuitions: The "Nature" book of Art and Science (Oxford University Press, 2000)

  13. Bruno Latour, Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies (London, Harvard University Press, 1999)

  14. Author I Millar, Insights of Genius: Imagery and Creativity in Science and Art (NY, Copernicus, 1996)

  15. Albert Rothenberg, The Emerging Goddess: The Creative Process In Art, Science And Other Fields (University of Chicago Press, 1979)

  16. C.P. Snow, The two cultures (Cambridge University Press, 1993)

  17. Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau eds. Art@science (Vienna and NY, Springer-Verlag, 1997)

  18. Tom Sorell, Scientism (London and NY, Routledge, 1994)

  19. Ann Thomas ed., Beauty of Another Order: Photography in Science (New Haven and London, Yale University Press, in association with National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1997)

  20. A.N. Wilson, God's Funeral (London, John Murray, 1999)

  21. Lewis Wolpert, The Unnatural Nature of Science (London, Faber and Faber, 1992)

Art and Science Resources: