Art, science, and imagination.PLUTO'S CAVE: MAKING VISIBLE THE INVISIBLE BY ACME PHYSICS BIG ORBIT GALLERY BUFFALO, NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of OCTOBER 15-DECEMBER 18, 2005 NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY VISUAL ARTS visual arts npl → artes fpl plásticas visual arts npl → arts mpl plastiques visual arts npl → GALLERY JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY JANUARY 19-FEBRUARY 16, 2006 Continuing Big Orbit Gallery's tradition of testing both the limits of art and the structural integrity of its floor, another experiment in gravity versus art was presented by "ACME Physics." The artists comprising ACME, Robert Hirsch, Gary Nickard, and Reinhard Reitzenstein transformed the gallery into "Pluto's Cave: Making Visible the Invisible." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Entering the cave felt like stepping into a rerun re·run n. The act or an instance of rebroadcasting a recorded movie or a recorded television performance. tr.v. re·ran , re·run, re·run·ning, re·runs To present a rerun of. of Science Fiction Theatre, being watched by an invisible audience on a 1950's television and expecting to find Vincent Price lurking in a corner. There was a miniature atom smasher atom smasher: see particle accelerator. , a cosmic ray cosmic ray High-speed particle (atomic nucleus or electron) that travels through the Milky Way Galaxy. Some cosmic rays originate from the Sun, but most come from outside the solar system. spark chamber spark chamber, in physics, device for recording the passage of elementary particles produced by reactions in a particle accelerator. Particles pass through a stack of metal plates or wire grids that are maintained with high voltage between alternate layers. , glassware circulating strange-looking fluids, audio from Jupiter, nostalgia, microscopes, and acorns and other natural debris balanced on a scale--all nested within a scientific graveyard with a dying tree as the centerpiece. The graveyard consisted of antiquated scientific equipment hooked up to the dying tree like a cardiac patient with all the straps, cords, and sounds included. In the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of this was a small, gray box, connected to an antenna array Antenna array may refer to:
There appeared to be two parallel tracks running through this exhibition, yet there is no simple duality in any one experiment. Many components of this project juxtaposed jux·ta·pose tr.v. jux·ta·posed, jux·ta·pos·ing, jux·ta·pos·es To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. life and death, which became most visible as the tree ever so slowly decomposed de·com·pose v. de·com·posed, de·com·pos·ing, de·com·pos·es v.tr. 1. To separate into components or basic elements. 2. To cause to rot. v.intr. 1. in the middle of the gallery. The tree--bearing a Reitzenstein signature--pointed out something obvious, but it bears repeating: without trees, we die. However, the tree did more than this. It raised the possibility of a virtual forest--a forest born of technology--that might sustain us after human consumption has reached its Malthusian limit. The exhibit's several references to the atomic bomb atomic bomb or A-bomb, weapon deriving its explosive force from the release of atomic energy through the fission (splitting) of heavy nuclei (see nuclear energy). The first atomic bomb was produced at the Los Alamos, N.Mex. offer up attraction and repulsion repulsion /re·pul·sion/ (re-pul´shun) 1. the act of driving apart or away; a force that tends to drive two bodies apart. 2. toward unknown technology and the fear of its consequences. One end of this spectrum pulls us toward nostalgia for the free scientific imagination and the other pulls us toward fear. If nostalgia is the desire for the "way back when"--when things were better and more lively than the present--then fear interrupts this impulse to remain stationary in an episode of nostalgia. Ultimately, the give-and-take running throughout this installation aimed at transforming a pile of antiquated scientific equipment into a reconfigured artistic constellation. We are reminded here of the twentieth century's utopian impulses and how much science and technology have promised us and then failed to deliver. Most importantly, "Pluto's Cave" reminds us that just because we can do something does not mean that we always should. A panel discussion accompanied this exhibition, sponsored by the University at Buffalo (UB) Humanities Institute. Participants included the three ACME artists, two UB Physics Professors (Ulrich Baur and Doreen Wackeroth), and UB Comparative Literature Professor Krzysztof Ziarek. Partly inspired by Emmanuel Kant, Jean Paul Sartre, and Paul Virilio, the panel and exhibition at large proposed that the underpinnings and creative process of both art and science are interchangeable. This was brought forth by a discussion of materiality, representation, and discovery. This discussion was guided toward one conclusion: that we only understand that "something" invisible exists because awareness has assisted in the process of making that "something" visible, if only temporarily. ADRIANE LITTLE is an artist and educator living in Buffalo, New York. |
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