Art + Science: The Exhibition

Art + Science: The Exhibition by Linda AlterwitzMarch 14, 2019

©Abbey Hepner and Mike Avery

What exactly is Art + Science? Does the convergence of these two fields help the imaginative thinkers to create a new kind of art? Or does it help those who rely on objective knowledge to expand the field of science? It’s clear that science, especially with the aid of current technology, can provide artists with an abundance of imagery from which to work. Yet more important than producing aesthetic images derived from scientific data, science-inspired artists find connections that reflect a common purpose – one that integrates the authenticity of science and the communicative power of art.

The works chosen for A Smith’s Gallery’s exhibition entitled Art + Science all share unique approaches to photography that include experimentation and innovation. Whether driven by scientific data or creative process, each piece communicates a transformative experience that forges a sincere kinship between art and science.

In Abbey Hepner and Mike Avery’s series entitled Optogenetic Cybernetic Translations, they incorporated computer generated interpretations of data driven images to create a metaphor between cognition and phenomena.

By submerging film transparencies underwater for durations of up to two months, Tom Johnson allowed the film surface to disintegrate and transform into abstracted deconstructed imagery. His unique creative process investigates universal themes of turmoil and regeneration.

Elizabeth Stone burned excess photographic prints, extra test prints, contact sheets, printing mistakes and what she referred to as “dead ends.” What remained was a world of ashes framed within the old oil barrel they were burnt within, giving reference to cycles of destruction and creation.

In the series Terra Incognita, Marko Umicevic materialized nature by placing light sensitive paper directly onto the soil, beneath stones, and exposing it to darkness for 30 days. The photographs represent “the ungraspable and unknown life of the Earth, existing far from human sight.”

The interdisciplinary works shown in this exhibition use the convergence of art and science to exemplify transformative experiences. They represent an honest approach to image making, one that broadens our thinking beyond the norms of photography.