|
This image has taken on a life of it’s own. It has traveled from New
York to Beijing, and now back to New York and Philadelphia. The image was
created on the premise that the word "art" is contained within the word "earth".
I wanted to create a fine art image that was a creative interpretation of
the globe. I started with traditional 2D imagery and was not satisfied with
the results. I then moved to 3D with Alias Wavefront Maya to produce the final
image. It went through much iteration before becoming the final image. The
goal was to produce something with aesthetic value, somewhat recognizable
as the earth, but also very different. My intention is to draw the viewer
in through the association with the earth, and then to engage them though
the details contained within the globe: the surfaces, textures and colors.
Since we are all familiar with the globe of the earth, our eye independently
searches for recognizable patterns where none are to be found, much like the
game we used to play as children making shapes and animals out of the changing
patterns of clouds.
National Museum of Fine Art in Beijing, China
The image was accepted to the ART AND SCIENCE International Exhibition that was held at the National Museum of Fine Art in Beijing, China from May 31 – June 18, 2001. There were six hundred works selected from all over the world. They were a combination of art and science images, all having aesthetic value. The goal of the exhibition was to demonstrate the links between art and science. T.D. Lee, Nobel Prize Winner, Honored Professor of Tsinghua University, and Professor at Columbia University believes that the common basis of science and art is the human being’s creative power and that the mutual goal of art and science is truth. Wu Guanzhong, Professor of the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University stated, "Science reveals the secrets of the outside world; art reveals the secrets of the inside world."
This
is the National Museum of Fine Art in Beijing. For the opening reception,
there were several high officials from the government present. There was also
television, radio and press coverage.
Along with the exhibition was a two day academic conference during which experts in art and science from around the world spoke. It was very interesting to learn how eastern and western viewpoints compared and contrasted. The current western interest in the relationship between art and science is also being echoed in China. The symposium demonstrated the ability of the Chinese to quickly develop higher education as the event was used as the occasion to announce the establishment of an Art and Science Center at Tsinghua University. I had visited the university two years before and they had constructed several new buildings since then. It is a large institution with close to 20,000 students and 3,500 faculty.
While in Beijing, I also had the opportunity to do some sightseeing.
It is a very large city, somewhat similar to Los Angeles in that you need to drive to get anywhere. The major tourist areas are on Shanghai Street near Tianeman Suqare. Surrounding the square are the Imperial Palace, Great Hall of the People, and several other historical sites.
What
is most impressive about Beijing is the sheer size and magnitude of the city.
There are few western cities with such a long history where modern buildings
stand next to historic sites hundreds of years old. We spent one afternoon
walking near the Imperial Palace and Tianeman Square.
ASCI DIGITAL2001: Our Sci-Tech World
The image was recently accepted into the ASCI DIGITAL2001: Our Sci-Tech World exhibition in which "artists and scientists focus on images that reflect the world of science and technology in this digital print exhibition." The show invites the viewer to contemplate the beauty and positive nature — but also the underbelly — of scientific and technological advances. It will be on exhibit from Sept.29 - Nov.25, 2001 at the Technology Gallery, New York Hall of Science and from Dec.7 - Jan.25, 2002 The Silicon Gallery, Philadelphia. From there it will travel to a Manhattan gallery.
The purpose of Art & Science Collaborations,Inc. (ASCI) is to raise public awareness about artists and scientists using science and technology to explore new forms of creative expression, and to increase communication and collaborations between these fields. For more information visit www.asci.org.
The Series
Most of my projects tend to evolve, as will this one. I am now working on a series of globes. The concept is based on creating images that are based on different nations around the world. For the globe’s surface data, I will input different parameters such as the percentage of water versus land, the various elevations of the land, population density, etc. I will also work with the national colors of the country, as well as satellite photographs as source material. The viewpoint will be from outer space looking directly at the country. From this starting point, I will then change the settings until I have created an image that has aesthetic value. The countries I have already decided to work with are the United States, China, Japan, England, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Holland. My eventual goal is to have a series of 20-25 prints.