GRAVITATE
Sculptural work by Scientist David Blair and artists
Paul Caporn, Alan Clark, Sam Collins, Philip Gamblen, Mark Grey-Smith,
Colin Langridge, Michelle Theunissen, Jon Tarry
29th September - 29th October, 2000 at LAWRENCE WILSON GALLERY
Reviewed by  Judith McGrath

Like the proverbial chicken and egg question, neither art nor science have a clear claim on primacy. Instead they are twin investigative studies born of human curiosity and ingenuity. Both depend on inspired analysis, a questioning of theory, empirical experience and a balance of structure. Each travels through experimentation and innovation, albeit at different speeds, and at times one will depend on the other to accelerate their progress. A good scientist must be able to think creatively and a good artist needs to explore beyond accepted limits. We do not have to understand both to appreciate how each has enhanced our lives, and initiated great debates.

All the hyperbole aside, if you want to see how sculptors make forms and a scientist formulates making, with intelligence and artistry, this is the place to be.

Hear the music of the spheres played by Alan Clark's graceful golden horn, Pythagoras Trumpet. What seems like gentle insects chirping and a storm gathering is in fact recordings of radio waves from pulsars, planets and solar winds. Often sound installations from one exhibit intrude on the visual aspects of another but not in this case. This pleasant mysterious music augments our delight of discovery throughout the gallery, while the clean lines and familiar shape of Clark's sculpture compliments the more complex exhibits.

The sound envelops you while viewing Jon Tarry's construction It All Comes Down to This. The artist uses tubular steel to create a 3D linear pattern that suggests objects as disparate as the ribs of a sunken ship or a diagram for an orbiting  space station, then again it could refer to a dolphin. Two cups are aimed in different directions to collect information from all around. This is an intriguing work, it has a sleek satisfying beauty of its own yet it has us wondering who is directing this listening device, and where does it come from.

We know where Paul Caporn's fantastical bulbous contraption Gravitate originated - in the Tardis. The artist must have received instructions from Dr. Who. Neon lights attract, a warning sign repels, curiosity engages, the mind boggles. We have no idea what it can do or what we want it to do, except be amazing. And it is.

Mark Grey-Smith works with David Blair to present Einstein and Newton two mesmerizing exhibits that demonstrate how "Space tells matter how to move. Matter tells space how to curve." and "Gravitational forces determine orbits."  Naturally! The science used to produce these kinetic exhibits didn't interest the spectators as much as the mesmerizing movement created by magnets and ball bearings. Remaining strictly in the realm of art appreciation and not that of theoretical physics, Einstein offers the most satisfying exhibit. Light reflects the action of the turn table onto the wall above as a fluid image suggests the constant flux of atoms in all gaseous, liquid and solid matter.

This exhibition demonstrates how the practices of art and science can integrate in the most satisfying manner. Proof is in the scientifically conceived and artistically constructed Blue Poles (Technical) by Professor Blair. Is is a delight to view and a wonder to ponder. But then so are all the exhibits.
 


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