Art and Science of the Invisible World
How humans, with the help of art, can interact with scientific concepts that can not be directly experienced through senses, either as small as atoms or as distant as black holes. And how these interactions can be “life-altering and mind-bending experiences”, that affect re-evaluating philosophical concepts and everyday life through a cognitive shift similar to the Overview Effect experienced by astronauts.
Speakers: Jan Świerkowski, Instytut B61
Curator, artist, cultural researcher, and astronomer, Jan Świerkowski will share his experimental yet tried-and-true method of intersecting art and science based on cognitive metaphor theory and conceptual blending. He will also explain how to create successful artsci residencies, where artists and scientists can meet and work together on the translation of the Invisible World.
In order to ground these bold statements, the audience will be invited to the world of Instytut B61, an international art and science collective founded by astronomers and performers, musicians, visual artists, and actors. Since 2009 the group launched over 15 art and science experiences, presented in Poland, Portugal, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Armenia and India. By far, the most important activity of the Instytut B61 has been the Cosmic Underground, founded by the European Commission in a specially designed train consisting of 10 freight carriages-installations. The immersive exhibition which lasted more than two months travelled from Tallinn to Guimarães and involved more than 40 artists, scientists, and researchers.
“The experience is euphoric and mind-bending, with a touch of Clockwork Orange. The finale is a deeply poignant song from a dying star, who sounds like a heartbroken Polish Johnny Cash. If this evening had a director, it would, of course, be Stanley Kubrick.” Forbes.com on Interstellar Sugar Centre performance curated and directed by Jan Świerkowski
