what a most excellent day at Cavendish Lab in Cambridge - everybody was so generous with their time and dedicated
to sharing their experience - totally engaged in the process of knowledge
exchange. it was a very full day of experiencing and challenging spaces within
which to consider many new activities. Although invisible there is an obvious flow
diagram of decision making within each specific activity and the process as a
whole. This is made apparent by the
seriousness of the approach to the activity. self assembly is I now know a key
component to what I do or at least how I think - but maybe not in a
straightforward 'science ' way - I am interested in creating objects with
multiple possible outcomes or systematic structures or non-linear narratives for
others to work with or within or 'play' with. That there is no right or wrong
way is very important to me but just components to enable. Thinking tools.
Tools for thinking. Obviously one is struck by the ritual of work - the
oppressive otherness of the clean room brings with it a heightened awareness of
one's activity, can the wearing of a garment alter ones perception of the activity
that is been undertaken? This could be something to explore with my students -
art uniforms, creative capes! The pace of working is also something to consider
- I was very taken by the methodical process of evidencing activity; cleaning,
counting, arranging, monitoring, calculating, noting. Even the act of looking
takes time and energy. The day's activity sparked many thoughts about
art/science parallels and often the actual activity was the same, although
often at a smaller scale. From the spin painting promoted by Damien Hurst,
fixing and photography 'developing' work, the many types of printmaking, the
resists and opposites, the silkscreen with its mesh and layers, etching working
with positive and negative 2D spaces. So far this whole process has given me a
new way of thinking and therefore supported my writing about my creativity. Ideas
have been sparked while searching for parallels or taking my world into the
world of science and testing out common knowledge, for example thinking about
Duchamp and Duchampian thinking - becoming art, and the world of topography,
definitions and categories - it is art if an artist says so - can intention
define activity? Everything comes under the umbrella of science but could the
same activity be redefined by what you are trying to do, or actually focusing
on? - be it physics, chemistry, engineering or is it a combination of some or all
or is it at a certain level all physics? What is the purpose of the/an
experiment? the concept of the experiment - that even though something hasn't
worked knowledge is gained and so it is useful - so does the concept of a
failed experiment actually exist as knowledge always occurs (if you look for
it). Can this be used with students or actively in my studio? Coming into
contact with science language and thinking has introduced new phrases or
enabled me to rethink ones I thought I understood - the concept of structural
colour - weak interaction forces shape - the basis for self assembly - materials
form wrinkles to relieve stress - release and stick - crease and stress -
graphene origami - self folded closed form structures - at the fold properties
are more reactive - folding along preferred directions - the use of paper grain
- self folding
