Blog Post #1
Generally, the first artist who comes to mind when we think of individuals whose work rides the line between art and science, we think of Leonardo DaVinci. However, many other artists and scientists from history have been scientific pioneers in different respects. In researching these types of people, I found Santiago Ramon y Cajal. Cajal was a Spanish scientist who focused his studies on the human brain, and is often regarded as the father of modern neuroscience. In his research, he examined brain cells under a microscope and drew his findings. What made his drawings special, though, was the fact that he chose not to use what was essentially a projector to be used for tracing the images seen through the microscope but drew the cell structures freehand, creating beautifully scientific abstract images.
As for a more contemporary example of art’s intersection with science, I came across Jason deCaires Taylor, who is a British sculptor. Taylor makes large-scale sculptures, primarily of the human form, often incorporating elements of the surrounding environment in his work. In 2006, Taylor unveiled to the public the world’s first-ever underwater sculpture park, named the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park, in the Caribbean sea. The sculptures in the park are made of “long-lasting and pH neutral cement” to provide to the sea a textured structure for coral polyps to grow on. The park consists of 75 sculptures of humans in various positions and activities, and spans across 800 square meters, about 15-25 feet deep. Taylor aims to both protect existing coral reefs and allow new ones to grow. He has since created numerous underwater parks similar to this one, all with the same aim. the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park is located far enough from the nearby reefs to avoid interference with them, but near enough that tourists are drawn to the park as a snorkeling or scuba diving spot and led away from the other, more fragile, nearby reefs.
Hurricane Ivan made a severe impact on the reefs in the area, so having the park in place to distract tourists from the recovering areas has been instrumental in the Caribbean sea’s coral reef recovery process. In addition, visitors to the park are charged an entrance fee which are partially given to local park ranger departments in support of managing incoming tourists and ensuring their impact on the reefs is minimized, as well as enforcing quotas placed on local fishermen in efforts to preserve the environment as best as possible.
Comments
Post a Comment