BLOG 8: NICOLE DASKAS

Art & Science Final Blog Post

Nicole Daskas

Since completing this class, I have found that there are far more examples of art and science colliding than I originally thought. While I did not believe that art and science are two completely separate, disparate entities, I did not realize just how many contemporary artists work so closely with scientists. I also did not know that scientists need artists to help visualize data in efficient ways. I knew that artists and scientists often work and research in a similar process, experimenting and studying before starting a new project. I did not, however, expect to find so many examples of artists working with science and become so excited about the intersection of the two disciplines. 

The Museum of Jurassic Technology is something that has stuck with me all semester since the trip. I was inspired to see that the creator’s thesis art piece became something that he expanded upon and turned into a public installation, one of the most confusing, exciting, and chaotic ones I have ever seen. I love the idea that an art piece can become a way to play with the viewer, even playing tricks on them at times. This was inspirational for my final piece, in which Olivia and I created a piece in which we documented the sea monsters and physical makeup of Europa. It felt both sophisticated and childlike, as we played pretend as explorers who had just come back from an exploration of Jupiter’s most exciting moon. 

I also found it surprising to see how reliant scientists at NASA are on artists. Discoveries and data can only go so far if the general public is unable to understand such findings. Color theory, mapping, and visualizing data are all areas in which artists are essential. Being able to take information and present it in a coherent, cohesive way is a very important and valuable skill. Artists are necessary for such jobs. This became very clear when the class visited the Earth Science department at JPL. The amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere were mapped using certain colors, instilling in viewers a sense of urgency created by an artist with an understanding of the ways color affects people’s emotions.

The Intersection of Art and Science has been relevant to my other studio classes this semester. As I have been working in sculpture, I have thought about how important experimentation is to my work. It is a process of trial and error, as well as an exploration of natural objects such as crystals and clouds, the way light interacts with the materials, and manipulation of space. I never thought about my own work as an intersection of art and science, but it becomes increasingly clear that there is an aspect of this present in my own practice.