Two pretty big pieces of news on the science-art front: First,
today is the opening day for Voyage of Discovery, a show featuring artwork by
me, Ellyn Weiss and Jessica Beels at the headquarters of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science. Second, I’ve been invited to speak at next
month’s DASER (DC Art-Science Evening Rendezvous) at the National Academy of
Sciences. Whew!
First, about the show:
Voyage of Discovery
January 21 – May 31, 2014
AAAS Art Gallery
1200 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC
The artwork in Voyage of Discovery has its roots in the idea
of a journey of scientific exploration, in the tradition of Darwin, Wallace,
and the thousands of scientists who constantly travel the globe in search of
new findings. This imaginary voyage takes viewers to a polar region where the
iconic, seemingly eternal, landscape of ice and snow is in profound and rapid
transition due to climate change. The pieces in this show, created by Michele
Banks, Jessica Beels and Ellyn Weiss in a wide variety of media, are not
strictly based on scientific data. They reflect the artists’ responses to the
transformation of land and sea - the melting of glaciers and the thawing of
permafrost, the movement of previously unknown species and microbes into the
region, the dramatic shift of the color of the land from white to green to
black. The artwork takes a broad view of these changes: the artists are deeply
aware of the damage done by climate change, yet intrigued by the possibilities
of what lies below the ice and snow.
The gallery is open to the public from 9am-5pm Monday to
Friday. A reception is being planned for later in the show’s run – more information
to come.
DASER:
D.C. Art Science Evening Rendezvous (DASER) is a monthly discussion
forum on art and science projects held by the Cutural Programs department of the National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS) in the national capital region and beyond.
DASERs provide a snapshot of the cultural environment and foster
interdisciplinary networking. This month, in celebration of its third
anniversary, DASER explores the theme of art as a way of knowing.
Thursday, February 20, 2014, 6 p.m. (doors open at 5:30)
Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W., Room 100
Free and open to the public. Registration and photo ID
required.
Sign up here to attend: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-art-science-evening-rendezvous-daser-tickets-10211848915
Panelists: Michele Banks, Artist, Washington, D.C. ; Diane Burko, Artist, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; Robert Root-Bernstein, Professor of Physiology and Bioartist,
Michigan State University, East Lansing; Nina Samuel, Art and Science Historian
and Independent Curator, New York City and Berlin, Germany
