PHYSICS ART CONTEST WINNER 2005

"SPACE LIGHT TIME"

by Kim Dylla

Click Here to Download Movie of Installation (~30MB, .mov)

 

CONCEPT

At first thought, Art and Physics seem like disjoint fields- Art based around the abstract languages of painting, sculpture, and Physics based on the logical and concrete language of mathematics. Despite these obvious differences, both Art and Physics, especially after Picasso and Einstein, address common subject matter- Space, Light, and Time. Art is a manipulation and visual occupation of the gallery space, light in the fictive space of the canvas, as well as its interactions in real space, and the passing of time or a frozen moment, depicted in visual narrative. Physics, in Relativity and Quantum theory especially, also explores the interconnectedness of space, time and light.

"Space Light Time" is an installation which seeks to directly present these common themes, emphasized through the juxtaposition of scientific and artistic materials. The installation is on the whole very sculptural in the space. A topless and bottomless 'cube' of 3'x3' satin projection screens are suspended by wire from the ceiling. The screens themselves are very process-oriented, involving the construction of a wooden frame, and then the methodical stretching of the delicate fabric over the structure. In the center of the cube there are two lasers, one red, one green, mounted on a slowly turning motor. Several inches from the laser diodes, there is a translucent ring of diffraction gratings, layered and offset in 4 different directions, such as to break the laser dot up into rather chaotic patterns, which are projected onto the screen. As the laser turns, the red patterns shift and move around the surface of the screens in time.

The visual concept of the piece is simple, and based off of the juxtaposition of the virtual material of the laser light, and the luminous physicality of the screens over time. Its stark, manufactured visual identity echoes the crisp geometry and underlying patterns of modern technology. The significance of the laser in Physics research, and the Optics concepts brought to the surface by the diffraction gratings offer further connotations, as the piece is presented in a Physics building for viewing. Ultimately, the piece is a treatise on the parallel visions of modern Art and modern Physics, a cyborg manifestation of art and science, and the relation of these three universal concepts.

Installed in the UVA Physics Building

 

PROCESS

We first constructed the mechanism for rotating the lasers from a sacrificed disco light (appropriately titled "lazer orbitz"), two small power supplies, and a red and green laser pointer. We cut the laser pointers down using a dremel, and soldered the wires from the power supply to the battery connect points. We taped the button down using fiberglass tape for durability.

Then we mounted the lasers and the power supplies onto the disco light base using cable ties and duct tape, and soldered the power supplies to the disco light's wiring. The whole unit can now be hung from the mount, plugged into a wall adapter and turned on and off using a switch on the cord.

The diffraction gratings were mounted on an embroidery hoop, and hot glued in varying directions. This hoop was then suspended fron the mount. The cube was assembled except for the back piece, and white satin stretched around three sides of the frame. The satin was separately stretched around the back piece of the cube to allow for the most streamlined appearance, then attached to the entire frame.

 

Many thanks to the Mead Endowment for funding this project. Also thanks to Cass Sackett for selecting this project and helping with the wiring and construction. Also thanks to Shannon Zelitch and Michael Balazs for their help in conceptualizing and installation. Thanks to Greg Humphreys for the initial idea of working with diffraction gratings. And thanks to Fred Dylla for the sample diffraction gratings and for the construction of the cube frame.