0 comment Monday, April 21, 2014 | admin
As an AS Level art student, I was introduced to the work of M. C. Escher and he quickly became my favourite artist. Aesthetically, I am a big fan of monochrome and bright popping colours, but I was also intrigued by the skill of his drawing. How do the tessellations fit together, for example?
I can barely draw tessellations of squares!
My interest has always stayed quite strong, though I am becoming more intrigued by the work of Escher as I read Hyperspace by Michio Kaku.
For example, Michio Kaku starts "Hyperspace" by sharing a story from his childhood.
"I remember that my parents would sometimes take me to visit the famous Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. One of my happiest childhood memories is of crouching next to the pond, memorised by the brilliantly coloured carp swimming slowly beneath the water lilies.
In these quiet moments, I felt free to let my imagination wander. I would ask myself silly questions that only a child might ask, such as how the carp in that pond would view the world around them. I thought, What a strange world theirs must be!
Living their entire lives in the shallow pond, the carp would believe that their "universe" consisted of murky water and the lilies. Spending most of their time foraging on the bottom of the pond, they would be only dimly aware that an alien world could exist above the surface.
The nature of our world was beyond their comprehension. I was intrigued that I could sit only a few inches from the carp, yet be separated from them by an immense chasm. The carp and I spent our lives in two distinct universes, never entering each other's world, yet were separated by only the thinnest barrier, the water's surface."
Michio Kaku then goes on to explain how rain would feel to the carp. The force of the rain drops would disturb the environment of the pond, and the carp would believe that the lilies could move without being touched. Similarly, we may see evidence of forces around us, but not understand their origin.
Kaku then suggests that a human could pull a carp from the "universe" of the pool, and the carp will have experienced a new "universe". Similarly, if there is a fifth dimension, it may be possible that we may be able to experience it by being pulled up out of it.
This image was designed by Escher to make us think of dimensions; beneath the water, the surface on which the leaves are resting, and the reflection of the trees above.
However, with the addition of Michio Kaku's carp theory, the image has new meaning to me.
I began reading "Hyperspace" as I found out that it was the book that inspired Muse to call their 2nd album "Origin Of Symmetry". I hoped that the book could inspire me in my art work, but I didn't know that it would enlighten my understanding of Eschers work!
Labels: Art, Carp, Catalyst, Dimensions, Escher, Fish, Hyperspace, Koi, M.C. Escher, Michio Kaku, Muse, Origin Of Symmetry, Physics, Science, Tesselation
0 comment Sunday, April 6, 2014 | admin
source.0 comment Friday, March 21, 2014 | admin
The artist Iori Tomita is trained as a fisherman, Tomita studied at Kitasato University School of Fisheries Sciences.
The images that you see in this entry, are real fish that have been preserved using the artists own method.
Tomita removes the scales and skin, which have been preserved in formaldehyde and soaks the specimen in blue stain, ethyl alcohol and glacial acetic acid. Tomita then uses an enzyme trypsin to break down proteins and muscles, which is how the specimens become transparent. As soon as the fish become transparent, the artist then soaks the fish in potassium hydroxide and red die, to stain the fish further.
When the artist is happy with his specimen, he then preserves it in glycerin.
This process is detailed and formulaic, which is interesting. An artist would use a particular formula to create say, a sculpture, in their own style. For example, if you were making a sculpture out of wax, using a plaster cast, there are certain stages, times and formulas that you must bear in mind if you want your sculpture to be a success. Similarly, Iori Tomita's specimens follow a very scientific path, in which certain chemicals must be used in order and for exactly the right amount of time. The choice to remove the fish from the enzyme trypsin when the specimens have become transparent is a purely aesthetic decision.
I am passionate about creativity with materials, thanks to a "materiality" module in my degree in Fine Art.
This module was when I started to become more creative with the art materials I chose, using sugar, glucose and water to make sculptures from. The sugary mixture had to be warmed to exactly the right temperature before it could harden as it cooled. After that module, it was hard to go back to say, wax or plaster.
I think it is important for artists to find new processes that have not been used before, taking inspiration from their everyday lives, just as Iori Tomita has done.
The images that you see in this entry, are real fish that have been preserved using the artists own method.
Tomita removes the scales and skin, which have been preserved in formaldehyde and soaks the specimen in blue stain, ethyl alcohol and glacial acetic acid. Tomita then uses an enzyme trypsin to break down proteins and muscles, which is how the specimens become transparent. As soon as the fish become transparent, the artist then soaks the fish in potassium hydroxide and red die, to stain the fish further.
When the artist is happy with his specimen, he then preserves it in glycerin.
This process is detailed and formulaic, which is interesting. An artist would use a particular formula to create say, a sculpture, in their own style. For example, if you were making a sculpture out of wax, using a plaster cast, there are certain stages, times and formulas that you must bear in mind if you want your sculpture to be a success. Similarly, Iori Tomita's specimens follow a very scientific path, in which certain chemicals must be used in order and for exactly the right amount of time. The choice to remove the fish from the enzyme trypsin when the specimens have become transparent is a purely aesthetic decision.
I am passionate about creativity with materials, thanks to a "materiality" module in my degree in Fine Art.
This module was when I started to become more creative with the art materials I chose, using sugar, glucose and water to make sculptures from. The sugary mixture had to be warmed to exactly the right temperature before it could harden as it cooled. After that module, it was hard to go back to say, wax or plaster.
I think it is important for artists to find new processes that have not been used before, taking inspiration from their everyday lives, just as Iori Tomita has done.
Labels: Fish, Formula, Iori Tomita, Materiality, Materials, Preservation, Science, Specimens, Transparent