Tiago Photography

Currently, the artist duo Semiconductor have an exhibition at FACT Liverpool.
Semiconductor's latest artwork is a collection of videos called Worlds In The Making which explores geological patterns such as crystallization and volcanic activity.
The piece "Worlds In The Making" is the result of many years of work, collaborating with scientists from all over the world.
Kindly, Semiconductor have provided a preview of their exhibition on Vimeo:
Worlds in the Making - preview from Semiconductor on Vimeo.
Personally, I find Crystallised (2011) intriguing. Crystallised is a series of animations created by recording the sound of ice crystals, working out the algorithms of their formations and generating a digital animation based on the information. This was an extremely long process, as the software alone took six months to write!
This piece of work is incredibly interesting, because their research is re-contextualising science based art. The artists are not simply illustrating the work of scientists, nor are they trying to achieve a scientific discovery through arts based practise.
Gerhardt says of his work:
"Everyone is very familiar now with the very standard format of creating a narrative and a way of documenting science, and hopefully we're challenging this." source.

Labels: Algorithms, Art, Crystal, Crystallised, Crystallization, Fact Liverpool, Joe Gerhardt, Liverpool, Ruth Jarman, Science, Semiconductor, The Guardian, Volcanic, Volcano, Worlds In The Making

During my research on soap bubbles in art, I found this painting by Sir John Everett Millais on loan at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool.
The painting can sometimes be misread as a celebration for childish naivety, but in fact, the depiction of soap bubbles is steeped in art history.
For example, in the 17th century Dutch artists painted children blowing bubbles to convey the brevity of human life, the transience of beauty and the inevitability of death. Gerard Dou - Still Life with a Boy Blowing Soap-bubbles
This painting by Gerard Dou for example, is painted in the symbolic "Vanitas" style. Vanitas are still life paintings that are famous for using objects associated with "Momento Mori", the latin phrase which means "Remember you must die".
"Although 'Bubbles' may appear sentimental to modern taste, it has a serious meaning. Millais was using a symbol with a long tradition behind it. 'Bubbles' are fragile and have a brief moment of beauty before they burst." source

Interestingly, Pears soap printed images of the paintings as an advertisement, against the will of the painter. Critics claimed that this had a degrading effect on the painting but I think the original message of the painting is still clear. Bubbles are still used in art today to evoke transience and beauty.

Labels: Bubbles, Gerard Dou, History Of Art, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool, Pears Soap, Soap, Soap Bubble, Still Life With A Boy Blowing Soap-Bubbles, Unilever