Event blog 1: LASER Lecture 4/5/18


If we regard art as a way to communicate the range of human creativity to others, then the LASER event can be described as a showcase of unique forms of artistic communication. From presentations of the hypnotic ambient sounds that hum under the bustle of everyday life, to showcases of how the deaf experience life and art without sound, a theme of communication and miscommunication underpinned the entire event. 

Haytham Nawar's presentation of Collective Bread Diaries was especially fascinating, as it not only illustrated how machines can learn from human expression and create art of its own, but also the use of bread as an act of protest. Bread in Arabic can also be interpreted as "livelihood" or "to live", and to use this simple act of metaphor as a cry of protest is an especially poignant way to communicate ideas of peace and liberty. 

In keeping with the trend of atypical forms of communication, Bill Fontana's "Acoustical Visions" presentation revealed the subtle hums that run through our civilization. Taking accelerometers to famous landmarks and even geothermal power sources, Bill was able to convert their inherent resonance into sound waves, revealing hypnotic tones. 
This juxtaposition of using scientific methods to create new forms of art reminded me of C.P. Snow's treatise that science and literature are two opposing cultures, and that eventually a third culture would emerge merging the two. I see the work of Fontana and Haytham in particular as an example of what that third culture would look like: using scientific methods to create new and unprecedented works of art. I'm excited to see what the future of the third culture holds in store!
Sources: 

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web.

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture" ScienceVol. 279 no. 5353 pp. 992-993. Web.

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