BlackCherry Blogs

Lately I’ve been reading an interesting book, ‘Proust was a Neuroscientist’, by Jonah Lehrer. In the book Lehrer makes the case for artists discovering or outlining scientific concepts well in advance of scientific confirmation of these ideas. It’s a great read and the connections the author points out are really compelling insights. As I think about the premise of the book I realise there are many examples of similar cross-pollinations related to the field of new media. I thought I’d list some examples I’ve found interesting. What I find interesting about all these example is they are people re-thinking creative processes that many would consider fully evolved.

The first example is one of art looking backwards at the science/art of imaging to define a new process. Rufus Butler Seder developed a large scale motion picture installation that uses no electricity, moving parts or special lighting. He calls his invention Lifetiles.



This link details Rufus' creative process.

These zoetrope-like murals are an amazing example of art and science coming together to create a unique experience using what most would consider ‘old tech’.

Here is an example of an artist creating an interesting viewer experience that draws from the field of 3D imaging. This is perhaps an example of science influencing art or maybe a contemporary art form informing a traditional form.

Julian Beever is a truly amazing artist with a unique vision. You can see many more examples of his work here.

This next one is now of course a classic, Timeslice photography. This process was originally made popular in a Gap ad and exploited for huge commercial purposes in the Matrix films. Probably my favorite examples were in a British doc called 'The Human Body'. Interestingly the technique was conceived by Tim Macmillan while he was still in art school. This could be described as an example of art influencing science influencing art.

What's interesting to me about these examples is they demonstrate the blurring of the lines between science, art and business.  They also demonstrate that innovation occurs both forward, backwards and laterally.