In regard to this discussion I immediately think of Todd Siler's compelling work which I first became acquainted with when we were both affiliated with the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT. Notable is his series and text "Cerebreactors." The following is from his book "Breaking the mind barrier" (available at http://books.google.com)
"Cerebreators are artworks of neurocosmology that interpret the connection between the brain and its creations. They are metaphorical models of imaginary particle accelerators, nuclear fusion and fission reactors designed after the human nervous system."
Siler has pursued an integration of art and science which he refers to as "artscience" defined "as a process by which art integrates science and science integrates art in their adventurous acts of creative seeing, discovering, critical thinking, inventing and innovating." (see http://www.toddsilerart.com/bio.html).
Metaphorical models such as "Cerebreactors" can serve to inspire our vision of the possibilities of this discourse.
Gregory P. Garvey, Professor
Department of Computer Science and Interactive Digital Design
CAS 1-316 Mail Drop: CL-AC1
Quinnipiac University
275 Mount Carmel Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
email: greg.garvey@quinnipiac.edu
tel: 203-582-8389
"the thing that has not been is the thing that shall be"
from Daedalus, or Science and the Future - J.B.S. Haldane
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Robert F. Kennedy
Capetown, June 6th 1966
________________________________________
From: yasmin_discussions-bounces@estia.media.uoa.gr [yasmin_discussions-bounces@estia.media.uoa.gr] On Behalf Of Guillermo Muñoz [m.m.guillermo@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 1:19 PM
To: YASMIN DISCUSSIONS
Subject: Re: [Yasmin_discussions] Art and Atoms: Fusion and Fission
Dear Yasminers,
This month we are going to deal with a topic of vast power: Fusion and
Fision energy systems and the ways that could interact with art. This vast
power provides the capacity to kill huge quantity of people in only severals
seconds, as happened in Hiroshima and Nagashaky. At the same time offers the
possibility to obtain high flux of energy to our houses in the civil use of
nuclear energy, but, probably this energy is not as free and clean as we
would like at the moment. Nuclear energy goes by hand with the history in a
period where EEUU and URSS had theirs fingers only few milimeters up to
press the buton to create another terible war.
All of these data, feelings and fears where in our minds decades throught
another decades, as an incoscience images creating appocaliptical visions,
used in many films. So, this senses acts in our political life. Pacifim,
ecologism, have a direct idea and possition about nuclear energy, and
nowadays their voice is listened in more imperative way, as a climate change
appears in the political and economical scene.
But history allways returns, and Nuclear energy is having new attention,
their uses as military pourposes are evident, as only one week before North
Corea put it in all news with its new bomb. Its civil uses claims at the
same time, as fusion energy is under research to change the "dirty"
adjective to this energy to "clean" one. Fusion energy is considered
probably as the more powerfull possible energy and it would be more clean
tha fision. It is not extrange to think about it if we consider that this
kind of energy is "used by" nature in the starts.
Nanotechnology has the oportunity to create and develope new technology with
the knowledge and "vote" of all society, and probably we are in these
situation actually because we learned from the risks of old technologies.
Nuclear energy reapears today, so, we have the chance at the same time to
reactualizate these energy. It is hard task as probably Nuclear energy has
the worse and terrible adjectives incorporated by itself, but, It could be
possible?.
I would like to end these introduction with few comments:
Only few days ago die Herbert F. York. Physicst who worked at the Manhatan
Project and afterwards worked as a EEUU political advisory on nuclear power.
One generation of scientists where completly sensibilizated with the nuclear
culture, but nowadays nuclear energy return and novel and young scientists
are little bit far away from all of these historic happenings. What is the
feeling of new generations concerning nuclear energy?.
At the same time, today i read in the newspapper an intervew to Jüergen
Flim, Theater Director who was born during II world war. He said: "Art must
provocate reactions on people". So, what kind of reactions would like to
provocate art concerning nuclear energy topics.
Finally. As a methapore it is interesting to know that some clean energies
like photovoltaique and photothermal energy are completly dependent to
nuclear energy, as phtons from the sun are created in a huge nuclear
station. But distance and the earth atmosphere gives the possibility to
eliminate undesired effects. We are dealing all days with nuclear energy, we
need nuclear energy, and at the same time we need to preserve our enviorment
to follow with this procedure.
Guillermo Muñoz.
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