The Nook, designed and conceptualized by Master of Architecture students Jonathan Monfries and Madisen Killingsworth. The Nook brings light and dynamism based on the movement of people at a safe distance.
Images L – R: Art by Mike Hooves; Panaudicon by SAPL alumni; Art by Jennifer Howse
Submitted
Feb. 19, 2021
Artists and scientists join forces to create dazzling window displays in downtown Calgary
Art of Science exhibition inspired by scientific research at UCalgary can now be enjoyed online
Science,contrary to popular belief, is not immune to the thrill of romance, the pull of magical thinking — in other words, to that of art. And nowhere was that more evident than atthe recent downtown winter celebration,— that endedFeb. 28.
Although the 18windowpanes — designed byartists and alumni from the Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts),whose works reflectresearchconductedby the ɫ’sFaculty of Science —have been removed from Stephen Avenue, they are being preserved in an online gallery.The goal of the partnership was to give both artists and scientists a collaborative platform —a visual, public labif you will—that is meant to “bring science to the streets,” explains Dr. Christine Sharp, PhD’14, one of the project’smastermindsand strategic partnership specialist withinthefaculty.
- Images above:From left: Bees, Biodiversity, Ecology,a painting by AUArts alumMike Hooves; an image from the Panaudicon exhibit designed by Arpun Dhillon, Faraz Shapourzadeh, Vikram Johal, Yasmin Tajik, Zachary Ward, and Zainab Saif Ahmad from the Master of Architecture program at SAPL; and Light, Astrophysics, Spectroscopy, Universe,a design by artist Sarah Osmani, a AUArts alum.
“The concept oftheArt of Science project has been in the back of my mind for a few years now, after seeing Stampede window paintings all throughout Calgary’s downtown every year,” says Sharp.
“The Art of Science captures that spirit and excitement and uses it to showcase the incredible research taking place right here in our city,and then shares it with the whole community.”
Besides the dazzling window art, two other installations fromalumni ofɫSchool of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL)— and— were also part ofthe university’scontribution to Chinook Blast.SAPL’s installations“explore ways to intertwine architecture with light to create a sense of beauty and wonder outdoors during the coldest month of the year,” saysthe school’smarketing strategist, Nicola Johnson.
Betweenphysical distancing due toCOVID-19andearly February’sgulag-type temperatures,theArt of Science has had its share of bumps while becoming a reality,mostly due to a toughdeadline,saysSharp, who remains in awe of the drive and motivation that it’s taken to mount this project.
But how,exactly,were the scientists matched with artists?
AUArts alumni Mike Hooves' work in progress, a translation of Mindi Summers' research on bees, biodiversity and ecology, in a painting at the Telus Convention Centre.
Mike Hooves
In the end,it came down to three little words — precisely what the scientistshad to provideindescribingtheir research. For Dr. Mindi Summers,PhD, those words were “bees, biodiversity and ecology.” It turns out that AUArts alumMike Hooves is passionate about insects,so a match wasinstantlymade.
“Mike particularly impressed mebytaking on the challenge of communicating the complexity ofnative-bee natural history,” says Summers.“Theycreated a winter and summer scenethataccurately portrayshow specific species survive the winter and which flowers they pollinate in summer.”
Meanwhile, Hoovessaystheyhad to deal with cans of frozen paint(theyhad loadedthecar with supplies the night before)“that looked like dyed cottage cheese.” This meant thatwhentheywent to paint the window, “the coverage was never smooth or consistent;that led to a lot of unintended colour mixes which caused me to scrape the paint off the affected areas and start again.”
In the end, Hooves surrendered to the process,“which, let’s just say,created some interesting textures that happened organically.”
As for how artists can visualize information in an accessible medium like painting a windowpane, they first need to understand scientific culture. Hooves laughs when explaining that “Mindi would use scientific names for the bees and flowers in such a casual manner that I think she may have forgotten that most folk do not know what a bombus or anything of that sort actually is.” (Bombus is the scientific name for bumblebee.)
Equally impressive was Summers’ skill with spreadsheets, adds Hooves. “Without Mindi’s assistance,I would have been lost in walls of text about bees,without a clue where to go.”
Marina Gavrilova, a computer science professor in the Faculty of Science, worked with artist Vivian Smith to create a work depicting her research keywords of "human body, social media and digital identity."
The words thatDr.MarinaGavrilova, PhD’99,a computer science professor,used to describe her biometric research were “human body, social media and digital identity.”
Once Gavrilova was matched with artist Vivian Smith, they toiled through the weekend, mashing up ideas until they agreed on an image that depicts a biometric data explosion. “The viewer is in the centre, surrounded by radiating rays of information,” says Gavrilova.
“Vivianwas very patient with my suggestions of the keywords to incorporate in the project.Asin everything I do, I included my family in it ... well, indirectly.There are five words that start with the letters corresponding to their names.”
WhatGavrilovahopes theaudience gleans fromherwindow,Data Bursts, is a new understanding about human identity. “In this new world, human physicalappearance, behaviour, social interactions, virtual avatars and even emotions are highly entwined between physical and digital worlds,” she says.
“This is whatVivian and Iwant to convey to the audience.”
Also represented on one of the windows is an offering from Jennifer Howse,BA’02,education specialist adviseratɫRothney Astrophysical Observatory. She still can’t believe how quickly artist Sarah Osmani was able to articulatetheirmain conceptsabout light pollution through a palette of bold colours that illustrate our “amazing stars, planets and galaxies.”
“We hope viewers will delight in thiscolourful display,but also have an opportunity to think about how we can live sustainablyin the world and how that will help us to find our place in the universe,”says Howse.
Sharpsays the hope for the Art of Science is to inspire“new thoughts, curiosity, new partnerships — the fields of art and science need not be oppositional but collaborative.Projects liketheArt of Science strive to bridge the divide between the two fields by showcasing science in a different light. I’d like to think these works can facilitate conversations about the world around us.”
Each one of the includeda QR code so Calgarians could learn more about the artists and the research behind each mural.
Although Chinook Blast has ended you can still take a virtual amble .
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