Magnetic Movie

In Ruth Harman and Joe Gerhardt's 2007 movie "Magnetic Movie," they partner with UC Berkeley's NASA's Space Sciences Laboratories to explore the invisible world of magnetic forces. Using bright colors and scientific research, Harman and Gerhardt create a world unseen by any human eye. Because magnetic fields are hard to physically see, there are discussions about whether or not thats truly what they look like, but the artists bring to life this mysterious world. Using sound effects from actual documented science experiments, the artists act like scientists as they discover a whole new world.

This article and movie was fascinating because one never realizes how the magnetic field of the earth is all around them. Different shapes of particles and the force of the field create images, as depicted by the artists, that no one has ever seen. Like I have always believed, science and art and closely related and in this you can see the marriage perfectly. Maybe we can use art to discover even more about science that we didn't know.

Relationship Amplifer

In the shape of a lion, Max Lawrence uses something called the Darlington Pair which he also refers to as the "Relationship Amplifier." The Darlington Pair, according to the exhibition information for the piece is "a set of two transistors that amplify weak signals into stronger and sharper signals for both audio and microprocessing" in electrical science. Max uses this in his art to represent the way that two people can come together, as in a relationship and create that separate element that wouldn't have existed if not for the joining of the couple.

This piece is both fascinating and confusing for me. I totally understand his concept but why a lion? Lions usually stand for pride and strength, which can be the result of the union Max is talking about, but I still find it a bit confusing. I would understand that he didn't want anything too corny, but I never would imagine a lion as a symbol for a relationship. I do find his mix of art and science to be fun. As a fan of both, the way that Max uses them together compliment each other, and in a way reinforce his idea of combining two to make three.

Thanksgiving Dinner in 5 Seconds

According to Rhizome.org, Marisa Jahn and Steve Shada's "Thanksgiving Dinner in 5 Seconds" is directly reflective of the American people's fascination with instantaneous gratification. Using "rocket triggered lightning," the entire sculpture plays on the Native American totem pole as the symbol for the first dinner between them and the European Settlers. Everything that makes up this sculpture is American. From the Native American totem pole, to the turkey signifying the American frontier and lightning representing the discovery made by Ben Franklin, a prominent American in colonial days. Bringing the whole rocket science aspect brings this piece to the twenty-first century, even though it is heavily reminiscent of America's past.

I found this piece interesting because it is true that over the years, people are always looking for a quicker way to get something done and have grown impatient. The fact that the artists have connected the past with the future in this piece really says a lot about our country. We have come a long way, and have a long way to go. This piece does a good job connecting the two and gives the audience some thought on what might come next. This is also really fitting because Thanksgiving dinner takes for ever, and everyone dreads the long day of cooking. I'm sure people would be very thankful if they could use rocket power to get it done in a shorter amount of time.