An Analogy of Art and Science（美中報道）
Introduction
Science is designed to be objective and guided by data;art is subjective and deeply influenced by feelings and opinions.As an artist,I find myself sometimes caught between a whimsical art world and a pragmatic scientific world and have difficulty committing to a single decision.This essay is an organic illustration of how I found my art philosophy mimics a scientific phenomenon during my recent art practice.The following narratives are probably not exclusive to my personal motivation,but rather a recognition of the common experiences that all people share.
People are Sometimes Ferromagnetic
We already know the law of attraction,when something has high energy,it’s easy for them to attract others with their high frequency.Ferromagnets are probably what we think of most because they have a high continuous energy.When we move two ferromagnets together,they stick together with surprising force if north to south poles are aligned,and when we flip one around,the same poles are aligned,so they repel each other with the same magnitude of force.The alignment and repulsion of two ferromagnets’south and north poles are also like people’s energy and chemistry.
Just like the common ferromagnet,sometimes two people share similar views,beliefs,or simply have positive“chemistry”.One person’s“north pole”and the other person’s“south pole”cause them to collide or stick together.On the other hand,sometimes two people may not get along,have different personalities,political,or social views or belief systems.There common poles repel each other,and they can’t come together or see each other“eye to eye”.
Diamagnetic Suspension in Layman’s terms
Years ago,I got an interesting scientific topic to research.This scientific phenomenon is called Diamagnetic Suspension.It can be demonstrated in one example using three components,one ferromagnet is held fixed below,a second ferromagnet is held loosely above,and a diamagnet is placed in between which diffuses and directs the energy of the fixed ferromagnet to surround the upper ferromagnet with magnetic forces so that when combined with gravity from above the upper ferromagnetic is held captive in midair suspension.Two ferromagnets are oriented with the same poles together.The magnetic force lines are shown as arrows.If the bottom ferromagnet is held fixed and the top ferromagnet is brought closer but loosely held,it will automatically shift away with considerable force depending on the size of the ferromagnets.
Diamagnets are very different from ferromagnets in that they can absorb,reduce,and redirect the high energy of ferromagnets.Essentially all materials are diamagnetic to some degree.When a diamagnetic material like a copper plate is placed between two ferromagnetic materials that are above and below the diamagnetic material can alter the large magnetic forces that surround the upper ferromagnetic and with the help of gravity,the upper ferromagnet held captive or locked in midair suspension.
One day I was mesmerized in watching a video of“Diamagnetic Suspension”,I saw an unrevealed“me”amplified in the movement of the spinning magnets.I was shocked to realize this phenomenon is a perfect illustration for my desired energy to suspend my viewers in front of my artwork.This scientific occurrence involves a high energy ferromagnet that influences another nearby ferromagnet utilizing an intermediate energy-diffusing material called a diamagnet.Feeling an overwhelming energy being in control of this magnetic field,I had an epiphany to the question of“Who am I?”.Jumping between my work and past experiences,I experienced a suspension at the critical moment of my presence and transcendence.Consequently,discovered the parallel of my creative energy,it is just analogous to the high energy ferromagnet.My work serves as the diamagnet medium and the controlled ferromagnet are the viewers who are held floating in front of my work.
The analogy:My artwork is a Diamagnetic Medium
Stylistically,my paintings range from completely flat to deep pictorial space,blending abstraction and figuration,and going back and forth between the two.The emotional spectrum that I explore is perhaps the most crucial aspect of my work. When I have a real object in mind,I tend to distort or exaggerate it,using color and form to fashion it into something that communicates my feelings.
My concept of elevating women as a competitive gender shows the redirecting performance of diamagnetic material in that I attempt to change the normal perception that people think about women’s roles in society.This idea parallels the theory of diamagnetic suspension to redirect people’s ideology to a new vision of female empowerment.Just like Diamagnetic Suspension,my paintings employ abstract and surreal expression that helps maintain a psychological distance between the audience and my artwork.This is different from sensitive female forms of art that might cause collision of some men’s carnal lust or the repulsion of some woman’s sensibilities.I use this sense of“distance”as a suggestion for respecting women.This philosophy has overlapping meanings,viewing my work from a spiritual distance is a way to show admiration and thus find the existence of unbridled female power.
As a diamagnet has the performance of reducing the high energy of ferromagnets,the distorted forms and artificial light in my work can similarly reduce the viewers’energy. This is accomplished by arousing feelings and triggering mental images that look familiar but strange at the same time.
Inmypaintings,the technique I use is abstraction that strongly evokes sensuality without suggesting the contours of classical anatomy.I was exploring the grand exaggeration of mother nature,trying to depict a wildness of feminine energy within a harsh,and competitive animal kingdom.In the animal world,a male bird displays his plumage to impress best female bird that can potentially become the female bird’s mating partner.Creatures attract each other through exaggeration.I use an exaggerated abstraction to absorb people’s energy,to create colored reliefs charged with sensual energy to hold people in.
In my analogy,sexual attraction is an extreme case where two people collide with each other like powerful ferromagnets.Disgust or disrespect is an extreme result where two people dismiss or avoid each other like two powerful repelling magnets.In modern times explicit sexualized images of women have become common.While offensive to many women,many men are attracted to these images as evidenced in the widespread consumption of on-line pornography.My paintings are just explanations of how I create abstract forms to avoid this distraction while at the same time highlighting the sensuality that capture my viewers’attention as they can contemplate and absorb my message unencumbered.
An analogy can be drawn between this scientific phenomenon and my art with striking parallels:Using diamagnetic suspension,I can slightly turn and twist the lower ferromagnet with my hand and gently turn or flip the upper suspended ferromagnet into a desired position.Similarly,I use exaggeration and ambiguity in my art to gently turn my viewers toward me,to face me,and discover the overwhelming creative power of women.Existing somewhere between representation and abstraction,my artwork lives in suspension of these two methods of expression. My artistic discovery in the scientific field revealed a therapeutic truth to myself:strength lies in accommodating,but not repelling.Considerable creativity is needed to make scientific breakthroughs and art is just as often an expression or the product of scientific knowledge.
