1/2/2014: WLASze: Weekend Links on Arts, Sciences and zero economics

This is WLASze: Weekend Links on Arts, Sciences and zero economics. Enjoy!

Richard Mosse is on show at RHA in Dublin - an even that is an absolute 'must-see': http://www.rhagallery.ie/exhibitions/theenclave/ I covered Mosse's work earlier in relation to his fantastic show at Biennale earlier in 2013 (http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2013/07/2772013-wlasze-part-1-weekend-links-on.html) and had a distinct pleasure attending the RHA exhibition launch. RHA presentation of his photographs and a separate film-based installation are superb and do proper justice to the tremendously important artist. The exhibition also contains one large photograph that was not on show in Venice.

@RHAgallery

And while at RHA, do not (not that there is any fear you would) miss their superb mini-retrospective of Micheal Farrell - an exhibition spanning the career of one of Ireland’s most accomplished artists, showing both his search across styles and narratives over the years and the emergence of his unique, personal voice. For myself, not all too knowledgeable about Irish artists of the period, this was an eyeopening exhibition.

Now onto more international scene...

My penchant for Science Meets Art themes is being well-catered for by Adam Summers photography that combines use of dyes and fish to reveal the natural beauty of skeletal structure: symmetry, complexity and patterns:
http://www.designboom.com/art/adam-summers-dyes-fish-specimens-to-reveal-their-anatomy-12-19-2013/

When nature meets the power of contrast and the two meet the human eye, values, semiotics, interplays of colour and light and geometry of proximate symmetry - all come into play.

On the opposite side of the same clustering of art and science, the contrast is amplified through superficial tech:
SOICHIRO MIHARA won 17th Japan Media Arts Festival award, here is his collaborative project from 2011, Moids 2.1.3 - acoustic emergence structure: http://www.samtidskunst.dk/simpleinteractions/projects/soichiro-mihara-hiroko-mugibayashi-kazuki-saita/

The installation combines 1024 autonomously functioning units that record the sounds of their proximate surrounding, and combine a micro-cprocessor that analyzes the recorded sound. The sound is recorded based on the programmed limits which trigger both the start and end of the recording for a specific unit, plus the triggering algorithm for chain reactions.

Big controversy in NY: after pretty lengthy period of speculations and debates, MoMA announced recently that "after an "exhaustive" analysis of the different options (razing the former Museum of Folk Art on 53rd Street, saving the distinctive facade, or saving the building), the museum had reluctantly decided (feel free to roll your eyes here) to demolish the Tod Williams & Billie Tsien-designed structure to make way for a museum expansion and, not at all coincidentally, an 82-story residential tower developed by Gerald Hines and designed by Jean Nouvel."
http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/January-2014/Done-Deal-MoMA-To-Raze-Folk-Art-Museum/
Here are some images of the museum building:

Sadly, I must add… sadly. The Folk Moma is a brilliant design, architecturally challenging and powerful, breaking up the monotonously 'Manhattanite' space… All to be replaced by what amounts to a spiced-up version of corporatism…

To pure art: Kristian Rothstein an interesting developing artist worth following for abstract art fans: http://kristian-rothstein.com/Weis-1

Still raw and searching, and mostly borrowing from Gerhard Richter, Rothstein is one to watch as he draws on some nicely intuitive, organic sensitivity in his use of colour.


Talking about sensitivity, while swinging a massive u-turn from art to science, here is a story from physics: the far-reaching idea for a Death Star-styled laser that can focus particles into a massive space telescope:
http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/01/giant-laser-could-arrange-particles-into-enormous-space-telescope/
Description via arstechnica is brilliant: "let me present the trifecta of awesomeness: a seemingly ridiculous idea, one that works in a bizarre manner that has little to do with the justification given by the scientists, and—to really make matters special—it involves lasers in space." The rest of this article is mind-boggling and can pass as a good teaser for one of those "Mind-Training" programmes that simultaneously burns vast amounts of calories and flexes your brain… rend and enjoy…


Last week I tweeted about the shortlisting of the Dublin-based Heneghan Peng practice for designing Contemporary Arts Center in Moscow. Here's the link:
http://www.architecturefoundation.ie/news-item/heneghan-peng-on-moscow-museum-shortlist/
Pardon the comparative, but it evokes the imagery of the "Deep Thought" from the Hitchhikers Guide… despite the fact that the "Deep Thought" really was figurative, non-abstract non-geometric structure more resemblant of Henry Moore's sculptures… Or may be it mreminds me of a stack of old-fashioned disk drives for extinct computers… or an old stereo equipment 'tower'? ok, ok, I am stretching things here… But, of course, Moscow is no stranger to geometric juxtaposing in its own architectural heritage… and I like it... I can't quite decide why...


The "Deep Thought" was of course a computer that was created to come up with the Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. And everything is a big theme for physics nowadays. Good thing that recently they got a glimpse of a piece of this 'everything'. Per BusinessInsider: "For the first time, astronomers were able to see a string of hot gas known as a filament that is thought to be part of the mysterious underlying structure that dictates the layout of all the stars and galaxies in our universe. Scientists believe that matter in the universe is arranged into a gigantic web-like structure. This is called the cosmic web." Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/first-image-of-cosmic-web-2014-1#ixzz2s5048t46

The whole thing relates to the eXtreme Deep Field view of the Universe, which is covered in all its glory here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/xdf.html

Do note that none of this disputes that the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is, as found by the Depp Thought, 42. Nor does it provide any insight into Deep Thought's last conjecture that "…the problem, to be quite honest with you is that you've never actually known what the question was". But it is fascinating, nonetheless. 

19/10/2013: WLASze Part 1: Weekend Links on Arts, Sciences and zero economics

This is the first post of my WLASze: Weekend Links on Arts, Sciences, and zero economics for this week.

Enjoy.


Today is the birthday of one of my favourite Italian futurists: Umberto Boccioni, born this day in 1882. Here's his brilliant painting from the States of Mind series: The Farewells, 1911

Boccioni's page on ArtStack: http://theartstack.com/artists/umberto-boccioni


Great slideshow giving an insight into the world of trespassers' photography:
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/10/adventures-of-a-serial-trespasser/100604/

This is not quite art, but there is some sense of raw force driving us, as people, to pushing the limits of 'normality'. And that force is well-represented in these photographs… almost voyeuristic, half creative and half inquisitive - the borderline of learning self and expressing self...


Via http://www.saatchionline.com/koenlybaert works of a Belgian painter Koen Lybaert:

Evocative of (if not outright 'borrowing from) Gerhard Richter's works.
http://www.gerhard-richter.com/art/
http://theartstack.com/artists/gerhard-richter


An interesting report about the research into behavioural, emotional and mental activity of dogs, suggesting that the caudate region activity in dogs' brains is proximate to human and indicates that dogs: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/opinion/sunday/dogs-are-people-too.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Some select quotes: "Although we are just beginning to answer basic questions about the canine brain, we cannot ignore the striking similarity between dogs and humans in both the structure and function of a key brain region: the caudate nucleus."

"Do these findings prove that dogs love us? Not quite. But many of the same things that activate the human caudate, which are associated with positive emotions, also activate the dog caudate. Neuroscientists call this a functional homology, and it may be an indication of canine emotions. The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. And this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs."

Not only an amazing set of studies, but also a promise of serious ethical and even legal implications, were the findings to continue expanding our insight into the emotional, cognitive and psychological existence of our extended family members…


A brief note: http://classic.slashdot.org/story/13/10/07/2352217 with huge implications. This marks the first time that a fusion reactor was able to generate more energy than it consumed. Full report here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24429621


An absolutely stunning breakthrough in mapping out the future of mathematical theory:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/10/01/voevodskys-mathematical-revolution/
The implications of this thinking are so far reaching out only to the issue of how we write proofs (the topic of the article), but far beyond that, the removal of the heavy burden of proof formulation and verification will enable mathematics to move onto the core purpose of the field of any inquiry - derivation of questions and formulation of propositions. Here's a direct link to Voyevodsky's work on Univaliant Foundations: http://www.math.ias.edu/~vladimir/Site3/Univalent_Foundations.html and his lecture introducing the topic: http://video.ias.edu/univalent
Marvellously put…

For those of you who took my course in Investment Theory this week at Trinity College, I referenced this work in the last lecture, talking about the advancements in computing and data analytics / strategy formation nexus.


And from the future of mathematics to the past of the power that drives all inquiry: humanity. The origins of our beginnings must be rethought now... thanks to the latest fossil discovery...
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/17/skull-homo-erectus-human-evolution?CMP=twt_gu


Enjoy and stay tuned for more WLASze...

15/6/2013: Weekend reading links: Part 2

The second part of my Weekend Reading links on Art and Science and No-Economics (see the first part here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2013/06/1462013-weekend-reading-links-part-1.html)

Let's start with this:

http://vida.fundaciontelefonica.com/project/may-the-horse-live-in-me/
It's not a horse meets artist or vice versa, but an artist 'becomes' a horse. Literally, physiologically. Amazing stuff, although MrsG thought it is taking performance art a bit too far.


Next up - amazing show of new work by one of my favourite artists of all times: Gerhard Richter
http://www.mariangoodman.com/exhibitions/2012-09-12_gerhard-richter/%20and%20related
Couple of images:

The migration of Richter's work toward more linear, form-focused, less figurative work over recent years has been in tune with what is happening around the world of abstract art today. I love it, but the 'old' Richter (second image above from 2005: http://www.mariangoodman.com/exhibitions/2009-11-07_gerhard-richter/) is much more dynamic and still more appealing to my aged self. From that vantage point, an even more brilliant show of works by the artist is here: http://www.ludorff.com/en/exhibition/gerhard_richter_abstrakte_bilder/works . Art Basel 2013 has more vintage Richters too.


http://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/ has some very interesting artists I knew far less about. Great example is Julie Mehretu: http://www.mariangoodman.com/exhibitions/2013-05-11_julie-mehretu/#/images/7/

Reminds me of one of my old favourites: a merger of abstraction by Cy Thombly (http://www.cytwombly.info/) and mathematical / architectural precision of Alberto Giacometti: http://www.fondation-giacometti.fr/en/art/16/discover-giacometti/ scroll down to Encounters, Portraits and Fifty Years of Prints sections for the likes of

Wyeth cross over too… for some reason… maybe geometry or Giacometti-esque reference to line?

Lastly for the arts: cool images from the Arctic spying outpost: http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2013/06/charles-stankievech-northernmost-settlement/

On science: a quick link to the Science Gallery - brilliant place, brilliant coffee, brilliant crowd: http://sciencegallery.com/

On a personal note: I came across this wonderful set of radio spots recorded for Mount Juliet. Followers of mine would know I was recently privileged to cast a fly (more like nymphs and wet flies) at the estate and can attest to the superb quality of water there. The spots are lovely and worth listening to: http://www.mountjuliet.ie/radio-adverts/

My favourite is The Ghillie one. I did not use ghillie's services on my day on the Nore, preferring the 'risk' of reading the river on my own, but I had wonderful help and conversation with the staff member who helped me with the waders and dry room and fishing room. Superb. And superb doesn't even begin to describe the late-very-late breakfast I got on my return from 5am-noon fishing.

Loved it. And here's one of my friends from the Nore who is still happily swimming in his pool…

Update: I rarely update the Weekend Reading Links posts after they are out, but here are more interesting links, this time on science.


A convoluted title of this paper: "Action video game playing is associated with improved visual sensitivity, but not alterations in visual sensory memory" should not be a deterrent from reading its very interesting findings. Basically, games players (for electronic games that is) tend to be able to see more in the faster-paced and more complex scenes than non-gamers. However, what they see they don't remember all too well after the fact. I am not even sure they comprehend what they see any deeper either, but that a different topic all together. http://link.springer.com/article/10.3758%2Fs13414-013-0472-7


Further evidence that Anglo Irish Bank was lending well beyond the constraints of our planet was found by Nasa: http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/06/nasa-finds-unprecedented-black-hole-cluster-near-andromedas-central-bulge/ In brief, the Andromeda's core is about as concentrated with black holes as Dublin docklands: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/nama-behind-70pc-of-the-vacant-docklands-sites-29346104.html