Something From Nothing

Brian Knep and Andrew Witt

A Catalyst To Go program at MACOM

October 22, 2018, 12-1pm

How are artists and scientists similar in the ways they approach problems? How do they find ways of connecting to the world? How do they differ? Media artist Brian Knep and architect Andrew Witt explored these questions apropos of their own projects, and how they used their respective knowledge and interest in both art, science and techno.

Both artists and scientists push boundaries of how to see the world, they pursue new ways to view objects and the possibilities presented by doing so. For artists and scientists from all fields, the process of creating something from nothing, in making something visible which was not, and in being able to deal with failure are aspects they share. They also both demonstrate the importance of thinking creatively. The one big difference is that both science and art need metaphor to find something new, but at some point, science needs to go beyond metaphor. This promises to be a terrific investigation of visualizing what is not yet visible by way of a fascinating conversation. 

Image: Brian Knep, Healing pool, Interactive video simulation, 2008.