SciArt Magazine - All Issues | Page 38

June Paik, with whom I became friends. Obviously, aware of all these things, I knew a societal shift was coming and I wanted to be a part of it. SAiA: In an interview with ASCI, you talk about “…not getting into the technical aspects of quantum physics because that causes the eyes of the art audience to glaze over” in reference to your project about the Large Hadron Collider. In making your work, do you attempt to strike a balance between the science and aesthetics in each piece? And to extend this idea, how much of “the science” do you hope your audience walks away with after viewing your work? SM: For me, this question is the core issue in the discussion about art and science. Matisse said that audience completes the work and finding an audience is a huge part of the dialogue about science in art. Will the general art viewer, critic, and collector get on board? Science and mathematics are very specialized languages, which a select few understand. When work gets too technical or science based, then the art audience is alienated. In my protein series, at the National Academy of Science, the science of Rod MacKinnon’s research is incredible but hard for most people to grasp. While I was in the fortunate position to ask Rod endless questions and read papers about