Art, Society and Physics symposium

Art, Society and Physics symposium

Colliding Ideas

Art, Society and Physics symposium
July 8 2012 RMIT University

“We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology,
in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology”
- Carl Sagan

Recent discoveries in physics have changed our lives forever. From iPhones and the internet to medical imaging and genetic engineering, modern technology has largely been developed through advances in particle physics, yet few people understand it. Melbourne is hosting the 36th International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP2012), which may be a pivotal moment in the future of the field of particle physics - the potential announcement of the discovery (or elimination) of the Standard Model Higgs boson, also known as the ‘God Particle’. Taking inspiration from ICHEP2012, the ‘Colliding Ideas’ symposium will address the social and creative parameters of such discoveries.

‘Colliding Ideas’ will explore the worlds of physics and ask what is going on inside, how it relates to our social world, and how it affects us physically an culturally. How do the perspectives of physicists differ and relate to those of artists and visual communicators who use physics-based technologies? A century after the birth of particle physics and ensuing arguments about its interpretability and visualization, the jury is still out. Yet with digital technologies linking the ideas and methods of art and science we may be getting closer to an understanding in ways that can be visually and sonically appreciated by the wider community. And through art / science collaborations, artists can critically engage with the concepts, methods, possibilites and implications of scientific research.

For further information please contact Chris Henschke
chris.henschke@rmit.edu.au