tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33924513041649030342024-02-19T05:21:23.659-08:00Geology in Artthe blog of www.geologyinart.comAndrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-67751673002406458782014-03-27T15:54:00.002-07:002014-03-31T09:46:18.029-07:00Geology, ceramics and art: aesthetics in 3D<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Of
all the arts, ceramics is the most fundamentally linked to the physical
make up of the planet that we inhabit and best
illustrates the link between science and art. It can be seen
as an artistic expression of the geology of earth."</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">— Mattew Blakely, <a href="http://www.matthewblakely.co.uk/mb/files/ideas.htm" target="_blank">'ceramic landscapes - the idea'</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The 'ceramic landscapes' of Mattew Blakely exemplify the link between ceramics and geology. In fact, each of Blakely's artworks illustrates a specific landscape of Britain, with particular reference to its geological features. This example suggests that ceramic is an emotional medium of expression for geological themes, allowing to render complex subjects such as the geology of a landscape.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">In addition, ceramic artworks can be thought as geological objects themselves. In the case of Blakely's ceramic landscapes, each piece is entirely created from rocks and minerals collected from individual locations. In more general terms, ceramic artworks are commonly realized with clay, which is the result of geological processes. With the words of <a href="http://www.matthewblakely.co.uk/mb/files/ideas.htm" target="_blank">Mattew Blakely</a>: "Pots
represent our relationship with and dependency on the planet, making
things for human use from the dug earth beneath our feet."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Hj2ZaRz9mlZubESiLkHqhVkh0gPU3MitUyh4JpFzoqltSHNhXjDrkknzK2Lq2JmYUE3eMLLY_XdrQV-DqGbhGKzsE0NhdO-n5TZwYKgo6NirE5whMND7a0MtaGF7DMib9K9-20IFATCe/s1600/lm%2520sphere%25202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Hj2ZaRz9mlZubESiLkHqhVkh0gPU3MitUyh4JpFzoqltSHNhXjDrkknzK2Lq2JmYUE3eMLLY_XdrQV-DqGbhGKzsE0NhdO-n5TZwYKgo6NirE5whMND7a0MtaGF7DMib9K9-20IFATCe/s1600/lm%2520sphere%25202.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mattew Blakely, <i>Precambrian Sphere</i>. This artwork is inspired by the geological landscapes of Leicestershire. Image from the <a href="http://www.matthewblakely.co.uk/index.htm" target="_blank">artist's website</a>. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Besides Mattew Blakely, several ceramic artists referred to geology in their artworks. Among others, Akiyama Yo titled <i>Geological Age V</i> one of his ceramic artworks; Len Castle's ceramic fossils have been exhibited as</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <i>Sea Secrets and Searching for Fossils in Gondwana</i>; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ettore Sottsass developed a set of layered ceramics ('geology bowls'); </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Naomi Teppich realizes ceramic fossils; </span></span>the creative process of Sally Rockriver is inspired by geochemical processes and crystallization. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzTMa7xmLMSPIqJvrN7FwmeBgb7BdI69IuELxC2UCCCeSmAKpFzxvr4gyyESTUiJfQEkdpPB3HMd4LrQu_c-CWQ3u_ZDmVReQEx-HHMS20lZkmQZ_wyz8iid4YVcZgArGdCGaAUAWMKwH/s1600/Akiyama+Yo+Geological+Age+V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzTMa7xmLMSPIqJvrN7FwmeBgb7BdI69IuELxC2UCCCeSmAKpFzxvr4gyyESTUiJfQEkdpPB3HMd4LrQu_c-CWQ3u_ZDmVReQEx-HHMS20lZkmQZ_wyz8iid4YVcZgArGdCGaAUAWMKwH/s1600/Akiyama+Yo+Geological+Age+V.jpg" height="181" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akiyama Yo, <i>Geological Age V</i>. From the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/users/node/7042" target="_blank">website </a>of the Victoria and Albert Museum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramic fossils by Len Castle (from <i><a href="http://www.ceac.org.nz/exhibitions/past_exhibitions/exhibitions_2005.aspx" target="_blank">Sea Secrets and Searching for Fossils in Gondwana</a></i>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELFp3t3tWGTlWlFJ55ffZ5mwP09GFLCelhzk6nUqraNdl1AteRCVu1EYoRr29ZClizmWZooUtKF4x8LgOyhJIfRgsC7Uc9IYm39W8B5tvyfIDcn7lUpTKC_ORVA9keAjTPmm3PoU21H9Y/s1600/sottsass+geology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELFp3t3tWGTlWlFJ55ffZ5mwP09GFLCelhzk6nUqraNdl1AteRCVu1EYoRr29ZClizmWZooUtKF4x8LgOyhJIfRgsC7Uc9IYm39W8B5tvyfIDcn7lUpTKC_ORVA9keAjTPmm3PoU21H9Y/s1600/sottsass+geology.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ettore Sottsass, <i>Geology 4 Bowl.</i> Image from <a href="http://www.wright20.com/auctions/2013/12/Q9DL/Q9DM/253" target="_blank">Wright's website</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Naomi Teppich, <i>Standing Scaphite</i></span></span><i>.<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">From the <a href="http://www.naomiteppich.com/" target="_blank">artist's webpage</a>.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4HxIrGlp6NJ_IL1POdDpDGMIFfJ8nmvKIRKobXR9L0OKbmpow7EAN02c7lDlOldOwlShtq3HRqWu-5rwyGTHuFMyZJHiBs1Tn8jRo5gUZpI_y4c8SrkTGsoiaGWHGr_z5jvVZb10mi_d/s1600/Arctic+Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4HxIrGlp6NJ_IL1POdDpDGMIFfJ8nmvKIRKobXR9L0OKbmpow7EAN02c7lDlOldOwlShtq3HRqWu-5rwyGTHuFMyZJHiBs1Tn8jRo5gUZpI_y4c8SrkTGsoiaGWHGr_z5jvVZb10mi_d/s1600/Arctic+Spring.jpg" height="193" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sally Rockriver, <i>Arctic Spring</i>. Image from the <a href="http://www.thermallab.com/biography.html" target="_blank">artist's website</a>.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite these recent examples, the relationship between geology and ceramics dates back at </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">least to the sixth century B.C. In fact, the Corinthian vase painting known as the "Monster of Troy" establishes a link among ceramics and the early days of paleontology. This artwork, pictured on the cover of "the First Fossil Hunters" (Mayor, 2001), depicts Hesione and Heracles fighting against the legendary monster that appeared nearby Troy. <br />In light of the title of the book, a question might arise:"What is the relationship between the Corinthian vase and fossils?"</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The 'Monster of Troy' on the cover of 'The First Fossil Hunters'. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">According to Mayor (2001), the “Monster of Troy” was inspired by a fossil skull protruding from an outcrop, as confirmed by its morphology and the rich fossil fauna of the Mediterranean coast (see<a href="http://www.geologyinart.blogspot.it/2011/11/dinosaurs-invade-visconti-castle.html" target="_blank"> this previous post</a> for more details). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In more recent times, fossils inspired <a href="http://www.spencerceramics.com/" target="_blank">Alan Spencer</a> for realizing <i>Strata in Clay</i>, a series of stoneware vessels representing fossil forms through deep time. With the words of the artist: "</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The stoneware vessels, <i>Strata in Clay</i>, were created as a series to
represent examples of the fossil time line that have been preserved in
rock strata during the past 500 million years".</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I interviewed Alan Spencer, the deep time explorer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Alan, who are you and what you do?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1955. I teach ceramics and sculpture as a visual art teacher in the Worthington city schools in central Ohio. When I am not working with students in the high school, I find time to work on my ceramic artwork. Through my recent series of artwork, <i>Strata in Clay</i>, I get to combine the two passions I have in my life, ceramics and geology. Since I was young, I have had an interest in working with clay on the potter’s wheel, and I have been fascinated with fossils. <br /><br /><b>What career path did you take to get to where you are now?</b><br />After graduating from the College of Wooster in 1978 with a major in geology and a minor in <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8UqSiOX5b3lp1TWBVN4RHuje5WEJBjV3KLI_rZJgvdrTvtqlL-ePD1RlfsDcvju5qUtbt0Gxmi1bPGYwJy-uOP0rVuibmqiQpGpiIxVBzYQXCARlWNP55uh_gUpWkUFd14YVjEPAJqOo/s1600/triassic_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8UqSiOX5b3lp1TWBVN4RHuje5WEJBjV3KLI_rZJgvdrTvtqlL-ePD1RlfsDcvju5qUtbt0Gxmi1bPGYwJy-uOP0rVuibmqiQpGpiIxVBzYQXCARlWNP55uh_gUpWkUFd14YVjEPAJqOo/s1600/triassic_01.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Alan Spencer, <i>Triassic </i>(from the <i>Strata in Clay </i>series).</span></td></tr>
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studio art, I worked as a geologist in Indianapolis, Indiana for a civil engineering firm for five years. While working as a geologist, I continued to create my own artwork. Many friends and family encouraged me to start my own art studio after seeing my stained glass artwork. As a field geologist, I was often traveling around the country working with drill crews during the week</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and at home only on weekends. The work schedule with the company eventually pushed me to look for new opportunities. In 1985, my wife’s family invited us to move back to their 70-acre property in Delaware, Ohio, offering a location for me to start my own art studio, where I produced ceramic, stained and blown glass works of art for 17 years.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In 1999 I went back to school at Ohio State University to get my teaching certification and my Master’s degree in Art Education. I have worked as a visual arts teacher in Worthington, Ohio since 2002. While teaching in the schools, I continue to create my own style of ceramic artwork, utilizing the potter’s wheel to create the large thrown forms.<br /><b><br />How has being a geologist influenced your art and your philosophy of life?</b><br />I don’t believe that being a geologist has influenced my philosophy of life, but it has given me avenues of inspiration as an artist. The knowledge I received in college helped me to understand concepts such as geologic time periods and the evolution of life on earth. Studying detailed fossils as a geologist has allowed me to be able to recreate fossil forms as accurately as possible in my artwork. <br /> <br /><b>Your current project is ‘<i>Strata in Clay</i>’: how do you describe it? </b><br />The stoneware vessels, “<i>Strata in Clay</i>,” were created as a series to represent examples of the fossil time line that have been preserved in rock strata during the past 540 million years. In each of the geologic time periods, certain life forms have become known as indicator fossils. After the identification of the indicator fossils for the geologic periods was completed, researching, sketching and modeling of the fossil forms commenced. <br /><br />Replicas of the fossils from each of the twelve geologic periods were sculpted and fired, creating a mold that could be used to make multiple copies. After the vessel form was completed, press mold techniques were utilized to decorate the large thrown forms. Some of the low-relief sculptures that are represented on the vessels came from casts of actual fossils; others were sculpted by studying photographs of real fossils. Each vessel represents a particular geologic period in time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sedimentary rock strata, such as limestone, siltstone, shale, and sandstone, are the predominate materials in which fossils are naturally preserved. For this reason, the surface decoration and glazes used on the vessels in the “<i>Strata in Clay</i>" series were carefully selected to resemble the appearance of these sedimentary rocks that typically encase fossil remnants. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbbDPhnQ9yi9mgbgmW3zW7Zfet-OQijq0opxVbXcqHZ_mUnxmPpNl2GFWUwZUsqYqHh_c8hDu8HX8qjp5aJhVabc_HsnYcKxSE1gpt3Zzw0hTXWn5I1FgXpP9sD4YGILAmOZC8Mqj6Fv6/s1600/_DSC7042_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbbDPhnQ9yi9mgbgmW3zW7Zfet-OQijq0opxVbXcqHZ_mUnxmPpNl2GFWUwZUsqYqHh_c8hDu8HX8qjp5aJhVabc_HsnYcKxSE1gpt3Zzw0hTXWn5I1FgXpP9sD4YGILAmOZC8Mqj6Fv6/s1600/_DSC7042_edit.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Spencer, <i>Cambrian</i> (<i>Strata in Clay </i>series). Note the abundant trilobites, which are amonrg the most iconic fossils of the Cambrian period.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What is exactly a stoneware vessel? </b><br />There are three types of clay that ceramists typically work with when making sculptures or functional ware. Earthenware, or terra-cotta, is the lowest firing clay and is usually used for hand-sculpting. Earthenware is usually reddish-brown in color after it has been fired. Stoneware clay is a mid-range fired clay that is very durable and can be used for functional or sculptural artwork. Stoneware usually fires to become a dense, off- white or grayish clay. Porcelain is a very fine-particle clay body that is pure white when fired and can be heated to the highest temperature of the three clay types. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV25-dF4x9ZzyaEcVn4fKY1-nrUwsCIF1zQWBb3yIsj6_D5YMJTvrzLGsi0ZtQUHQ94dXDMPrWipGp7UdEGB3W73Nlbfgfd9hSQ_7z_FxzX7Q-sXpLSlBAuqB8Xj7JiSr0Q8-dpX9uM8J/s1600/devonian_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV25-dF4x9ZzyaEcVn4fKY1-nrUwsCIF1zQWBb3yIsj6_D5YMJTvrzLGsi0ZtQUHQ94dXDMPrWipGp7UdEGB3W73Nlbfgfd9hSQ_7z_FxzX7Q-sXpLSlBAuqB8Xj7JiSr0Q8-dpX9uM8J/s1600/devonian_01.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Spencer, <i>Devonian </i>(from the <i>Strata in Clay </i>series).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>Clay is an artistic medium and a geological object: how do you reconcile these aspects?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Formed by the weathering and erosion of rock strata, clay seemed to be a perfect material to work with to create this series. The earth constantly recycles and rebuilds surface layers. As sand, silt, and clay weather away from older deposits, and new layers of sedimentary material form, occasionally an organism gets buried between the layers. Clay and the unique fossils found in the sedimentary strata of the earth are the focus for the <i>Strata in Clay </i>series. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What is your typical workflow for ‘<i>Strata in Clay</i>’? </b><br />When working with clay for the <i>Strata </i>series, I began by researching the fossil forms that I </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">wanted to place on the surface of each vessel. I looked for fossils that were very abundant during that particular geologic time period, like trilobites during the Cambrian. Once the fossils were selected, I printed out images of the creatures and built low-relief replicas of the life form onto a slab of clay. From the low-relief sculpture, I cast a negative mold of the form. Once I had all of the negative molds, I began to throw the vessel on the potter’s wheel.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The forms of the vases in the “<i>Strata in Clay</i>” series are reminiscent of ancient Greek vases and amphora. The vases are tall (2-4 feet in height) and thrown in multiple sections. The sections are stacked on top of each other to complete the vase to its full height. After the vase is thrown, I use the molds to make multiple copies of the fossils and apply them to the surface of the vase. Handles are often added to the form to create interesting negative space to the vessel. I try to make connections whenever designing and decorating these vases. The handles often take on the attributes of the fossils that are on the vase. The stains and glazes used to color the surface of the clay are selected to look similar to the rocks that the fossils were found in. The process of making one of the vases can take several months to research, create the molds and throw the vase, then decorate and glaze it.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_de5vQY9YEdm9SvpO7RZxXgvrJ0mq5Wwy3gjxPBuq7G80qHVpZy_6wp_979Iok_QFxOT5BHZdZoOEeaN5BcyeW4VJHTaz-7jGUL0twygzvNmsS5FNsaqV9DwhEmiGfNcQtSp7pru9c05/s1600/mississippian_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_de5vQY9YEdm9SvpO7RZxXgvrJ0mq5Wwy3gjxPBuq7G80qHVpZy_6wp_979Iok_QFxOT5BHZdZoOEeaN5BcyeW4VJHTaz-7jGUL0twygzvNmsS5FNsaqV9DwhEmiGfNcQtSp7pru9c05/s1600/mississippian_5.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Crinoid columnals in <i>Mississipian </i>(detail).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgFr_cRgd6Ulgexw0gf_kQg_MfqdXhOdErbSnMgF5H-1m6sTJX_TY5LXACC5_tUKVcof23SF_sWfdWx_UNsPdEDkjesmYv0IEJXa6pK67Qji9rRn1-8_qhyphenhyphenLsq1C63wEe0jPBG6s_d5Tv/s1600/mississippian_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgFr_cRgd6Ulgexw0gf_kQg_MfqdXhOdErbSnMgF5H-1m6sTJX_TY5LXACC5_tUKVcof23SF_sWfdWx_UNsPdEDkjesmYv0IEJXa6pK67Qji9rRn1-8_qhyphenhyphenLsq1C63wEe0jPBG6s_d5Tv/s1600/mississippian_1.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Alan Spencer, Mississipian (from the<i> Strata in Clay</i> series).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlvRlwwi0CcXmACRUPWtoYfdguTGx_w75odayNQQO_QwrK6PxFrBGkANFWiXPSNsCn223XrVo4_m7JtHNRGgTzwXqHtziMEZ65hZp7zaUOv8Vfe3TZog3rkOW4ALL_V9FAo8c4d2YWEBe/s1600/mississippian_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlvRlwwi0CcXmACRUPWtoYfdguTGx_w75odayNQQO_QwrK6PxFrBGkANFWiXPSNsCn223XrVo4_m7JtHNRGgTzwXqHtziMEZ65hZp7zaUOv8Vfe3TZog3rkOW4ALL_V9FAo8c4d2YWEBe/s1600/mississippian_3.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of <i>Mississipian</i>. Note the abundant crinoids.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>How have you documented and expressed geologic time?</b><br />Over time paleontologists and geologists have studied the fossils and the rock strata of the </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">earth and have developed a timeline that is divided into eons, eras, periods and epochs. Eons represent the longest time interval, and epochs represent the shortest. The geologic time scale is used to describe the timing and relationships between events that have occurred throughout Earth’s history. There are twelve geologic time periods, ranging from the oldest, Cambrian, beginning 540 million years ago, to the Quaternary, which began about 1.8 million years ago. In my artwork I have tried to mimic the life forms that were significant in each of the twelve geologic periods. I researched fossils that were abundant during the geologic periods and recreated the fossil forms on the surface of twelve thrown wheel ceramic vessels. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0HktCrDTLvQfKldW5GLf4tPWBfvk2BOB52kZj6B1tpDJcmGSawSZcOTN69VKtW23gvzx9mUy5RC745TF4Ai020L6u02cSvLyArEMFo2HvqhQ2QqQ5Q8yl7a1fCHJttMaIVzbqDm8WhbB/s1600/pennsylvanian_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0HktCrDTLvQfKldW5GLf4tPWBfvk2BOB52kZj6B1tpDJcmGSawSZcOTN69VKtW23gvzx9mUy5RC745TF4Ai020L6u02cSvLyArEMFo2HvqhQ2QqQ5Q8yl7a1fCHJttMaIVzbqDm8WhbB/s1600/pennsylvanian_1.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Spencer, <i>Pennsylvanian.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What artists, what geological themes inspired you in developing <i>Strata in Clay</i>?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the medium of glass art, William Morris has been an artist that helped to inspire some of my artwork. His <i>Artifact </i>series led me to have a vision of what I wanted to create in my Strata series. Morris’s<i> Standing Stone</i> series motivated me to create very large forms. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ceramic artist Maria Martinez inspired me in my work with clay. Martinez’s forms and special firing technique inspired me when I was creating the form and firing the vase that represents the Pennsylvanian period. During the Pennsylvanian period (one half of the Carboniferous age) there were large quantities of coal deposited in the strata of the earth. The form of the vase is a traditional wedding vase, the surface of which has been polished with a sooth rock in the style that Martinez typically produced. The vase was heated up to 1500 degrees in a Raku kiln and then placed in a metal barrel filled with sawdust and newspaper. The hot vessel tries to burn the organic material, but because the barrel is sealed, no oxygen can get in. The normally white clay turns jet black in the process, which is referred to as carbonizing. The black vase is meant to look like the coal that is so often found in the Pennsylvanian deposits. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgAoqGxICHl9DiTK34awqRCpMhWy7iUMt4ypPz2r13HRMlQlAATd4OyVBOb-7nsMnF2TDoqnRaNpHm4FjyaZuYZtfd4HkCw0UTMWUwvPdKC3tAguH6BTzV642yRs4EBLgbYxg4pcfQa-f/s1600/pennsylvanian_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgAoqGxICHl9DiTK34awqRCpMhWy7iUMt4ypPz2r13HRMlQlAATd4OyVBOb-7nsMnF2TDoqnRaNpHm4FjyaZuYZtfd4HkCw0UTMWUwvPdKC3tAguH6BTzV642yRs4EBLgbYxg4pcfQa-f/s1600/pennsylvanian_2.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Alan Spencer's <i>Pennsylvanian</i>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>What is crucial for your ceramics: communicating geological concepts or expressing your personal fascination for Geology?</b><br />For the <i>Strata in Clay</i> series, my focus was to communicate the concept of geologic time periods. The series of vessels helps to communicate this concept by creating a vessel for each of the twelve time periods. As an educator and a visual artist, I wanted to show people what life forms were most prevalent in each of the twelve geologic periods. I researched the fossil record and consulted with other geologists to determine what fossils to place on some of the vases. The artwork in the series helps to illustrate the complex evolution path that life on earth has taken during the last 540 million years.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFH8IUGuXlcKmcvHuS4CYzSewHlzipA_Za-_75jI_iRzW0u37y4B7EH_CacvFgj1G6TDTO-nDN2486t9MwNMPSZBY9zr5P5o_5uh54CZSXXm8SWR2K2PvqXJKlbxaWR3Z70Vt7bswH853/s1600/ordovician_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFH8IUGuXlcKmcvHuS4CYzSewHlzipA_Za-_75jI_iRzW0u37y4B7EH_CacvFgj1G6TDTO-nDN2486t9MwNMPSZBY9zr5P5o_5uh54CZSXXm8SWR2K2PvqXJKlbxaWR3Z70Vt7bswH853/s1600/ordovician_01.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eurypterids and crinoids charachterize Alan Spencer's <i>Ordovician </i>(from the <i>Strata in Clay</i> series).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>How long have you been working professionally as an artist? </b><br />I have been working as a professional artist for 29 years. In my studio I worked with clay, stained glass and blown glass materials to create artworks for sale and for commissions. Since I became an arts educator, it has been more difficult to find time to work on my own artwork. It has been rewarding to finally complete the geologic vases and have them on exhibit in a gallery where people can learn about geology, the evolution of life on earth, as well as enjoy the aesthetics of each piece in the series. <br /><br /><b>What was the turning point in your professional career?</b><br />The largest turning point in my career was when I decided to switch from working as a </span><br />
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professional geologist to being an artist. Getting a teaching degree and working as a visual artist in a high school has allowed me to earn a decent income, while still having time to work professionally on own artwork. So often as a professional artist I felt that I needed to produce as much work as possible to earn a living. Creating the geologic artwork while teaching has allowed me the luxury of being able to take the time to do research, and make test samples, in order to complete the series with the highest quality. <br /><br /><b>Is there a client base for ‘geological ceramics’?</b><br />Over 300 students from local schools as well as several hundred community citizens came to view the exhibit during the seven weeks that the show was at the McConnell Arts Center (MAC) in Worthington, Ohio. None of the vases were purchased, but my hope is that the entire series of geologic vessels will be purchased by an institution and used for educational purposes someday.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Spencer, <i>Silurian </i>(from the <i>Strata in Clay </i>series).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Are your geological works exhibited in scientific institutions?</b><br />I have not had any of my artworks exhibited in a scientific institution. The <i>Strata in Clay </i>series is the first collection of mine that has had a geologic theme. I have been researching, sketching designs, making the molds, and throwing the forms since 2004. None of the pieces from the collection were available for purchase until January of 2014 when the exhibit went on display at the MAC in Worthington, Ohio. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Spencer, <i>Cretaceous </i>(from the <i>Strata in Clay </i>series).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>How important it is for artists to know about geology, and why?</b><br />I feel that it is important for artist to know about geology because the rocks, the earth, fossils and crystals, can all be such a strong source of inspiration for many forms of artwork. So many of the raw materials used in any artwork come from the strata of the earth. It is imperative to be aware of these materials and how to use them properly to create successful artworks. I believe that the more knowledge an artist has at his/her discretion regarding subjects like geology, the more variety that artist will have to be inspired in different directions.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58hNlJKmVhu7LsJI9zbtylaBChDKGZqpsnD3RRMwusP6zLRONP1Kkubk_A-c2UQcVlFvsChgOsRNakAz05r25jazypGRXrmDx2ltpZstsfbmf9Rsibmugo9J-Z6qNXKQzaDAK7s79bB0P/s1600/_DSC7181_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58hNlJKmVhu7LsJI9zbtylaBChDKGZqpsnD3RRMwusP6zLRONP1Kkubk_A-c2UQcVlFvsChgOsRNakAz05r25jazypGRXrmDx2ltpZstsfbmf9Rsibmugo9J-Z6qNXKQzaDAK7s79bB0P/s1600/_DSC7181_edit.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Spencer, <i>Jurassic </i>(from the <i>Strata in Clay </i>series).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">REFERENCES<br /><br />Mayor, A. 2001. The first fossil hunters - paleontology in Greek and Roman times. Princeton Press, 361 pp.</span></span>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-52465343034700430932013-05-10T04:34:00.002-07:002013-05-10T04:36:59.281-07:00Geology&Art: the exhibit!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In collaboration with Antonio Alberti and
the University of
Trieste, I organized<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Geologia&Arte” (Geology&Art),
exploring the aesthetic diversity of geological art. The exhibit is based on
accurate reproductions of geoartistic artworks, ranging from Renaissance
paintings to modern microphotographs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Featured artists include Philippe Salmon,
Ian Barrett, Alexandre de Barde, Giotto di Bondone, Leonardo da Vinci, Bernardo
Cesare, Licio Tezza, Charles Knight, Heinrich Harder, Fredric Church,
Thomas Cole, Carl Spitzweg, George Victor du Noyer and Chris Drury.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Although “Geologia&Arte” represents a
first glimpse in the world of geoart, the exhibit has met great success, being
appealing both to geological and artistic thinkers. For this reason, I hope to
improve the exhibit in the future, covering more artists and more media. There
is whole geoartistic universe to explore!</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ge2bi6vmc7Y?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-66757184866425298592013-03-08T14:51:00.003-08:002013-03-09T00:38:58.879-08:00Geological Mosaics<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mutual Core by Björk (video director: <span lang="EN-GB">Andrew Thomas Luang).</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">In a <a href="http://www.geologyinart.blogspot.it/2011/09/music-from-mid-atlantic-ridge-bjork.html">previous post</a>, we cited Björk and her
geology-inspired songs. Crystals
and tectonic plates populate Björk’s last album, Biophilia, which is
celebrating natural phenomena in music.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In this context, continental drift is
poetically described in Mutual Core, which is explicitly subtitled as "Tectonic
plates, chords". Terse but expressive lyrics account for scale, a
persistent theme in geologic art: “As fast as your fingernail grows, / The
Atlantic ridge drifts / To counteract distance”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Such visual verses have been recently
mirrored by a colourful video, premiered at the Museum of Contemporary Art of
Los Angeles. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Directed by Andrew Thomas Luang, the Mutual
Core video represents a plethora of geological objects framed in the context of
plate tectonics. For this reason, Björk’s video can be described as a
geological mosaic, where individual <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tesserae</i>
– layers, lava, tectonic plates – combines in a larger picture.</span> Consequently, a question might arise: are
there any geoartistic analogues? Geological Inspirations in
Textile Art – an exhibition at Bewdley
Museum – provides an
immediate answer. A similar language is adopted by the ceramic mural <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Story of Life </i>by Lorraine Malach,
exhibited at the entrance of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Alberta).</div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrgQHlbpSW7OlNpWZERM0-ADJId8MIek4ioGeik5krTIPzlV7QjWj2iF6IEYw1x43Fi6yXbiG9YgCdfVZQHkumyh4NyNqbBXrMvTXxuuUrGKh3zSxoPYhyP4Bx6aSRMSFDw17m-SMgxjS/s1600/Malvern-hills2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrgQHlbpSW7OlNpWZERM0-ADJId8MIek4ioGeik5krTIPzlV7QjWj2iF6IEYw1x43Fi6yXbiG9YgCdfVZQHkumyh4NyNqbBXrMvTXxuuUrGKh3zSxoPYhyP4Bx6aSRMSFDw17m-SMgxjS/s320/Malvern-hills2.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geological textile art by Georgia Jacobs. Image from the <a href="http://geopark.org.uk/pub/2012/09/956/" target="_blank">website </a>of the Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><span lang="EN-GB"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9WII1WLGtiETuK8zyKusoNoJRa8E9r373TS1XVV5OJ_lCTqZw7RTNa86pf6Mw4qHCS-2LPm6EYsBfk-FfAKWxw3i0WS8b6LuxVAGd4LLdgqS7AsqQszEH_xNwD4N8GFlmVnQNmrhfgzp/s1600/Story-of-life_mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9WII1WLGtiETuK8zyKusoNoJRa8E9r373TS1XVV5OJ_lCTqZw7RTNa86pf6Mw4qHCS-2LPm6EYsBfk-FfAKWxw3i0WS8b6LuxVAGd4LLdgqS7AsqQszEH_xNwD4N8GFlmVnQNmrhfgzp/s640/Story-of-life_mural.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Story of Life by Lorraine Malach. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In this context, the artworks of Rachel Sager occupies a place of
prominence. In fact, the artist authored mosaics <i>sensu stricto, </i>adopting <i> </i>materials and themes intimately linked
to geology. Specifically, Sager's <i>tesserae </i>are realized with sandstone,
limestone, slate, shale, and even coal, whereas themes ranges from layers to natural
gas reservoirs. As Rachel Sager writes in <a href="http://www.rachelsagermosaics.com/home.aspx?p=Home" target="_blank">her website</a>, </span>"<span id="lblMain">My artistic process includes large chunks of time
spent sifting through the earth itself, gathering material. I am
specifically dependent on my native Southwestern Pennsylvania geology".</span><span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDYim0J4ZGODoejkajEDUYcPkBDwKRAmSJQAzqkKJlHaPdhzQydbHIguHdZ_aRTaHGtdgyk5GjE4lIZrcISd6-g7uyxfrPKUgQ83tIKNelIVxaHGxvc-3XWG7rUFmwhyphenhyphenR9McI5T47Z7io/s1600/mighty_marcellus-no-i_lg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDYim0J4ZGODoejkajEDUYcPkBDwKRAmSJQAzqkKJlHaPdhzQydbHIguHdZ_aRTaHGtdgyk5GjE4lIZrcISd6-g7uyxfrPKUgQ83tIKNelIVxaHGxvc-3XWG7rUFmwhyphenhyphenR9McI5T47Z7io/s400/mighty_marcellus-no-i_lg1.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Sager, Mighty Marcellus No. 1.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB">I had an interesting interview with the artist.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">At
what age did you become a ‘geologic artist’ and how did you know?</span></b>
</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB">I would have to say fairly recently,
although I believe becoming an artist of any kind involves a lifetime of real
world learning and osmosis. I can remember spending long days as a child
building stone dams in creeks and creating playhouses in rock formations. I
have been surrounded by stone all my life, having grown up in a 200 year old
sandstone farmhouse and having an amateur geologist for a father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">knew</i>
I had become a geologic artist after I had built my first Marcellus mosaic in 2010. A light bulb flicked
on in my head when I realized that sourcing my tesserae from the earth was not
just possible, but entirely necessary for me. </span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Do
you have formal training in art or geology?</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB">I have a minor in art history and formal
studio training in the Ravenna Method of mosaic. I am fortunate to have studied
with renowned mosaic maestros from Italy who have instilled in me a great
respect for a medium with thousands of years worth of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>history and a future of very exciting
possibilities. I consider myself a perpetual student and enjoy the self-taught
lifestyle of reading on many subjects. In another life I see myself working toward
a degree in geology. But in this life, mosaic is my commitment so I do my best
to educate myself about the earth sciences in the extra slices of time. </span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Why
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</span><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB">Working with the earth’s own material gives
me a visceral connectedness to it. It’s not about being a sustainable or green
artist, which I consider to be unattainable labels anyway. It’s more about my direct
relationship to the natural world around me and the sense of comfort it gives
me to be up close and very personal with it. My native South Western
Pennsylvania has a rich history of coal mining. My father, his father, and his
father’s father worked small mines and made and lost their fortunes from the
business. Coal is inextricably tied to my family history, and now, once again,
geology has become centre stage, this time in the form of natural gas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My home has become a hot spot in the world’s
energy vortex, so there are many questions being asked and much tension being
created about how it will all play out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As an artist, I feel incredibly fortunate to have the tools to
communicate my small part in the drama.</span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisILp6PTqByoQo4R_84p5qv77atW0q6HjkENHmkl2nY3x-GZqksuZQEC-IkyIgMIZ5l0C8c8ZcrPuoRgm6TgA8liSVOGZXyyCh27ZiJVfCAZgvXOtDI0N36x3WDJxFEqfQLGZzYzhePv_Q/s1600/mm3_detail_1-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisILp6PTqByoQo4R_84p5qv77atW0q6HjkENHmkl2nY3x-GZqksuZQEC-IkyIgMIZ5l0C8c8ZcrPuoRgm6TgA8liSVOGZXyyCh27ZiJVfCAZgvXOtDI0N36x3WDJxFEqfQLGZzYzhePv_Q/s320/mm3_detail_1-lg.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of <i>Mighty Marcellus</i> No. 3.<b><br /></b></td></tr>
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<![endif]--><b><span lang="EN-GB">Where do you get <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tesserae</i> and how do you end up
using them in a work of art?</span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></span></b>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Time spent in
fields, rivers, roadsides and quarries takes up a large part of my artistic
process. It’s one thing to appreciate a beautifully shaped or colored stone and
pick it up to place on your coffee table. It’s quite another thing to hunt for
stone with the awareness that you will be chopping it up. I will fill up a
bucket from wherever I happen to be gathering and bring it home to my studio to
be categorized. Using a traditional stone hammer which has sharp edges on both
ends, I chop each stone into small pieces, and then smaller pieces, and often
even smaller pieces. I will separate the cuttings from various stone into containers
until I have the palate of shades and color I want. This <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cutting</i> process is one of the great joys of my work. Witnessing the
cracking open of a rock that has been sealed up for millions of years, to
breathe in its dust, its smell, sometimes even its taste… this is one of the
reasons I will always be a Geologic artist. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawZ2zghDXec6vRMt5EC0rWLGW5sGe5OOCwL1cCXynYgtXA6TBY6H026rOWSG_AvZx8n6M0oYZLesVSOdtDSxR7QVeaqn97WP_ntj-Rhbnzry3dLZBFYkM2QjmhgDPyxjUT2uDPfImmSOY/s1600/res_artist_portrait-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawZ2zghDXec6vRMt5EC0rWLGW5sGe5OOCwL1cCXynYgtXA6TBY6H026rOWSG_AvZx8n6M0oYZLesVSOdtDSxR7QVeaqn97WP_ntj-Rhbnzry3dLZBFYkM2QjmhgDPyxjUT2uDPfImmSOY/s320/res_artist_portrait-1.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of the Artist: Rachel Sager. From the <a href="http://www.rachelsagermosaics.com/home.aspx?p=Home" target="_blank">artist's website.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<![endif]--></span>What kind of workspace do you have?</b><br />
My husband has built me a wonderful smallish 16’ x 15’ studio with one whole wall of windows for natural light, a concrete floor and a view of my garden. I don’t mind that it’s not large because it’s well organized and I also have access to his much larger carpentry workshop when I need the big tools. The walls are covered with shelving to house clear glass jars full of hundreds of shades of glass, stone, and ceramic. I have a growing collection of rock hammers, each for its own specific task. I like to say that a girl can never have enough hammers! Having worked in many bad spaces over the years, I am very aware of the gift of a well-designed studio. It has become the heart of the house. I believe in rigorous studio time and part of getting myself there every day involves adding my personal magic to it. A studio should be a sacred space.</div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">What
is the favourite geological artwork you created? </span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This is a hard question to answer. Many of
my works feel like little children who I appreciate for their distinctive gifts
so picking just one feels a bit like being a bad mother. But, I will say that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fracture </i>is a piece I continue to look
back on as a little slice of perfection that I am unable to pick apart with a
critical eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the realizations I
have made as an artist is that every piece starts out perfect. Very few manage
to hold on to that ideal all the way through to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fracture</i>
is a great blend of inspired concept, technique, and design. I still get a
thrill when I’m fortunate enough to see it in person once in a while. I guess
the only improvement I could have made to it would have been to make it much
bigger! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQLY0dqk4umuXjmpVEWQmZBPMyLsuo9S4KH15JG5DWwbktEK557oj98mjrXVS49jm8bKdRSBroppSwNeP3q1QQdUIsSAaot2YkDYFeSoWjgqPTIRH0wmDUwVLD3zpIFyYgTUcafRYQpjL/s1600/fracture_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQLY0dqk4umuXjmpVEWQmZBPMyLsuo9S4KH15JG5DWwbktEK557oj98mjrXVS49jm8bKdRSBroppSwNeP3q1QQdUIsSAaot2YkDYFeSoWjgqPTIRH0wmDUwVLD3zpIFyYgTUcafRYQpjL/s320/fracture_lg.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Sager, <i>Fracture</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">What
artistic and conceptual metaphors have you used in the ‘Lithosphere series’? </span></b></div>
<span lang="EN-GB">For years, I felt compelled to work in
circles without quite knowing why. I still feel and indulge in the compulsion,
but I have a better idea of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i>
now after having done the research after the fact. The circle is an archetypal
and universal symbol. It’s repeated in every culture, in every age, and
represents many primordial human instincts tied into the psyche, spirituality,
and the self. I have come to unapologetically embrace my circle obsession and
enjoy integrating it’s symbolisms into my art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The earth’s lithosphere, or outer crust, is a great circle image. Litho:
meaning stone and sphere: translating to circle…what more could I ask? The
perfect title for my circle series! </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT90Ojf4I_O3UxG4cDnEEALPRuazEpWvuyr_L3mMqRIujeAPsF3UHuWQfABbjY6AHvnJSl1X767vWeCsCioTQlNeyqU5d_TOoOifbUB4jfOxXPoHriTnjmbGa-7jxiJAgDAB5Ddm5C31h/s1600/lithosphere_3-lg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT90Ojf4I_O3UxG4cDnEEALPRuazEpWvuyr_L3mMqRIujeAPsF3UHuWQfABbjY6AHvnJSl1X767vWeCsCioTQlNeyqU5d_TOoOifbUB4jfOxXPoHriTnjmbGa-7jxiJAgDAB5Ddm5C31h/s320/lithosphere_3-lg1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="lblMain">Lithosphere Series No.3 was accepted in 3R's prestigious Prix Picassiette Exhibition in Chartres, France.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Please,
explain the narrative of ‘A World Divided’.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This piece is very much tied into the
Marcellus Series. It’s a much more abstract deep well image but viewed within
the other geologic works, one can see the drill references.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been watching Pennsylvania communities splinter into
taking sides for and against the idea of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fracking</i>
and gas drilling in general. I often feel as if I am straddling a deep chasm,
because I understand both sides. I see the direct improvement in our local
economies; no small thing at this point in time. I also see the beautiful
farmland I’ve grown up around being dotted with a new industry. So, I think <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A World Divided</i> represents my small
little corner of the world and its struggles to come to terms with its role in
a crucial point in the history of Energy. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfdMSZAVjZUTRkf9iTMN4q_0YCaG2qXbJa7FdsS7wpw3Ht9gb5786yOlJcFzYeUmPaJhUqfgv09-CJurMyDQc3W_FCbAh7u_KiiG2d_QcPs3qo-8J0pNv0rLdhDoXsRnp_9QZVtH5a9KJ/s1600/world_divided_01-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfdMSZAVjZUTRkf9iTMN4q_0YCaG2qXbJa7FdsS7wpw3Ht9gb5786yOlJcFzYeUmPaJhUqfgv09-CJurMyDQc3W_FCbAh7u_KiiG2d_QcPs3qo-8J0pNv0rLdhDoXsRnp_9QZVtH5a9KJ/s320/world_divided_01-lg.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Sager, <i>A World Divided</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Some
of your works present an ‘abstract’ feeling, being at the same time
representational. What
is the role of abstraction in representing geological themes?</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">One of my favourite parts of working with
and manipulating natural stone is the freedom of expression that it gives me. I
like to let each stone <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do what it was
meant to do. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any given rock will
behave in a different way from its neighbour. The act of cutting in mosaic is a
very important and sensitive stage of the process. Each stone cleaves in its
own distinct style. Some cut squarishly; some cut in a beautifully irregular
way. My point is that appreciating the beauty of the stone is in letting it
have its personality and laying it into the mortar in a way that best lets that
personality shine. As a mosaicist, I am very familiar with forcing any
particular material into the shape that I want, but I have found there to be a
freedom in giving the stone the lead and seeing where it takes me. As in
geologic formations, where stone moves in flowing, directional layers, I find
the abstract fields of pattern and movement to be almost meditative, both while
building them and later as I appreciate the finished art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find that creating these fields of
abstraction within a larger more representational image creates a pleasing
movement for the eye. People who love mosaic understand, even if unconsciously,
that there are many little separate worlds to be discovered and contemplated
within a work of this kind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">How
do you reconcile the representational ‘Marcellus’ series with the more abstract
ones?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">There is so much going on in the field of gas
drilling right now that I have my pick of themes, images, and concepts to bring
it to life in my art. I sometimes feel bombarded by these flashes of images,
and am only restricted by time as mosaic is a very slow art. As an example, the
piece titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frack </i>represents the
idea of what the shale might look like as it is fractured or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fracked</i> by the high powered water
shooting down through the pipeline. I use actual Marcellus shale in this piece
and I have found that people are fascinated by this very abstract image and
come away with a better understanding of what the heck is going on down there 8000 feet below them. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDLD8jaTlC7zHRdrtbbac8yCntMqNf__IP7PVGBrDAYAYkWkIR20xcLhucBYEYLbytn714nRSN1eCeB3-6v5JU7b83f08951VQ8GBqXCktlKP0zgYVVvWauyrIRssWaH61iwlWpR0erw7/s1600/frack-lg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDLD8jaTlC7zHRdrtbbac8yCntMqNf__IP7PVGBrDAYAYkWkIR20xcLhucBYEYLbytn714nRSN1eCeB3-6v5JU7b83f08951VQ8GBqXCktlKP0zgYVVvWauyrIRssWaH61iwlWpR0erw7/s320/frack-lg1.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Sager, <i>Frack.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<![endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">How
important do you think it is for artists to know about Geology, and why? </span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Well, I think it’s very important! Any
artist should be in a constant state of learning about the world around them.
Art imitates nature, right? Especially for the mosaic artist, what lies <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">under</i> them should be of great interest
because mosaic is so invested in materials and the earth’s product has been
proven to be an excellent source of long-lasting, highly expressive
material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am, of course, very
passionate about the use of natural stone in mosaic. Over-machined and
processed mosaic products hold very little interest for me and I believe, take
some of the magic away from the artist’s relationship to her material. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">What
is your idea of ‘Geologic Art’?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I love that this is an almost unanswerable
question. The book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Geology in Art</i>,
and Andrea Baucon’s blog have helped to open my eyes to the vast
interpretations that an artist working in any medium can apply to the subject
of geology. But, for my own personal needs, I would say that geologic art is my
way of connecting to the earth under my feet while at the same time using that
earth to express my visions and ask my questions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">What
are your latest works about and where are you going with them?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This year I have come above ground and am
creating a collection titled <a href="http://www.rachelsagermosaics.com/home.aspx?p=gallery&id=17" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">TerraIncognita</i></a>, which translates into unknown land. In the series, I use map
imagery to connect two mismatched groups of people; the explorers from The Age
of Discovery and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">us</i> as virtual,
social networking, armchair explorers. Cartography, for me, complements geology
as a science and an art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am delighting
in the overlaps I’m discovering in the worlds I create above and below ground.
In many ways, the pieces from The Geology Series are themselves, a kind of map
art. As with all my work now, geology plays a starring role as the building
blocks that make up the tiny worlds found in all mosaic. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0EPJjw6OAghG7zUIyQnlGfxbsWK7szcIJ7bYgXNWnnwLa-Yck4oruYkjs9fLxOjriZsjWVFgP_4XXkERJuUju3JPEORbNK5VW6bqLHHcl5YSrbYbDIF2avHwwtAoNPzIwEN3BCw7zPd1/s1600/terra_incognita-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0EPJjw6OAghG7zUIyQnlGfxbsWK7szcIJ7bYgXNWnnwLa-Yck4oruYkjs9fLxOjriZsjWVFgP_4XXkERJuUju3JPEORbNK5VW6bqLHHcl5YSrbYbDIF2avHwwtAoNPzIwEN3BCw7zPd1/s400/terra_incognita-lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Sager, <i>Terra Incognita</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-64805954114689192652013-02-05T22:42:00.001-08:002013-02-05T22:42:48.288-08:00Ichnology on Google!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-GB">After <a href="http://www.geologyinart.blogspot.it/2012/01/google-meets-geoart.html" target="_blank">Steno and his layers</a>, Google
celebrates another geoscientist through visual arts! In fact,
today’s Doodle shows </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB">Mary Leakey </span>excavating the Laetoli footprints,
one of the landmarks of hominid ichnology.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D0M6xdw1eZ8ZgmcM9vbjsz8TbpfnWgQdDVwh5psIZUgZRX6FfTGVOIj7NRrdJ7ppIBBMQw3qoKnWFGRCUXxixo8efWKtgVUZHTAb38obbLJqanKEtF3HHQE9xn6tkvPJNQEaiwV2woM0/s1600/Leakey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D0M6xdw1eZ8ZgmcM9vbjsz8TbpfnWgQdDVwh5psIZUgZRX6FfTGVOIj7NRrdJ7ppIBBMQw3qoKnWFGRCUXxixo8efWKtgVUZHTAb38obbLJqanKEtF3HHQE9xn6tkvPJNQEaiwV2woM0/s640/Leakey.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-72005685599015266392012-06-25T11:21:00.000-07:002012-06-27T23:54:57.852-07:00Slices of Earth, Slices of Time<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">“Geological mapping involves more than just
producing a colourful map to show the distribution of formations within a given
area. The trained geologist is able to produce an interpretation of not only
the surface rocks but also of their subsurface structure”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Lisle et al. (2011)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">At the beginning of the 19<sup>th</sup>
century, English geologist William Smith realized the first geological map of Britain or, with Winchester’s (2001) words “the map that
changed the world”. Different colours were used to mark different rock units
and their surface distribution. As seen in the <a href="http://www.geologyinart.blogspot.it/2012/05/distilled-experiences.html" target="_blank">last post,</a> geological maps are
true distillations of experience and, consequently, they share a common ground
with the artistic process. It is not a case that geological maps and geological
mapping often appear within an artistic context.William Smith did not focus on surface
geology only, but he produced two-dimensional slices of Britain’s subsurface
structure: geological cross-sections. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgen_Hics7jaTM-7AsoDWZ4-D0ImNoVEJWySlSb63XibBdgS7vVmYZ7g3ID8ntYqONJWZ0U6ktVMwW73-yrnV06jIzdD2goXnM8v7VCdNKDs9pzVDWuLjytGSVAbfeJvAqUWm1R8WrK_kCd/s1600/william+smith+section.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHQ7OZ9m9CevJhByqJCKOmbPNB8FJYud-Ed-ChsIkT6H_LbPGyp4Kj_jJBSEU0MxeHtqzH7h1W9A5yrwfOkDZOeqrQh42KG1ikvIM8dAm-D1SSO1VyU7Nq5dAvMjcmPgULu8WPRSp9xiI/s1600/smith-section.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHQ7OZ9m9CevJhByqJCKOmbPNB8FJYud-Ed-ChsIkT6H_LbPGyp4Kj_jJBSEU0MxeHtqzH7h1W9A5yrwfOkDZOeqrQh42KG1ikvIM8dAm-D1SSO1VyU7Nq5dAvMjcmPgULu8WPRSp9xiI/s640/smith-section.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geological cross-section by William Smith. Picture from the <a href="http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library" target="_blank">Oxford Digital Library</a>. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeNZouinCzBG9jSHZNkkgqA2W335zq4MUMM0xDyxrfOnF3K_Ai4z3QCM-VXvh2mbwmAqY_4lr88BImq8EIZTDlY9LiXzBSuQMVLEOCjyNphUlhRcXa0mYiHwlrh7kzoUmlrLG-6PQXI7F/s1600/faultline3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeNZouinCzBG9jSHZNkkgqA2W335zq4MUMM0xDyxrfOnF3K_Ai4z3QCM-VXvh2mbwmAqY_4lr88BImq8EIZTDlY9LiXzBSuQMVLEOCjyNphUlhRcXa0mYiHwlrh7kzoUmlrLG-6PQXI7F/s320/faultline3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An artistic cross-section and the <a href="http://www.birdsongsofthemesozoic.org/" target="_blank">Birdsongs of the Mesozoic</a>.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In parallel to geological maps,
cross-sections often present a marked aesthetic appeal, as shown by the beautiful
album cover of ‘Faultline’ by the Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. Similarly,
geological cross-sections have been the subject for body art, as exemplified by
the ‘cross-section tattoo’ portrayed in Zimmer and Roach (2011).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Still nowadays, cross-sections frequently complement
geological maps in order to describe the three-dimensional structure of a given
area, with the final aim of extrapolating the fourth dimension: time. Such
fourth-dimensional nature is manifest in Laura Moriarty’s sculptural paintings,
realized with layers of hot wax. With the artist’s words: “Referencing diagrams
found in earth science textbooks, I study the way events and phenomena occur in
the geological time scale, creating micro/macro records in paint of what I
imagine happens below a terrain's surface”. </span><span lang="EN-GB">The last sentence fits perfectly to the
hand-coloured cross-sections made by Charles Darwin, who aimed to understand
the subsurface geology of the Andes. In his
Red Notebook, Darwin
wrote “Geology of whole world will turn out simple”.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gAm7b92yCVnQ4m-_TePYGiglsLKq2idtyDnFvfP9IDFzJM9poqqaOrxdvUcbJfzseNZhGnzp-kl-i3G5jl2nNjrPoDrZituB_7fvNtk7e5N7xWtomNLPHlhCKqmwXreZiN11jQDc1Nn2/s1600/cross+section+tattoo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gAm7b92yCVnQ4m-_TePYGiglsLKq2idtyDnFvfP9IDFzJM9poqqaOrxdvUcbJfzseNZhGnzp-kl-i3G5jl2nNjrPoDrZituB_7fvNtk7e5N7xWtomNLPHlhCKqmwXreZiN11jQDc1Nn2/s320/cross+section+tattoo.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geological cross-section as body art. Image from the <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2011/11/28/the-observer-gets-inked-more-scienceink-news/" target="_blank">Discover Magazine Blog</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhrt4SEAmulhuY-hjABxWUTI0GjvgXvNdvIhYz5S0-yrMrpeIAogE_XSz5ocESdFeROFu-71iUCRnLwQrbd8FviRd88pZ75SXEh2eyLf-5lb1pWCEJsXV05zqZFSFfKMjFN58_wx5ehOU/s1600/laura+moriarty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhrt4SEAmulhuY-hjABxWUTI0GjvgXvNdvIhYz5S0-yrMrpeIAogE_XSz5ocESdFeROFu-71iUCRnLwQrbd8FviRd88pZ75SXEh2eyLf-5lb1pWCEJsXV05zqZFSFfKMjFN58_wx5ehOU/s400/laura+moriarty.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Subduction into Trench' by Laura Moriarty. From the <a href="http://www.lauramoriarty.com/sculptural-paintings/12" target="_blank">artist's homepage</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcUFs0E-4zdiGYRB_TGxjkXobHTZdAk_3j1IROZww5T1vaFyFlsT_DkAuI1D4y-GpvyDvLKARRcAUDwA9vHG_R3XilsDm1H6hb0hGFMixlYFAwYje-q0B67c5n8-DSnculmfs_s8KWi4E/s1600/darwin+geological+cross+section.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcUFs0E-4zdiGYRB_TGxjkXobHTZdAk_3j1IROZww5T1vaFyFlsT_DkAuI1D4y-GpvyDvLKARRcAUDwA9vHG_R3XilsDm1H6hb0hGFMixlYFAwYje-q0B67c5n8-DSnculmfs_s8KWi4E/s640/darwin+geological+cross+section.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geological section sketched by Charles Darwin. Picture from the <a href="http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Darwin/theory.html" target="_blank">Cambridge University Library webpage</a>.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Darwin's message is oxymorically conveyed by
the colourful, abstract but concrete artworks of John ‘the Rock Doctor’ Jackson. With his
geological hammer and a paintbrush, the artist explores both the surface and
the subsurface of our planet. The result are forms and textures on canvas, true
cognitive maps of the geological world. Although the depicted phenomena are
complex, the Rock Doctor’s pictorial rendering makes them accessible either to the
mind or the emotions. According to this viewpoint, Darwin’s optimistical thought sounds true.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFqjkt97KJ4MHQKgQbwXwVgGsXwlho8unhQAewu5sC_Mim8m8myShY_yMvjEK3ZYPEDLpE9FfnRnjSbFNvL1X1Mz-n6NPsXC5cthNWdf-0evgEXl0xzX_cr8RBVOTkxhOklflhNZYYIor/s1600/gas+hunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFqjkt97KJ4MHQKgQbwXwVgGsXwlho8unhQAewu5sC_Mim8m8myShY_yMvjEK3ZYPEDLpE9FfnRnjSbFNvL1X1Mz-n6NPsXC5cthNWdf-0evgEXl0xzX_cr8RBVOTkxhOklflhNZYYIor/s400/gas+hunting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Gas Hunting' by John Jackson. The artwork is an artistic cross-section depicting a gas reservoir and its geological features. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R9IC_Kuyu8cjOKwdQdvKJnM5USZO6RBeAp1oyHWdXwXvOnNjZk_5Zd2j77xO5rZEzJPhSMpiYJ4E0u7jdVFOrvuE9zGwHZpRxWMopd2bQvWwsczIEAYfuxfiIO2Ap2iXDqXwfZD3uz94/s1600/window+on+the+worm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R9IC_Kuyu8cjOKwdQdvKJnM5USZO6RBeAp1oyHWdXwXvOnNjZk_5Zd2j77xO5rZEzJPhSMpiYJ4E0u7jdVFOrvuE9zGwHZpRxWMopd2bQvWwsczIEAYfuxfiIO2Ap2iXDqXwfZD3uz94/s320/window+on+the+worm.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Window on the Worm' by John Jackson. Image from the <a href="http://www.artandsoulgallery.com.au/prod653.htm" target="_blank">Art and Soul Gallery</a>.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB">John Jackson produces slices of Earth of
various dimensions, from the scale of mountains to the minuteness of worm
burrows. Indeed, in his ‘Window on the Worm’ the work of tiny organisms is
manifested through their U-shaped burrows. In some cases, the effect of tiny burrowing
organisms is so pervasive to modify entire ecosystems, severely affecting
habitats and their inhabitants. This phenomenon, known as ecosystem engineering
(Jones et al., 1994), can be seen in numerous human activities and poses
important ethical questions. These points have been investigated by Jarod
Charzewsky in his artwork ‘Scarp’, merging geological cross-sections and
ecological awareness. I had the opportunity to explore this
subject through a first-hand interview with Jarod Charzewsky himself.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">In three sentences or less present
yourself: Who are you and what you do?</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I am an ambitious yet procrastinating
surfer. Much like surfing, what I do is all about patience and timing. I wait
for precisely the right moment and then I give it all I’ve got. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpFBEVV1y6oyySs6zxITFqHyxI7B3eUQqeA3UZyHjbus37nh7FGJu4dnwb6sTv2cV3GVxDKCLtQ1WbTNRRnGTmsEK-tbDW0FS_05vJ0Ndbh7Q-IEzHncVxWCwngkA5GEKoggtt5rcEEJe/s1600/scarp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpFBEVV1y6oyySs6zxITFqHyxI7B3eUQqeA3UZyHjbus37nh7FGJu4dnwb6sTv2cV3GVxDKCLtQ1WbTNRRnGTmsEK-tbDW0FS_05vJ0Ndbh7Q-IEzHncVxWCwngkA5GEKoggtt5rcEEJe/s640/scarp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Scarp' by Jarod Charzewsky. Image from the <a href="http://www.jarodcharzewski.com/lately/?page_id=154" target="_blank">artist's webpage</a>.</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">What inspired you to create "Scarp"?</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The elementary school where I grew up in Winnipeg Canada
had plenty of landfill sites, like most cities do. My high school was located
on a landfill site. I use to imaging the layers of garbage beneath my feet. I
thought what would it look like if I could cut away the earth to expose the
wasted materials beneath my feet. I considered this idea as mankind reshaping
our landscape with our discarded items. The idea stuck with me until now. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I love <a href="http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/landfill6.htm" target="_blank">these </a>renderings of a landfill. Its
supposed to make sense of the chaos that is a landfill site.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"></span><span lang="EN-GB">Geology plays a huge role in this artwork.
How would you describe its importance in your set?</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I have spent a lot of time around Canada and North America
and I have always felt an intuitive connection to the land. I spent time in the
Alberta
badlands where the geology of the region is abundantly exposed. These naturally
formed layers made sense on the level of my landfill idea in fact this was the
link I needed. I think most of us can
identify with these stratified layers in one way or another. They are easy to
be amazed with. The visual similarity is what makes my work accessible.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWk3wBuikrD4sKmEgNsvAhu7vDmwvkGglNEUgAqltBrVIIE9AO4ZnuPn8AQi4U7_DbHpDAXwdiwbw3dpj_iPWhNGnxMeKfDWPlKxgXtTZgCGvWjEJosRw7GcU3dCMbkRtCUe08H9Da6xu/s1600/scarp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWk3wBuikrD4sKmEgNsvAhu7vDmwvkGglNEUgAqltBrVIIE9AO4ZnuPn8AQi4U7_DbHpDAXwdiwbw3dpj_iPWhNGnxMeKfDWPlKxgXtTZgCGvWjEJosRw7GcU3dCMbkRtCUe08H9Da6xu/s400/scarp1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Particular from 'Scarp' by Jarod Charzewsky.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxZ-HD3hhLMUC_VUncbi8wsIZtuflKk3w1BQS9DApLzwtdwBHXJc9u9rFsRKfrg5hAr3XuDIueRwADR_GbzZfWJPgi6lR7ocr3bXjyOrFM_0Hz5o4Tahq0vBpTxMgu4mbYNB2bAPNslBb/s1600/scarp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">You used 5000 articles of clothing for
realizing ‘Scarp’. Please give us some insight on your journey in making this
artistic project.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">At first I did not think the project was
possible. I could not afford nor did I want to purchase all the materials for
the piece so I quickly forgot about it.
Then in 2008, I got a residency at The Halsey Institute for Contemporary
Art. This gave me two months inside a large gallery space – enough time to do
what I wanted. If there ever was going to be a time to create the piece it was
now. I went to <a href="http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2009/03/goodwill_industries_new_outlet.html" target="_blank">Goodwill Industries</a>
because I thought they might have the materials. I told them what I wanted to
do and they understood it instantly and offered to loan me whatever I wanted. But
only a loan. Everything would have to come back to Goodwill. I could not be
happier with that arrangement. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck with all
that clothing after the show came down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Why did you choose clothes to realize
‘Scarp’?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">This is a good question. When I went to
Goodwill In 2008 I did not know what I was looking for. I knew I needed a lot
of it and I was limited on how I could move the stuff around. Other things
Goodwill had were ceramic plates and furniture. These were too heavy and
fragile, but the clothing stood out right away. It was the most abundant
material they had which meant they would be more eager to help with the
project. Plus the colours and textures that I could acquire would make for a
nice visual effect.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">When a geologic section becomes art?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">This is tough, when you think about it. You
cannot just get some rocks and put it in some gallery and call it art. But it’s
also easy. There is so much natural beauty in the world it doesn’t take much
some times. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b><span lang="EN-GB">You realized many works focused on Nature.
Which of these works do you consider ‘geologic’?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> Geology is in all of them I think. Some are
more specifically about water flow and even more about what’s natural and
what’s “simulated natural”. This is a paradox I exploit frequently. These terms
are being exploited is our culture, usually to expand real estate or fossil
fuel development. But I am not against growth but only to do it responsibly. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXY7NL5B14K0fea9a7Dmd0B0Izg0m1A1uVR8U1t4fyOtz2UHKUTnpFx6wFPIcutq8e4ys_xZ1RluMKlujC3asgidG2sgPo7PyTDoYEWIOiNKIIrxY96qTw3tzeEuDooxy5BFSqxJUcrjJR/s1600/The+Geology+of+the+New+Earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXY7NL5B14K0fea9a7Dmd0B0Izg0m1A1uVR8U1t4fyOtz2UHKUTnpFx6wFPIcutq8e4ys_xZ1RluMKlujC3asgidG2sgPo7PyTDoYEWIOiNKIIrxY96qTw3tzeEuDooxy5BFSqxJUcrjJR/s320/The+Geology+of+the+New+Earth.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'The Geology of the New Earth' by Jarod Charzewsky.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Geology appears also in your ‘The Geology
of the New Earth’. What media, what artistic metaphors have you used? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I like to use whatever I can find in the
clothing. I did a piece in Calgary
Alberta where I just happened to
get 54 baseball hats. Or in Raleigh
North Carolina I happened to find
238 men’s neckties. This is what helps link the work to the region where it’s
installed. Somehow, and I am not use how, but those neckties are an indication
of the societal condition of Raleigh
NC. I like the thought of that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">You made vast use of technology in your
‘Tides’. What do tides look like through kinetic sculpture?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> I like to use the concept of tides as a
metaphor for our changing landscape. It’s a poetic to think of the earth moving
(naturally and unnaturally) with time like a tide. Currently, I live right on
the Atlantic coast. Every time a storm comes through my favourite beach where I
surf is different in its shape as the entire beach is moved or completely gone.
It’s astonishing how fast it happens. Also the mining practice of mountain top
removal. It’s amazing to think that there are companies that can and will move
an entire mountain to extract the minerals within.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXut_Cl1Xxk3sm4FvbJ7RgT9ucLVFim3DmnQn9ce5LCaIwKjLjGBgmBWCxLbEKF3Drk_ucvJu_T1VLdT20xDpmv9C_vaHWp5VgG5PPHaH52_EGog01MwWIrqL-zeSzng60Bj8LmwoCqTPV/s1600/tides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXut_Cl1Xxk3sm4FvbJ7RgT9ucLVFim3DmnQn9ce5LCaIwKjLjGBgmBWCxLbEKF3Drk_ucvJu_T1VLdT20xDpmv9C_vaHWp5VgG5PPHaH52_EGog01MwWIrqL-zeSzng60Bj8LmwoCqTPV/s320/tides.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Tides' a kinetic sculpture by Jarod Charzewski.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">How important do you think it is for artist
to know about geology, and why?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I can’t say it’s important for all artists
in the same way that it’s not important for all artists to be familiar with the
figure, but it can be helpful. To know where your materials come from and how
they are made can be informative. I use a lot of plaster in the classes I
teach. And I talk a lot about where gypsum comes from and how it’s turned into
plaster. It informs what you make. The density of lumber in the past 10 years
has reduced due to younger trees being harvested. This effects the strength and
the weight of that you are building. We use plenty of iron ore and coke coal in
our foundry at the College
of Charleston. It helps
to understand how expensive it all is if you know where it’s transported from.
I guess it’s all about our natural resources and being aware of what it is that
you use.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">REFERENCES</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Lisle, R.J., Brabham, P., Barnes, J.
(2011). Basic Geological Mapping. Fifth Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Jones, C.G., Lawton, J.H., Shachak, M. (1994). Organisms
as ecosystem engineers. Oikos, 69: 373-386</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Winchester</span><span lang="EN-GB">, S. (2001). The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the
Birth of Modern Geology. Harper Collins, New
York</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Zimmer, C., Roach, M. (2011). Science ink:
tattoos of the science obsessed. Sterling,
New York</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-60723079394303717112012-05-19T15:43:00.000-07:002012-05-20T23:27:47.557-07:00Distilled Experiences <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In <a href="http://www.richardlong.org/" target="_blank">his website</a>,
the influent artist Richard Long says: “my intention was to make a new art
which was also a new way of walking: walking as art […] These walks are
recorded or described in my work in three ways: in maps, photographs or text
works, using whichever form is the most appropriate for each different idea.
All these forms feed the imagination, they are the distillation of experience”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The words of
Richard Long provide a link to geologists, ‘distillers of experience’ through the
act of walking. Indeed walking is the mean by which geologists record and
interpret the landscape, while distillations come in a wide variety of forms. Among
the commonest distilled experiences, geological field notes often provide
appealing visual material. In some cases, the
distinction between science or art is not obvious, such for the layers sketched
by Leonardo da Vinci and Giovanni Arduino. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2uSi-FjTbpRhADMDFtsuvUsKBAu5LYedajlvXhMX42aj9wXNEsEmH3v2TPWGZrzRLKTPiJlAK7TchJEHeD8GuvnAxhEO33tRKQAJe9q9TKYbYRnUUluDpXAb4HykNL2hBtRsLXRXFw-E/s1600/Leonardo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2uSi-FjTbpRhADMDFtsuvUsKBAu5LYedajlvXhMX42aj9wXNEsEmH3v2TPWGZrzRLKTPiJlAK7TchJEHeD8GuvnAxhEO33tRKQAJe9q9TKYbYRnUUluDpXAb4HykNL2hBtRsLXRXFw-E/s320/Leonardo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arno valley sketched by Leonardo da Vinci. Note the accuracy in drawing sedimentary layers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1Jn6Im8f_QmMxE0suQhvWwIvwjql5WnyQYOUnOY7vl7tR6z0pDSUp9JWMH1WueLI2e4QlTyqVbSG9rNLyW2eels7UsmktGnM94qJHC7k589w0RDGD5MtZfCfly-8bvQO2X1XYguQW4dd/s1600/Giovanni+Arduino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1Jn6Im8f_QmMxE0suQhvWwIvwjql5WnyQYOUnOY7vl7tR6z0pDSUp9JWMH1WueLI2e4QlTyqVbSG9rNLyW2eels7UsmktGnM94qJHC7k589w0RDGD5MtZfCfly-8bvQO2X1XYguQW4dd/s320/Giovanni+Arduino.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geological section realized by Giovanni Arduino in 1758.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Nevertheless,
geological maps are probably the most emblematic forms through which geologists
distil their field experience. Geological maps show the spatial distribution of
geological units with different colours, therefore they are usually rich in
structure and patterns. It is not a case that they are often part of vibrant
works of art. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">For instance, Nien
Schwarz used geologic maps in various artistic contexts. She used 55 grocery
bags made from geologic maps (‘From Legend to the Market’), tectonic maps
(‘Groundwork: an illustrated poem’), and hand-coloured geologic maps (‘Transpose’).
With the words of the artist (Baucon, 2009): “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Transpose</i> is a recent painting with map collage. It is constituted
by hand coloured geologic maps
1:67000 of the Northern Territory in Australia dating from
the 1960s. The
paint is made
with pure earth colours (no mixing of colours) – pigments
and rocks I have collected over the
years. I grinded
and sieved the rocks
and matched the
colours in the geologic map. This painting
is 2040 high
by 1240 wide and
70 mm deep.
It is made
on 2 house doors
covered in canvas
– doors as the
the literal and
symbolic threshold between inside
and outside – the divider between
nature and culture,
and desire and need.” </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvqU9dmg9Cy5ivC9Npj-MhfxFVHU3HuDIlLmzT_pkqcMXdCKS1-ITVSR7gJ8eSHdYCFgqae58JtuDRJ-m7D5rwGLxUPYn7wBSo-JzhK7seZ2-3QKp7VeSrqdaZlPEQg_KQUjC8RKdcRBP/s1600/Nien+Schwarz+From+Legend+to+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvqU9dmg9Cy5ivC9Npj-MhfxFVHU3HuDIlLmzT_pkqcMXdCKS1-ITVSR7gJ8eSHdYCFgqae58JtuDRJ-m7D5rwGLxUPYn7wBSo-JzhK7seZ2-3QKp7VeSrqdaZlPEQg_KQUjC8RKdcRBP/s320/Nien+Schwarz+From+Legend+to+Market.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nien Schwarz used 55 grocery bags made from geological maps for realizing her 'From Legend to Market'. Picture from <a href="http://www.nienschwarz.com/" target="_blank">nienschwarz.com</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Another
excellent example is the art of Chris Drury, who created various artworks by
weaving geological maps and topographical ones. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkKRW0tpWaraz_e3r8hpW_RkCp1D4wsg7Z_DkDMCdIdtiHgjwVRGDkYSxWx7jspdfRO3qU6erqY1cMJ5JL2HBAFCUQ_9hIGZOqfADA92kn5kBdzy6JnRM4mlclMyRDnmme9YU8L5pz-yA/s1600/Chris+Dury+On+the+Ground+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkKRW0tpWaraz_e3r8hpW_RkCp1D4wsg7Z_DkDMCdIdtiHgjwVRGDkYSxWx7jspdfRO3qU6erqY1cMJ5JL2HBAFCUQ_9hIGZOqfADA92kn5kBdzy6JnRM4mlclMyRDnmme9YU8L5pz-yA/s640/Chris+Dury+On+the+Ground+detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Particular of 'On the Ground, above and below Wyoming' by Chris Drury. Picture from the <a href="http://chrisdrury.co.uk/" target="_blank">artist's website.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc23YMNlRbYkr20zbm2E4kZ3f24hTHxTUGX7vJx5qr3uzVlyQK6j4pUXiJZ8KUE8RiYeMZr0zRQe7IsRpK0xSTBoEMTGtesqKPB5Zula7_5HaWeMZSjhbQOpqQNxIDkO9B8fzIPfB0f1Cg/s1600/Chris+Dury+On+the+Ground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvBFV6DjLV_LafCQNqmn_9cVmE5VAeNZSHoxG-dGt2ppxdB6GdVCnnlIwD2osxwMau1S3brZ8IlEeLz0_eDFQlMMxzp0yTbpVo5O5gtn1uWfgZ3OP84TQgY4s0ns_Ux_-Nz7ikawzNeue/s1600/Perdita+Phillips+Geologist+series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvBFV6DjLV_LafCQNqmn_9cVmE5VAeNZSHoxG-dGt2ppxdB6GdVCnnlIwD2osxwMau1S3brZ8IlEeLz0_eDFQlMMxzp0yTbpVo5O5gtn1uWfgZ3OP84TQgY4s0ns_Ux_-Nz7ikawzNeue/s400/Perdita+Phillips+Geologist+series.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the 'Geologist Series' by Perdita Phillips. Image from the <a href="http://www.perditaphillips.com/" target="_blank">artist's website</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> The mentioned examples
show clearly how artworks and geological maps are both distillation of
experience in the field. At this regard, Perdita Phillips artistically described the act of geological mapping in her ‘Geologist Series’. She
accompanied a field geologist in the Kimberly region (Australia) and
recorded the everyday tools and
practices of art and science. The artist was
interested “in the similarities and
differences between artists who
walked in the
field (i.e. walking as
an art medium)
and scientists who performed fieldwork” (Baucon, 2009). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Intriguingly,
this concept reconciles with the words (and the art) of Richard Long. According
to the principle of the ‘distillation of experience’, art and geology are languages
for describing the world. When I
interviewed Perdita Phillips on the subject, she gave an illuminating answer: “Imagine
two outstretched hands flat out in front of you that rub up against each other.
This is how I see art and science in
the field: their
practices are parallel and
sympathetic and ultimately
both aim to explain the world around them – the difference is in how the
observer is situated in the self-same world”.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6e1aDO0dlpg92NLyTgrOdjIM_yCVmK4AIO9qssZP-oFurpbQLX6KOjESEm5zilyVCw9GdtAqJroLPG_0a0yUp698yFKn06MZwCMPPwNYxYhntubR8glxWxTp7ubfLJdauD_ilRQtNcOO/s1600/Du-Noyer-Geological-Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6e1aDO0dlpg92NLyTgrOdjIM_yCVmK4AIO9qssZP-oFurpbQLX6KOjESEm5zilyVCw9GdtAqJroLPG_0a0yUp698yFKn06MZwCMPPwNYxYhntubR8glxWxTp7ubfLJdauD_ilRQtNcOO/s320/Du-Noyer-Geological-Map.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Du Noyer is among the authors of this geological map. Detail from <a href="http://www.geologicalmaps.net/irishhistmaps/index.cfm" target="_blank">IHM</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">This
interpretation is supported by the work of a 19<sup>th</sup> century geological
celebrity: Georges Victor Du Noyer. Field geologist and artist, Du Noyer
surveyed vast areas of Ireland
and produced accurate geological maps. At the same time, he described his study
areas through delicate watercolours, illustrating the beauty of many geological
structures. It is manifest that Du Noyer’s geological maps and artworks are the
distillation of the same experiences: geology and art are connected by a
vibrant line of continuity.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4kyh9-ldjExKzfudwQJwbMq0co8D7rCrF1qWvOOvVuASOWdzUv0MlOyb30gWUgBELUDlC2zIygfT2DjOZ5XcO8Zhl2zBGGafu-8RcSV6Q99L3Qkwa9g9z1JIEBSvKOZjQf-kveRNKGEZ/s1600/Du+Noyer+Dooneen+rock+Mallow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4kyh9-ldjExKzfudwQJwbMq0co8D7rCrF1qWvOOvVuASOWdzUv0MlOyb30gWUgBELUDlC2zIygfT2DjOZ5XcO8Zhl2zBGGafu-8RcSV6Q99L3Qkwa9g9z1JIEBSvKOZjQf-kveRNKGEZ/s400/Du+Noyer+Dooneen+rock+Mallow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolor by Georges Victor Du Noyer depicting folds in the Old Red
Sandstone. The outcrop is located near Mallow, in the same area of the
geologic map above. Image from the <a href="http://www.gsi.ie/Programmes/Heritage+and+Planning/Archives/Du+Noyer+Collection.htm" target="_blank">GSI website</a>.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">REFERENCES</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Baucon A., 2009. Geology in Art. An Unorthodox Path from Visual Arts to Music. tracemaker.com, 120 pages</span></div>
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<br /></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-58158395951872159142012-03-27T15:01:00.000-07:002012-03-28T10:27:07.981-07:00Patterns, Geology and Art: the Invisible Landscapes of Enrico Serpagli<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">“Geology is a science of connection to our
real environment, informed by the action of signs, a geosemiosis, that leads
investigators on a fruitful course of hypothesis generation”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">- Victor Baker (1999)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Keeping with Baker (1999), geological
reasoning is inextricably tied to the objects of investigation. However, earth
scientists are not only interested in geological objects, but in their spatial
and temporal distribution too. For this reason, pattern finding is of vital
importance for geologists. In fact, from the scale of the Benioff zone to the
minute details of microfossils, regularities are crucial for interpreting geological
processes. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Not surprisingly, geological eyes are
particularly sensitive to patterns, as beautifully expressed by the art of Enrico
Serpagli. Among the most influential Italian paleontologists, Enrico Serpagli
is also a specialist in finding aesthetic patterns within natural and
artificial objects.It is not a case that one of his exhibits
was entitled “Il Senso dell’Ordine” (“The Sense of Order”), including
astonishing patterns of colour and shape.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC9G3c3yufPxhcJQs6llR-u_pYxJKJYFA-YyZose5xVEpbelpEcPHKZhmOXLxWJk2Y0YpbacThhLmOtHGLstZ0J6wGoxquasNvxbr5knIGMyq_uvha65PcwexZtj6H7zOVeOMgGKm0s9u/s1600/foto_giulio_serpagli_041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC9G3c3yufPxhcJQs6llR-u_pYxJKJYFA-YyZose5xVEpbelpEcPHKZhmOXLxWJk2Y0YpbacThhLmOtHGLstZ0J6wGoxquasNvxbr5knIGMyq_uvha65PcwexZtj6H7zOVeOMgGKm0s9u/s400/foto_giulio_serpagli_041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patterns in the art of Enrico Serpagli. Photo from <a href="http://www.valtaro.it/mostra_senso_ordine/index.htm">valtaro.it</a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> However, the detailed photographs of the
artist are not mere recordings, but true visions of the invisible. This concept
is expressed in his new exhibit, “Paesaggi Invisibili” (“Invisible Landscapes”),
set in the historical town of Sassuolo (31 March
– 22 April 2012; Paggeria Arte, Piazzale della Rosa, Palazzo Ducale, Sassuolo, Italy).
Although the exhibit is not specifically devoted to geological themes, a
geological ‘invisible landscape’ from Yellowstone
is among the exhibited artworks. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">From an analytical point of view,
‘Invisible Landscapes’ offers the amazing possibility of seeing the role of
patterns for the geological artist. However, I prefer to be more emotional, and
the exhibit is a structured walk through the invisible lands of Enrico
Serpagli, the master of artistic patterns.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWKpIbnrqhA6Svhe_bTch0ySbNUu11RG5zH7qAU5F_xJqZgr2iaGhhsyyL8Q6q2wEU9HNsqkD4I37Choh2IFzdY5uagC_CyaRSOmXF_hwlvqpBmenq-E2L-dcYx86hYVXhlmmwnka4dEI/s1600/Yellowstone+enrico+serpagli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWKpIbnrqhA6Svhe_bTch0ySbNUu11RG5zH7qAU5F_xJqZgr2iaGhhsyyL8Q6q2wEU9HNsqkD4I37Choh2IFzdY5uagC_CyaRSOmXF_hwlvqpBmenq-E2L-dcYx86hYVXhlmmwnka4dEI/s400/Yellowstone+enrico+serpagli.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Invisible landscapes: geological processes photographed by Enrico Serpagli at Yellowstone.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">REFERENCES</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Baker, V. (1999). Geosemiosis. GSA
Bulletin, 111(5)</span></span></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-10816615911913872462012-01-10T16:22:00.000-08:002012-01-10T16:24:15.181-08:00Google meets Geoart!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Happy birdthday Nicolaus! </div>
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On occasion of his 374th birthday, Google devoted today's doodle to the pioneer of stratigraphy: Nicolaus Steno. The design is essential but elegant, and clearly refers to the law of superposition. Indeed Nicolaus Steno pioneered the idea that sedimentary layers are deposited in a time sequence, with the oldest at the bottom and the youngest at the top.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROHHTG3PTMbn049AlunswiZ0wvwKBVkOqJVUJWeY7aWwp2lErt4i282Ql1qvXNcYA675OsKLFHujoVUHCMQNEl7rS3P2IbSv2-ard_uOJDruNVvAvDhy2p_O7fvENRVpd-p0BcqRMC40P/s1600/google+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROHHTG3PTMbn049AlunswiZ0wvwKBVkOqJVUJWeY7aWwp2lErt4i282Ql1qvXNcYA675OsKLFHujoVUHCMQNEl7rS3P2IbSv2-ard_uOJDruNVvAvDhy2p_O7fvENRVpd-p0BcqRMC40P/s320/google+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today's doodle, devoted to NSteno</td></tr>
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Steno's doodle is very artistic, but Steno himself used the visual language to express geological knowledge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobGDVT4jQr4pcv1M2Ww8JkljKhGT-s5sLOw-bQo0T82BwwZLy9GUQ6b2MY0LFaqXfJlYtzZjEqrfn0aGtHTCUoWAmKn5RRa4HqHle6vdkf4xrrSeHJuvvED0bJmtm78woKBmx59MXX_Hv/s1600/stenone+toscana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobGDVT4jQr4pcv1M2Ww8JkljKhGT-s5sLOw-bQo0T82BwwZLy9GUQ6b2MY0LFaqXfJlYtzZjEqrfn0aGtHTCUoWAmKn5RRa4HqHle6vdkf4xrrSeHJuvvED0bJmtm78woKBmx59MXX_Hv/s320/stenone+toscana.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geological history of Tuscany, according to Nicolaus Steno. Image from <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Steno/steno5.php">Earth Observatory</a>.</td></tr>
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Infact, Steno's works are often accompanied by visual material, fundamental for communicating his geological theories. There are no better words than those of Rudwick (1976) to comment this phenomenon: "the development of a distinctive visual language was a striking feature of the emergence of geology as a new science, and it has continued to be a prominent feature of the discoursse of geologists ever since".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimT9b0xv8Nx2NRp1jeZGmeaGmaa6r5ZQwboMPZrzLhl6lWTrzHrFbmz-IACpKe5dWoomGwS3bapMcdq2UEwELajZ1BX6Lgyh15BDcnVRdW4obGRcdcCYveS7eGE931d6RM-TsfunYC1C13/s1600/Stenoshark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimT9b0xv8Nx2NRp1jeZGmeaGmaa6r5ZQwboMPZrzLhl6lWTrzHrFbmz-IACpKe5dWoomGwS3bapMcdq2UEwELajZ1BX6Lgyh15BDcnVRdW4obGRcdcCYveS7eGE931d6RM-TsfunYC1C13/s320/Stenoshark.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the formative years of geology, fossil shark teeth were named glossopetrae, or tongue-stones, and believed to have magical properties. Steno visually compared fossil teeth to recent ones, from the head of a modern shark.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
REFERENCES<br />
Rudwick, M. (1976). The emergence of a visual language for geological science.Hist. Sci., xiv: 149-195<br />
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<br />Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-23587630908141178822012-01-05T13:46:00.000-08:002012-01-05T13:46:56.662-08:00Paleoartistic Highlights on the Web<br />
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“The science of paleontology has always been inextricably tied to art.”<br />- Davidson (2008)</blockquote>
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<br />In 1995 Michael Brett-Surman, dinosaur collection manager of the Smithsonian, checked for damage after a pipe burst in the ceiling and discovered 1200 palaeontological illustrations on top of a specimen storage cabinet. After this manifestation of serendipity, the museum began to provide archival care for palaeontological illustration.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxzC6pR6sCBNtAIgtRDuanN6MbbY_RWTaSE_ua5p_8-AZjwAKVRiCG272IfYrm8uRjB19s5ReCVxs57WGyqCfGysyUed7zZzP44A_QToT2cFOXbv4yWJecn8a8cSkvzM3tTXO6-J0C40c/s1600/Image+-283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxzC6pR6sCBNtAIgtRDuanN6MbbY_RWTaSE_ua5p_8-AZjwAKVRiCG272IfYrm8uRjB19s5ReCVxs57WGyqCfGysyUed7zZzP44A_QToT2cFOXbv4yWJecn8a8cSkvzM3tTXO6-J0C40c/s200/Image+-283.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="http://paleobiology.si.edu/paleoart/">PaleoArt website</a> describes various artistic techniques.</td></tr>
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The paleoartistic efforts of the Smithsonian are expressed through a comprehensive website: <a href="http://paleobiology.si.edu/paleoart/">PaleoArt - Highlights from the Department of Paleobiology</a>. The website is divided in three sections, each of which is presenting different aspects of paleoart with numerous practical examples. The first section is organized around the historical collection of the museum, including a Triceratops by Charles Knight and numerous illustrations prepared under the supervision of the famous 19th century paleontologist Othinel Charles Marsh.</div>
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The second section is devoted to paper conservation, applied to the paleoartistic treasure of the Smithsonian. The last section deals with the creative techniques for palaeontological illustration. From graphite pencil to digital illustration, this section is very rich in content and gives the idea of the tremendous amount of work and knowledge for producing palaeontological illustration.<br />In conclusion, “<a href="http://paleobiology.si.edu/paleoart/">PaleoArt - Highlights from the Department of Paleobiology</a>” gives a very vivid impression of palaeontological illustration, its evolution, techniques and conservation. Definitely a must-click for the art and palaeontology enthusiast!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKDxeC3-IQaLUHpMUZRtgssoEag1cqz2r6y7YIm9Y_Mjuud5pTa0w9_JBtvqJjyJ4G2UIsfydGx-bB36avcyo-8lDud_yQaVVysI_M6ZcF6_N5FWiOO37YtPRegIniM0aA7-nySZSDxnA/s1600/Image+-284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKDxeC3-IQaLUHpMUZRtgssoEag1cqz2r6y7YIm9Y_Mjuud5pTa0w9_JBtvqJjyJ4G2UIsfydGx-bB36avcyo-8lDud_yQaVVysI_M6ZcF6_N5FWiOO37YtPRegIniM0aA7-nySZSDxnA/s320/Image+-284.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Smithsonian collection includes a wonderful painting by Charles Knight, comprehensively described in <a href="http://paleobiology.si.edu/paleoart/">the website</a>.</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>REFERENCES</b><br /><br />Davidson, J., 2008. A History of Paleontology Illustration. Indiana University Press, 2008<br />217 pp.<br /><br />See also:<br />Switek, Brian, 2009. [Review of A History of Paleontology Illustration]. Palaeontologia Electronica Vol. 12, Issue 1, R3; 2pp.; http://palaeo-electronica.org/2009_1/index.html</span><br />
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<br />Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-57800390038474869962011-12-22T11:05:00.000-08:002011-12-22T11:25:07.233-08:00A Wax Kaleidoscope for the Carboniferous<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
More than 300 million of
years ago, during the Carboniferous period, humongous insects and
gigantic amphibians populated vast, swampy forests. These
inextricable habitats originated vast deposits of coal – from which
the name Carboniferous – and, in much more recent times, they
inspired the creativity of artists.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Among the artworks
inspired by this geologic period, the wax habitats of Kenneth Parsons are
some of the most awe-inspiring creations. Abstract but
representational at the same time, these environments take the
visitor into the intricate atmospheres of the Carboniferous period.
Wax is the vehicle of chronological exploration and kaleidoscopic
patterns are its language. In fact, the artist created a geologic
narrative entirely sculpted in wax, and experimented with
illumination to obtain a totally immersive experience.
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
More in detail, there are
two Carboniferous forests - one is a wall in 'The Wax Room' which was
exhibited at the Edinburgh Festival and Wolverhampton Art Gallery and
one is a geodesic dome which was specially commissioned and
exhibited, as part of a tour called 'Forest' at York, Nottingham and
Newtown Art Galleries. The exhibition spaces were covered by thin
sheets of wax, permeable to light, designed in 30 years of work. <br />
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<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YqvlOg4xp1M?version=3&feature=player_detailpage">
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<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YqvlOg4xp1M?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object>
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<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
I interviewed Ken Parsons
about his peculiar and inspiring form of art.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>At what age did you
become an artist, and how did you know? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Made and painted a large
box when I was 15 but I suppose it all started when I was about 8. My
mother had to work so left me alone when I was off school with
asthma. We had some very old lead toy cars. I would light a fire in
the grate put the cars on a shovel and watch them melt into a
beautiful silver puddle – then I would pour the molten lead into a
glass of cold water and hey presto – lots of lovely shiny abstract
shapes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Wax sculpture is a very
peculiar form of art. What career path did you take to get to where
you are now? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Studied for a degree in
Geography at Exeter University, dropped out and taught myself.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>What inspired you to
create the Wax Room? What were your goals? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Love stained glass windows
– a room made of stained glass/wax seemed like something I would
really love to see…</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Why have you chosen a
Carboniferous Forest? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Mandala type designs can
easily be interpreted as trees and the wax comes from the
Carboniferous era so hey!</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP94ggG_2BFn1B44XZ8L6WPx2A-WxFda9FuYCFyEj__387qz4MsA0wCRW6kVIGUjqjqYo0D9CZA3kbjq8l3_Hx5Xh2UshGkTgQiotGlQYAlNeH4MShoUKiIjZCHy7baodhX6HGE3du4IF3/s1600/carbforest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP94ggG_2BFn1B44XZ8L6WPx2A-WxFda9FuYCFyEj__387qz4MsA0wCRW6kVIGUjqjqYo0D9CZA3kbjq8l3_Hx5Xh2UshGkTgQiotGlQYAlNeH4MShoUKiIjZCHy7baodhX6HGE3du4IF3/s320/carbforest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Particular of the Carboniferous Forest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Please give us some
insight on your journey in making this artistic project. </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Long hours (3000) tricky
problems to solve, 2 good fellow workers, scraping up money to pay
for it.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Carboniferous forests
are not the only geologic element inside the Wax Room. What is the
role of volcanoes and lava in your artwork? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
They are part of the
narrative from the big bang to the formation of the earth.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Sculpture, sound,
vision... Please explain the narrative of the Wax Room. </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
3 narratives – one a
philosophic concept of splitting and bringing together, another a
geography lesson for kids and another about the creation of the Wax
Room</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1dFVJzunazzSx0SB2Vzrvhhzf2WpHvM_SYiH311dl9nwC8z2PvoVXvK8tdGt5yoPof9J_JFI13INGMny2r_SCTzRoqoynmyUoKpCsLjlzVwxWOHs8NGvHfgxN5CyW-pOw48U48l6rA82/s1600/orangewhole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1dFVJzunazzSx0SB2Vzrvhhzf2WpHvM_SYiH311dl9nwC8z2PvoVXvK8tdGt5yoPof9J_JFI13INGMny2r_SCTzRoqoynmyUoKpCsLjlzVwxWOHs8NGvHfgxN5CyW-pOw48U48l6rA82/s320/orangewhole.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wax Room. Picture from <a href="http://www.thewaxroom.co.uk/">its official website</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Wax and Carboniferous
Forests are the axis of your “Wax Room” and “Wax Dome”. What
is the (emotional) role of these elements in your artistic
creativity? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Very forgiving and plastic
material, love gardening and nature.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>The Wax Dome: What
media, what artistic metaphors have you used? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Time in a day and
stretching through countless days.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>What is the concept
behind the Wax Dome? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Rebirth of the dead
material in wax to glow again with the light of the sun that created
it.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5voPRMFOyDoM5D7f1mnDPVVNtlypcnXo_rQOMQHwTSZG_Q_0jtILtQKO47HP9s4QCSXb91-oE7hSraL97-BjQEQ4futCkrEk-YTeSLhx6hR00Nx2e9B5AW_mjuGa-s-SKPbQlxwU81l3/s1600/yorkdome2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5voPRMFOyDoM5D7f1mnDPVVNtlypcnXo_rQOMQHwTSZG_Q_0jtILtQKO47HP9s4QCSXb91-oE7hSraL97-BjQEQ4futCkrEk-YTeSLhx6hR00Nx2e9B5AW_mjuGa-s-SKPbQlxwU81l3/s320/yorkdome2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A review of the Wax Dome, from <a href="http://www.thewaxroom.co.uk/">the official website</a>.<a href="http://www.thewaxroom.co.uk/"></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.thewaxroom.co.uk/"><br /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>The Wax Dome as an
experience: is it a progression or a static experience? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Progression through a day
in the Carboniferous era using different lighting.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Do you think your work
reflects a specific fractal look? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Mandalas are a favourite
Jungian motif and his concept of the collective unconscious is
reflected in the connectivity in fractal patterns in say leaves and
deltas, ammonite shells and galaxies.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>How important do you
think it is for artists to know about geology? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Just as important as any
knowledge</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>What projects are you
working on now, and what do you have in line for the future? </b>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.spectrawaxlighting.co.uk/">Lampshades </a>and trying to
find homes for the Wax Room and the Wax Dome.</div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-82512547285340610872011-11-16T04:39:00.001-08:002011-11-23T12:21:53.036-08:00Dinosaurs invade the Visconti Castle<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLgybXVgKB1MSxpm33s8y_OEpBEd1E_Ln0EL4UalT9omienOW9tBEIBAqz1IVOIBT5DVwJYvopcm2Pm_sW9zyyBrPeaH05FaHb7BehR0CdsCZEtpbKH-feRHDoz5uoxIQhRs8qBvBvlTK/s1600/the+first+fossil+hunters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLgybXVgKB1MSxpm33s8y_OEpBEd1E_Ln0EL4UalT9omienOW9tBEIBAqz1IVOIBT5DVwJYvopcm2Pm_sW9zyyBrPeaH05FaHb7BehR0CdsCZEtpbKH-feRHDoz5uoxIQhRs8qBvBvlTK/s320/the+first+fossil+hunters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The cover of 'The First Fossil Hunters' by Adrienne Mayor.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">"</span><span lang="EN-GB">The First Fossil Hunters" (Mayor, 2001) is one of the best books to
explore the wonders of ancient palaeontology. The first edition of this rich
historical portrayal starts with a gorgeous cover: the Corinthian vase painting
commonly known as the “Monster of Troy”. This fine work of art – dating back to
the sixth century B.C. – depicts Hesione and Heracles, fighting against the
legendary monster that appeared nearby Troy.
A question might arise: “What is the link between Heracles and palaeontology?”</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Intriguingly, the artist depicted the
monster with atypical features: the monster protrudes from a rocky cliff, it has a hollow eye socket with a ring
of bony plates, it presents a clear jaw articulation and it is rendered with a
pale pigmentation. In other words, the “Monster of Troy” was inspired by a
fossil skull protruding from an outcrop, as confirmed by the rich fossil fauna
of the Mediterranean coast (Mayor, 2001). </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Fossils have fascinated artists not only
in classical times. Many Renaissance naturalists depicted fossils and their
pioneering work is the base of Earth sciences as conceived today. Despite these
notable examples, it was only in the 19th century that the reconstruction of
extinct animals entered its modern era. At that time one of the masters of
paleontological illustration was Édouard Riou (1833-1900), well-known for his
direct collaboration with Jules Verne. Riou, a former pupil of the famous engraver
Gustave Doré, illustrated both fictional and scientific works (Rudwick, 1995).
His style has been called “realistic Romanticism” (Marcucci, 1956), and we
cannot but agree when admiring the illustrations in Flammarion’s <i>Le Monde Avant
la Création</i> de l’Homme and Figiuer’s <i>La Terre Avant le Déluge</i>. In that same
period other excellent artists were producing palaeontological illustrations,
among which James Beard, Mary Mitchell and Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAqxFuVaMFgpCzbRtKyrYjeIRa9Fwnv2KsocKr3Qw-40oA2bILF3y6R0X2mMbAk9xB7VOMqjAA-ED_dGyOtObrJjeiU6B8Awdl6tDDA9iW2bKs7NGONIgIfvp0CgNa9wlFnDJ8A0V2ou1/s1600/Iguanodon_Crystal_Palace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAqxFuVaMFgpCzbRtKyrYjeIRa9Fwnv2KsocKr3Qw-40oA2bILF3y6R0X2mMbAk9xB7VOMqjAA-ED_dGyOtObrJjeiU6B8Awdl6tDDA9iW2bKs7NGONIgIfvp0CgNa9wlFnDJ8A0V2ou1/s400/Iguanodon_Crystal_Palace.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Iguanodon </i>and many others sculptures by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins are still preserved at Sydenham Hill (South London). Photo by Wikimedia Commons.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Hawkins’s name is intimately linked with
the Crystal Palace,
the building originally erected in Hyde Park (London) to house the Great Exhibition of
1851. After the Exhibition the building was moved to Sydenham, and it was suggested
to decorate the Crystal
Palace park with
reconstructions of dinosaurs.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">This episode marks one of the most
successful, ephemeral and famous marriages between geology and art. The
well-known palaeontologist Owen was the project’s scientific coordinator; Waterhouse
Hawkins was chosen as the sculptor. At the end of 1853, Hawkins, who had
already completed several dinosaurs, had a bizarre idea: he organized a gala
dinner inside a dinosaur. A sculpted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iguanodon</i>
was prepared for the event; the back of the reptile hosted a
dining room, with a large table, chairs and chandeliers.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"> The <i>crème </i>of British geology was invited
to the dinner, which was a great success. According to contemporary newspapers,
in 1854 Crystal Park was visited by Queen Victoria, who greatly appreciated the
dinosaurs (for more on the dinosaurs of Crystal Palace
see the excellent Ruggieri, 1975).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI8nYCbZFodCmO8skKS2L48RoIvLs6bWS4kEZOLzHYgSA8xTfR9FI6-_F265gF7QlxlyQPG8CKhLcAsqF8lHbNvS5qnjze-3Ie2Guj9qylpLIkepQK9sl5bYc5Hx7T5txOOf95jswgpa4/s1600/Crystal_palace_iguanodon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI8nYCbZFodCmO8skKS2L48RoIvLs6bWS4kEZOLzHYgSA8xTfR9FI6-_F265gF7QlxlyQPG8CKhLcAsqF8lHbNvS5qnjze-3Ie2Guj9qylpLIkepQK9sl5bYc5Hx7T5txOOf95jswgpa4/s400/Crystal_palace_iguanodon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The famous gala dinner inside a sculpted </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Iguanodon</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: paleoart in the 1850s.</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Recently, a modern equivalent of the Crystal Palace was hosted by the Visconti Castle (Pavia,
Italy), an
awe-inspiring fortified structure built by Galeazzo II Visconti in 1360. In fact, the
travelling exhibition <i>Dinosauri in Carne ed Ossa </i>("Dinosaurs in the Flesh")
colonized the park and the arcades of the ancient building. The exhibit emerged
from the collaboration between palaeontologists </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Simone Maganuco, Stefania Nosotti), artists
(under the umbrella of <a href="http://www.geomodel.it/it/" target="_blank">GeoModel</a>) and an active palaeontological association
(<a href="http://paleofans.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">APPI</a>, represented by the palaeontologist Alessandro Carpana).</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I must
admit that I already visited a previous installation of the show, located at the
Urban Center of Piacenza. I was really impressed by the quality of the Piacenza exhibit, therefore I went to Pavia to document this
amazing cross-pollination between art and science. Between a photographic report and
a personal diary, here are my impressions of the exhibit.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAGxwND3tU5d1fN_lqPwOYXO_qaa1tPoKqxz8R-lxtEgEZOc95HxrreZewfcO1Cj5auXWfW9hM4mtyKrA1vDgUjM-J9p2HdCJIAg9QUFZexDLJQbbouCZA17CGL25R0lqA0QIoQCtaidn/s1600/dinosauri_in_carne_ed_ossa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAGxwND3tU5d1fN_lqPwOYXO_qaa1tPoKqxz8R-lxtEgEZOc95HxrreZewfcO1Cj5auXWfW9hM4mtyKrA1vDgUjM-J9p2HdCJIAg9QUFZexDLJQbbouCZA17CGL25R0lqA0QIoQCtaidn/s640/dinosauri_in_carne_ed_ossa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the highlights of 'Dinosauri in Carne ed Ossa'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span>“Dinosauri
in Carne ed Ossa” was centered around several life-size models of prehistoric
animals, covering a time span from Palaeozoic to Quaternary. Scientific panels
explained the scientific background behind the sculptures, excelling for their
aesthetic appearance. Indeed the prehistoric creatures appeared very dynamic and vividly
coloured, with very detailed textures.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdu8cEccIefjNR4oaSsje51vBy8xx2dBq1WpCKSixREKQSvaVHQPe8ZivM6JC08Oxl3n-Yb0ys4fnv-A1QO3YjbS6zcMe89b6495jEaeq7EVfF0Meo1M_3z4oMl7qDPnVPcGYVpE3LHOL/s1600/Immagine-032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdu8cEccIefjNR4oaSsje51vBy8xx2dBq1WpCKSixREKQSvaVHQPe8ZivM6JC08Oxl3n-Yb0ys4fnv-A1QO3YjbS6zcMe89b6495jEaeq7EVfF0Meo1M_3z4oMl7qDPnVPcGYVpE3LHOL/s400/Immagine-032.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What would Hawkins say if he had seen this haptic interface?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Alessandro Carpana explained me the innovative
techniques used to sculpt the models. </span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In fact, several reconstitutions were realized with the Clay Tools system. This </span><span class="main">system includes an
haptic device, that is a a true 3D joystick with force feedback. This technology enables artists to use their sense of touch to create virtual clay models.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> In other words, d<span lang="EN-GB">igital sculpting at its
best. In other cases, traditional <i>maquettes </i>(scale models)<i> </i>were digitalized by 3D laser
scanner.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Both techniques resulted in a digital 3D model, succesively sculpted at 1:1 scale by rapid
prototypying equipment. Then, artists applied <i>labor limae</i>: textures, fine details and colors.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Nevertheless,
these artistic and technical aspects would be mere appearance without an accurate scientific
approach. As concerns this aspect, the models are very accurate. It is not a case that Jack Horner – one
of the leading vertebrate palaeontologists of our times – officially
supported the exhibit and presented several events linked to it.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It is worth
to note that the exhibit gave a great allocation of space to paleoart. Infact “Dinosauri
in Carne ed Ossa” presented several panels with the work of leading Italian
paleoartists, from Davide Belladonna to Fabio Pastori, from Troco to
<a href="http://prehistoricminds.it/" target="_blank">Prehistoric Minds</a>, a team devoted to palaeontological illustration.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmGmLKinOtiJIGBPn2az4W9Vf408vuIiwR9FgAlwS1xtIMP0rP7C3nmBTdE6w7NaRtVD1no9KPHNctMS_PFDeT_XtEVs6h01ZZfKkSdO5Qd28aOmqUPHsst68RSIUXlvB-74toHRwK_tg/s1600/Immagine-039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmGmLKinOtiJIGBPn2az4W9Vf408vuIiwR9FgAlwS1xtIMP0rP7C3nmBTdE6w7NaRtVD1no9KPHNctMS_PFDeT_XtEVs6h01ZZfKkSdO5Qd28aOmqUPHsst68RSIUXlvB-74toHRwK_tg/s320/Immagine-039.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNqhDVc97k4SwGb_6fq3mPcHyoWmm8AK1xkYyCZ8BpAROBZvObAln-lWVSdZH73HiuDruqqhH50wwiDZHW6q7Bxxmj0AEqeUIjUU9H_PMT3MSuQ6yixXPMLQxdNA0IFI3Vbg8oPBENb9-/s1600/panel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNqhDVc97k4SwGb_6fq3mPcHyoWmm8AK1xkYyCZ8BpAROBZvObAln-lWVSdZH73HiuDruqqhH50wwiDZHW6q7Bxxmj0AEqeUIjUU9H_PMT3MSuQ6yixXPMLQxdNA0IFI3Vbg8oPBENb9-/s320/panel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvwU4IJtFQqYaWaNUAfMnKKz46TLA0RkYNYivz9UTwDoQgq7cGKu-Qg4Edj7WfeIv81hWG-xklvcqCtEKwJX5LlP2OjeYj_qHRdOdS5gYGJrt8CFfh2dAHEjZ7Utvve7l-Vzc-fKEvUKZ/s1600/swxededw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvwU4IJtFQqYaWaNUAfMnKKz46TLA0RkYNYivz9UTwDoQgq7cGKu-Qg4Edj7WfeIv81hWG-xklvcqCtEKwJX5LlP2OjeYj_qHRdOdS5gYGJrt8CFfh2dAHEjZ7Utvve7l-Vzc-fKEvUKZ/s320/swxededw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Paleoart played a significant role in the exhibit: from techniques to materials, from themes to artists.</span></div>
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Many events accompanied 'Dinosauri in Carne ed Ossa'. Among others, palaeoartists Troco and Lukas Panzarin discussed about palaeontological illustration, and the palaeontologists Andrea Cau and Alessandro Carpana dealt with the cultural heritage of Jurassic Park, </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpayOstX9r9bbkmPQov-klvtdEk8tKA6XG6rWiTXrKJsi91y8NkQrLtE4AmqgZoiOU1WnrnoaKD3FwlALwz_P8a-qF2S-aydq3FGzoxYGyaqH-oXyOJCjUY_TN2EBF00eYXZeyzZHLh1X/s1600/Immagine-058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpayOstX9r9bbkmPQov-klvtdEk8tKA6XG6rWiTXrKJsi91y8NkQrLtE4AmqgZoiOU1WnrnoaKD3FwlALwz_P8a-qF2S-aydq3FGzoxYGyaqH-oXyOJCjUY_TN2EBF00eYXZeyzZHLh1X/s320/Immagine-058.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paleoartists Troco and Lukas Panzarin held an interesting conference about palaeontological illustration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This exhibit is surely a must-see for the art and palaeontology enthusiasts. However, after Piacenza, Cormayeur and Pavia, where will be the next installation? I will conclude this issue with a scoop: rumours say
that “Dinosauri in Carne ed Ossa” will be held very soon in Florence, the city which saw the activity of Leonardo da Vinci - <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/06/origins-of-geology-between-art-and.html">artist, naturalist and pioneer of palaeontology!</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEZF_QHtHmeoJCBXEPb61a7_ZkKr3aRnqQGq1HZF3hW0vbyJGX-FasADPnaSgcDUZfndaN_f9YwSJb9Cr4diyevadTyn8dt0Okkq48zWnlBmHRQyYIzQrCt0X_4a7yVfpZUVPp9dNGrYR/s1600/entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEZF_QHtHmeoJCBXEPb61a7_ZkKr3aRnqQGq1HZF3hW0vbyJGX-FasADPnaSgcDUZfndaN_f9YwSJb9Cr4diyevadTyn8dt0Okkq48zWnlBmHRQyYIzQrCt0X_4a7yVfpZUVPp9dNGrYR/s640/entrance.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When dinosaurs ruled the Visconti Castle of Pavia... See you soon in Florence!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDn-pIzn19UFmY8-hRujeFksSmhIYYkZuE5GMO7Uzq3RuoAkpyTldE75IfLjvbG0P9oGQZPZ0QD4bi4Ey_esEvERybDbWWc1Di0lfw4MStFDf2yIV-vjwazxfxy2j2T3cbTTqXzfohV5o/s1600/indrico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDn-pIzn19UFmY8-hRujeFksSmhIYYkZuE5GMO7Uzq3RuoAkpyTldE75IfLjvbG0P9oGQZPZ0QD4bi4Ey_esEvERybDbWWc1Di0lfw4MStFDf2yIV-vjwazxfxy2j2T3cbTTqXzfohV5o/s320/indrico.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...well, not only dinosaurs!</td></tr>
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REFERENCES</div>
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<span style="font-family: ErasITC-Light; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ErasITC-Light;">Marcucci,
E.,1956. Les Illustrations des Voyages Extraordinaires de Jules Verne.
Bordeaux: Ed. Société Jules Verne, pp. 18–19.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: ErasITC-Light; font-size: 9pt;">Mayor,
A. 2001. The first fossil hunters - paleontology in Greek and Roman times.
Princeton Press, 361 pp.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: ErasITC-Light; font-size: 9pt;">Rudwick,
M.J.S. 1995. Scenes from Deep Time: Early Pictorial Representations of the
Prehistoric World. University Of Chicago Press, 294 pp.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: ErasITC-Light; font-size: 9pt;">Ruggieri,
G. 1975. La scoperta dei fossili – il romanzo della paleontologia. Arnoldo
Mondadori Editore, 122 pp.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yqGl2xK6OvpSDv4QK0y2xPVCbzU85OBODL0d2Q-AS32r_RAug4uzdfcOYKSxRVmgsQU-zCmxD0V3aKRmS7wy2LuXohXloFIWRjdMO06mQnug8wKcsce7DO_LVEdp8Zf2-5oq9-IqDa67/s1600/arthro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-52770382895985952582011-11-07T02:36:00.000-08:002011-11-07T02:52:18.341-08:00Links<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">By the end
of 1990, Sir Timothy Berners-Lee had developed the first web server, web
browser and web pages. Nowadays, after more than 20 years of World Wide Web,
hyperlinks are so pervasive to be invisible to the eyes. We are used to
directly follow a reference to a document as a way to access information.</span></div>
<div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However,
today I felt the power of (hyper)links.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Climate
researcher Brandon Murphy was part of the Coldigioco scene, a uniquely vivid
scientific and geoartistic environment; for this reason he found this blog, since
I had published <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/12/coldigioco-geological-observatory.html">a post </a>about this geoartistic school. Then he came across <a href="http://visualnews.com/2011/10/28/the-japanese-eathquake-hiroshima-in-3d">an article</a>
about Luke Jerram, an artist who produces sculptures of 3D renderings of
seismographs, and signaled it to me.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">That’s a
linked information sharing!</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGqfWvA-Cf5AislVjB9tHQCR-DBXTSWHaEYBr2DvMKS4kL81yob4XmjZLTKeOmREQS00sJIzPzl0cxRWgfla-djebCDm6Er69gbm5dEsGz1yA1uB9z4K2yReQ64Nkd2zougOsbaPx7q9M/s1600/seismograph1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGqfWvA-Cf5AislVjB9tHQCR-DBXTSWHaEYBr2DvMKS4kL81yob4XmjZLTKeOmREQS00sJIzPzl0cxRWgfla-djebCDm6Er69gbm5dEsGz1yA1uB9z4K2yReQ64Nkd2zougOsbaPx7q9M/s400/seismograph1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPUmNUMaDv0n4r2YQ28au5o3evJ20yQ1lMisrwJUQO5rjZLzaZXttTXHiX14_MaQOTiX_cE7ie1OoiCB-dvHltARRaKXjMuMg3ZqoITihbeq4uoO7VoJO-am5PbCjxheJlXnqi0sSbQ3_/s1600/Earthquake_sculpture_Jerram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPUmNUMaDv0n4r2YQ28au5o3evJ20yQ1lMisrwJUQO5rjZLzaZXttTXHiX14_MaQOTiX_cE7ie1OoiCB-dvHltARRaKXjMuMg3ZqoITihbeq4uoO7VoJO-am5PbCjxheJlXnqi0sSbQ3_/s400/Earthquake_sculpture_Jerram.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seismogram of the 2011 <span lang="EN-US">Tōhoku earthquake and its sculptural expression by Luke Jerram.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">One of the most impressive
sulptures by Jerram was made to contemplate the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and
tsunami in Japan.
According to the <a href="http://www.lukejerram.com/">artist’s webpage: </a></span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“To create the sculpture a
seismogram of the earthquake, was rotated using computer aided design and then
printed in 3 dimensions using rapid prototyping technology.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
This technique could be defined the tactile counterpart of geologic sonification, mastered by Alessandro Montanari, one of the main figures of the Coldigioco environment. Again, links.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-62697832392573804882011-10-19T06:04:00.000-07:002011-10-19T06:06:36.500-07:00From musical to technological fossils<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Fossils are
not only palaeontological objects, but evocative cultural symbols.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">For instance,
the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns wrote <i>The Carnival of the
Animals</i>, a musical suite of fourteen movements, among which ‘fossils’. </span><span class="st" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The sharp, vibrant </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">sound </i><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">of the xylophone represent magnificently the
idea of fossil bones, analogously to </span></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre. Indeed the composer had a parodical intent, and alluded to many popular themes of his own times: </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Twinkle
Twinkle Little Star, <i>Au clair de la lune</i>, <i>J'ai du bon
tabac</i>, <i>Partant pour la Syrie</i>, as well as Rossini's <i>Una voce poco fa</i>.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As </span><span class="addmd" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hazel Gertrude Kinscella wrote in her <i>Music and Romance</i>, “</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saint-Saëns </span><span class="addmd" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">took the opportunity
to ridicule certain too-well known (as he asserted) melodies both of his own
and other’s writings”.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Melodies as musical fossils.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: x-small;">The 'musical fossils' of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: x-small;">Camille Saint-Saëns.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">I<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">n more recent times, a contemporary artist embraced the same concept. In fact, Christopher Locke 'fossilized' some technological artifacts of our recent times, including a </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="accent" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">cassette tape, a walkman and a Nintendo controller. The artist used binomial nomenclature to refer to his own creations (i.e. the walkman is named <i>Ambulephebus sonysymphonia)</i>.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFk5ZaomoxfEtHVl86TPjq6qQMVYCwmRVREe4nAng4UBK63Xkdc-Sm82GGldjODzd5w3rP7qcRyPXKNbX0o1gmmrStJoYOikkZcxyiTGYBVOgA24LjTpZ-tZab_H4zn1gabG3aQasdA07D/s1600/cassetta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFk5ZaomoxfEtHVl86TPjq6qQMVYCwmRVREe4nAng4UBK63Xkdc-Sm82GGldjODzd5w3rP7qcRyPXKNbX0o1gmmrStJoYOikkZcxyiTGYBVOgA24LjTpZ-tZab_H4zn1gabG3aQasdA07D/s320/cassetta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="accent">Asportatio acroamatis, </span></i><span class="accent">a modern fossil by Christopher Locke</span><i><span class="accent">.</span></i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQt5Of8c2y0_Hrev9JBT7f58VbRTD1orQzg4udefqE9TuTSAZhn03BA7nblRMbsuoQFSrpJyMn5hAeNINx4NL8NEtZCl4mq_Me9I69hHZ-evZoCpfOBCxyvzq-Dj6XcmAAGbw7SE8Zpwh/s1600/floppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQt5Of8c2y0_Hrev9JBT7f58VbRTD1orQzg4udefqE9TuTSAZhn03BA7nblRMbsuoQFSrpJyMn5hAeNINx4NL8NEtZCl4mq_Me9I69hHZ-evZoCpfOBCxyvzq-Dj6XcmAAGbw7SE8Zpwh/s320/floppy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern fossils: Locke's <br />
<div id="artwork_title">
<span class="accent"><i>Repondicium antiquipotacium</i>, or the 3.5'' floppy disk.</span></div>
</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> With the words of Locke himself: “These are
modern fossils. They are made from actual archaic technology that was once
cutting-edge.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDt-PnHu34atR8ML1grstvZSwIStVCRlIylvd1rMHxecghTvvyYDvboXs3hfMiAo9Enji8qkTLWC8lf-dwpzmSraUwqYIPlSb7WcWCV6wpCrnBqiKghfmKp_dXBq6WYZiESRgGAr31AJdv/s1600/telefono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">“Most
people attribute the shortened lifespan to aggressive predators or accelerated
evolution, but this is not necessarily true. It has been shown recently that
the true demise of most of these specimens came from runaway consumerism and
wastefulness at the high end of the food chain”.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Modern fossils are a paleobiological metaphor realized with a very special process. According to <a href="http://heartlessmachine.com/section/79989_Modern_Fossils.html">the website of Christopher Locke</a>, "these items </span><span style="font-size: small;">are reproduced in a proprietary blend of concrete and other secret
ingredients, giving them the look and feel of real stone fossils".</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDt-PnHu34atR8ML1grstvZSwIStVCRlIylvd1rMHxecghTvvyYDvboXs3hfMiAo9Enji8qkTLWC8lf-dwpzmSraUwqYIPlSb7WcWCV6wpCrnBqiKghfmKp_dXBq6WYZiESRgGAr31AJdv/s1600/telefono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDt-PnHu34atR8ML1grstvZSwIStVCRlIylvd1rMHxecghTvvyYDvboXs3hfMiAo9Enji8qkTLWC8lf-dwpzmSraUwqYIPlSb7WcWCV6wpCrnBqiKghfmKp_dXBq6WYZiESRgGAr31AJdv/s320/telefono.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rotary dial telephone, or<i>, </i>according to Locke's nomenclature,<i> </i><span class="accent"><i>Deferovoculae circumdactylos</i>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50q7_I-JJdQVk65V21WNq7jcxVnAbqfg_LYNIsz_HBBTT6BjQpA3rcIkuX2U6TM0bFspmxKF2ZGsnU4FO4LeXbQ8IdSRw2N2Dh__4w7WlSiLrxGB01rGY_ytNGx6yCsxbZh5dv_J2G7hr/s1600/atari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50q7_I-JJdQVk65V21WNq7jcxVnAbqfg_LYNIsz_HBBTT6BjQpA3rcIkuX2U6TM0bFspmxKF2ZGsnU4FO4LeXbQ8IdSRw2N2Dh__4w7WlSiLrxGB01rGY_ytNGx6yCsxbZh5dv_J2G7hr/s320/atari.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="accent">Hilarofustis atarium: </span></i><span class="accent">the Atari joystick, fossilized by Christopher Locke.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-28816180221115549842011-10-04T03:21:00.000-07:002011-10-04T03:21:36.926-07:00The Mineralogical Record Museum of Art<blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">What happens to us</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Is irrelevant to the world’s geology</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But what happens to the world’s geology</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Is not irrelevant to us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">We must reconcile ourselves to the stones,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Not the stones to us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">[…]</span><b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b><span lang="EN-GB"></span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">- Hugh MacDiarmid</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Hugh MacDiarmid, one of
the leading poets of the Scottish Renaissance, had an intellectual fascination
for geology. Born in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">burgh</i> of
Langholm in 1892, MacDiarmid often celebrated the aesthetical and conceptual
beauty of geological objects. This aspect fiercely emerged in his volume </span><i>Stony
Limits</i> (1934), where he described dense geological landscapes: <b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -12pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -12pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">
</span></div>
<blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">All is lithogenesis—or
lochia, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Carpolite fruit of the
forbidden tree, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Stones blacker than any
in the Caaba, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Cream-coloured
caen-stone, chatoyant pieces, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Celadon and corbeau,
bistre and beige, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Glaucous, hoar,
enfouldered, cyathiform, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">[…]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -12pt;">
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">- Hugh MacDiarmid, <i>On a Raised Beach (to James H. Whyte)</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84M_JokSom0kk9h4Oky8q1Bi0Q__bXDS4L0VTpSYZz6Z1ue4KaXwjWCU4yKiGZ6VA4f5yNDM0ulq4iITwv_8IGnLhe40ll7T6-pmDcKnw_2KLE_zk4A0EWzzuFb__CK_2vYoO8Gn1fSg4/s1600/399px-Fair_Isle_-_West_cliffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84M_JokSom0kk9h4Oky8q1Bi0Q__bXDS4L0VTpSYZz6Z1ue4KaXwjWCU4yKiGZ6VA4f5yNDM0ulq4iITwv_8IGnLhe40ll7T6-pmDcKnw_2KLE_zk4A0EWzzuFb__CK_2vYoO8Gn1fSg4/s320/399px-Fair_Isle_-_West_cliffs.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shetland Islands. Photo by Dave Wheeler.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Probably MacDiarmid’s ‘metaphorical geology’
derived from his long travel to Shetland Islands.
As Lyall (2006) says: “The poem [On a Raised Beach] drew genuine sustenance
from the 1933 geological survey of Shetland conducted by GV Wilson, whose
five-strong team included Thomas Robertson, with whom MacDiarmid became
friends”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Despite his poetic uniqueness, MacDiarmid is
not the only poet fascinated by geology. From Wolfgang Goethe to May Kendall, literature had been populated by geologic
imagery since remote times. Still nowadays, poetry finds successful application
in mineralogical teaching: “A high school earth science teacher and a college
education professor team-taught a lesson to ninth graders on using poetry to
learn about minerals” (Rule et al., 2004).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Visual arts particularly register the aesthetic
recognition of minerals, prized objects of beauty. This aesthetic fascination
is wonderfully represented by <a href="http://www.minrec.org/artmuseum.asp">the Mineralogical Record Museum of Art</a>, a remarkable
example of the relationship between mineralogy and art. I interviewed Wendell
Wilson, editor-in-chief of the Mineralogical Record and curator of the museum.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">1. Tell us about your professional and
scientific background.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I carried a double major of Art and Geology for
my undergraduate (B.S.) degree at the University of Minnesota.
I had always been an artist while growing up, and had been a mineral collector
since age 10, so I loved both fields. I finally decided that it would be easier
to earn a regular income as a geologist than as an artist, so I went on the get
my PhD in Mineralogy. When the offer to take over editorship of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mineralogical Record</i> magazine came in
1976, I jumped at it because a good science magazine is both an artwork and a
scientific document; so I’ve been able to follow both of my passions. In my
spare time I do mineral and mining-related artwork, primarily to please myself,
and it sells very well, but I don’t have to do it to put food on the table. The
artist Peter Max called that “creating from purity.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">2. How was the Mineralogical Record
Art Museum born? What was
the catalyst?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Mineralogical
Record Art
Museum is entirely virtual. When we expanded our
website about 10 years ago I wanted to add various kinds of free content, so I
had our webmaster design the Art Museum section. It is wonderful to be able to
add unlimited content at no cost. Of course, I have daydreams about a real,
physical museum like the one facetiously pictured on the Art Museum home page –
but that’s actually a picture of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.</span><br />
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOZWfz00XUkYk2gGeXXtXmSJwGG7XziWR8elytN8CE26gHYBSg_fuDVLvr-PVFpCm8dAUgxhQ-iuTFTeTxe5mgwx_kWIfEpT_k2tOhRNIG39g2EUfeEu9KpMzKmFXA3rbVUGynrCBjyxf/s1600/robinson-4-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOZWfz00XUkYk2gGeXXtXmSJwGG7XziWR8elytN8CE26gHYBSg_fuDVLvr-PVFpCm8dAUgxhQ-iuTFTeTxe5mgwx_kWIfEpT_k2tOhRNIG39g2EUfeEu9KpMzKmFXA3rbVUGynrCBjyxf/s400/robinson-4-l.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan Robinson, geologist and artist, painted the mysterious beauty of a copper mine (Robinson, <i>In the Copper Queen Mine</i>; from the <a href="http://www.minrec.org/artmuseum.asp">Mineralogical Record Museum of Art</a>).<b> </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b><span lang="EN-GB">3. How is the museum organized on an
architectural and logistical level? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Art Museum has two departments: Mineral Art
and Mining Art. Both are of interest to mineral collectors (our main
constituency at the Mineralogical Record), especially field collectors who have
the experience of collecting in mines and underground workings. The mineral art
(the primary focus of the Art Museum) consists almost entirely of portraits of
individual specimens. The mining art consists of various mining scenes. Each department
has a drop-down menu allowing you to select a particular artist. That takes you
to the artist’s first page, containing a brief biography of the artist, and the
first eight of his artworks. By clicking to successive pages you can seen more
of his artworks, eight at a time. In the case of my own section, a total of 111
of my own artworks are pictured. If you click on the small thumbnail version of
an artwork you can see a larger image.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIf3rdiHF_j6M23Oqu6PCji8ttQlv9vVGmfzyUz_Q2myFxMVM9b20RvGH5IBXa-3PmGlxZA1cadOLw45uPC5t8Yw2ZVmE5p_HYKXiq-0bDTwSFafSHfJkccQzZ8s5Z8PO65cqLo-TKX23r/s1600/misc-02-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIf3rdiHF_j6M23Oqu6PCji8ttQlv9vVGmfzyUz_Q2myFxMVM9b20RvGH5IBXa-3PmGlxZA1cadOLw45uPC5t8Yw2ZVmE5p_HYKXiq-0bDTwSFafSHfJkccQzZ8s5Z8PO65cqLo-TKX23r/s320/misc-02-l.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">The <a href="http://www.minrec.org/artmuseum.asp">Mineralogical
Record Museum of Art</a> provides extensive resources about mining art. The image shows a fired-clay tablet (ca. 575 B.C.) depicting miners at work. The tablet was </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;">excavated at Penteskuphia
(near Corinth, Greece), </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhtyRdziJv86rKbyxhhdsPP_FyX68lWcWrHqmY-dqSVjstKTO6yWTMA03aral1cVe4_SytQbZ2M-0kFI9L5UMXh8j_PmcDqfkm2h3lVeSIqxwB62j9gJa0srkvfmHYEKl59nkHZtRtFTW/s1600/ritz-01-l-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhtyRdziJv86rKbyxhhdsPP_FyX68lWcWrHqmY-dqSVjstKTO6yWTMA03aral1cVe4_SytQbZ2M-0kFI9L5UMXh8j_PmcDqfkm2h3lVeSIqxwB62j9gJa0srkvfmHYEKl59nkHZtRtFTW/s320/ritz-01-l-.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Der Mineraloge </i>[the Mineralogist] by Raphael Ritz.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span lang="EN-GB"> 4. How many people make up your staff?</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Just myself and our webmaster, at least as far
as the Art Museum is concerned. The magazine has a larger staff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">5. How did you select the artists involved? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The standard is that artworks depicted must be
of sufficiently high quality that they could hang in a real museum of fine art
and not look amateurish or out of place. Although I certainly encourage the
work of beginning and intermediate artists, the Art Museum is only for artists
who have achieved a professional level of skill.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">6. What do you think is the commonality between
the artists represented and what is the main differentiating quality?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">All of the (mineral) artists have a personal
passion for minerals, and this is what seems to drive their creative process.
Art is all about selecting, emphasizing and showing the rest of the world the
particular kind of beauty that appeals to the artist. Mineral artists come in
two types: scientific illustrators and fine artists – the second type being
rarer. Scientific illustrators strive for a kind of photographic accuracy, sometimes
insisting on a reproduction scale of 1:1, but one in which the important
physical aspects of the subject are subtly made easiest to see and understand.
Fine artists take it to another level, using mineral specimens to create
fine-art compositions and effects; sometimes the minerals they depict are
actually fictitious specimens.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhtyRdziJv86rKbyxhhdsPP_FyX68lWcWrHqmY-dqSVjstKTO6yWTMA03aral1cVe4_SytQbZ2M-0kFI9L5UMXh8j_PmcDqfkm2h3lVeSIqxwB62j9gJa0srkvfmHYEKl59nkHZtRtFTW/s1600/ritz-01-l-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpKo8MfHfj4RN1fXNcCf7-DrG07QlNhyphenhyphenJ09UQz8kTXTgjszWg97bUj_rUhcR-49iCCeojmgpWjMpfncJLJVXFFS_78QO5xP8FrLRwPx3pn_Q_lErIoRom9RT9ZYXWUtABRE0gXWYnyecc/s1600/gemwoman-01-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpKo8MfHfj4RN1fXNcCf7-DrG07QlNhyphenhyphenJ09UQz8kTXTgjszWg97bUj_rUhcR-49iCCeojmgpWjMpfncJLJVXFFS_78QO5xP8FrLRwPx3pn_Q_lErIoRom9RT9ZYXWUtABRE0gXWYnyecc/s320/gemwoman-01-l.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15th century painting, showing a miner. From the <a href="http://www.minrec.org/artmuseum.asp">Mineralogical Record Museum of Art</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">7. Can you walk us through some of the museum's
highlights?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Conrad Gesner (1516-1565) produced the first
series of engraved illustrations of mineral specimens in a book published in
the last year of his life. We have that book, in pristine condition, in the
Mineralogical Record Library, and it is a thrill to page through it looking at
the oldest surviving mineral illustrations. For me, one of the highlights of
the Art Museum is the work of Leroy de Barde (1777-1828). He painted a highly
detailed representation of an 18th-century mineral cabinet. The painting is
accurate enough for scientific illustration but transcends that genre to become
first-rate fine art. More recently, Claus Caspari (1911-1980) published a fine
series of color mineral specimen portraits that really brought more public
recognition of mineral art. Among the living artists, Eberhard Equit and
Hildegard K</span><span lang="EN-GB">ö</span><span lang="EN-GB">nighofer rank among the best; both are hard-core scientific illustrators
of tremendous skill.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xM3bN6pThySnHribWmAdlx1VONYWmqoB1M06pHWmNyE-a6UJOBSR5QACFuR2P1RIUgUrG0AtDYvpaO7wbdO9egUyz83vcS3fNXAxW15e2OzOvom2Oq443S_SwvnH6fXOreGu1IiRRaBF/s1600/barde-1-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xM3bN6pThySnHribWmAdlx1VONYWmqoB1M06pHWmNyE-a6UJOBSR5QACFuR2P1RIUgUrG0AtDYvpaO7wbdO9egUyz83vcS3fNXAxW15e2OzOvom2Oq443S_SwvnH6fXOreGu1IiRRaBF/s400/barde-1-l.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leroy de Barde, Minerals in Crystallization. From the <a href="http://www.minrec.org/artmuseum.asp">Mineralogical Record Museum of Art</a>.<b> </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">8. What is one of your favorite pieces in the
museum and why?</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">That’s a tough question, because I love so many
of them. And it is somtimes hard to separate one’s appreciation of the art from
one’s attraction to the specimen itself. But one of my favorites is Eberhard
Equit’s painting of a cluster of brilliant blue sapphire crystals. I like the depiction of the gemminess -- and
the specimen itself is exactly the kind of thing I like to collect.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQzPqXYKagpqotG5L5See2cPDk3XyQNjcy4MnMZ2JuGSuZqc_P48i3UtQy2sUc6Z1QbqCUxOQsE-_SrfSTcJhH-z7LAJ0pemvxP1x1vji07KkV2WGyzZIiVCPCuN0r6YvpL0VDiIPOD5T/s1600/equit-01-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQzPqXYKagpqotG5L5See2cPDk3XyQNjcy4MnMZ2JuGSuZqc_P48i3UtQy2sUc6Z1QbqCUxOQsE-_SrfSTcJhH-z7LAJ0pemvxP1x1vji07KkV2WGyzZIiVCPCuN0r6YvpL0VDiIPOD5T/s200/equit-01-l.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ebherard Equit's sapphire. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">9. Let us consider the path between the oldest
and the most recent painting in the Mineralogical
Record Art
Museum. How would you say that mineralogical art
has evolved over time?</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Mineral art has not really evolved much, if at
all, since the 16th century. The goals have always been the same, and it was
just a matter of the medium chosen by the artist (engraving, watercolor, oil,
etc.) in combination with the artist’s skill and the selection of subjects
available to depict. Mineral enthuiasts 400 years ago loved minerals for most
of the same reasons we do today.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">10. According to your experience with the
Mineralogical Record Art Museum, is there an audience for Geologic Art?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Well, there is certainly a market for it,
primarily among well-funded mineral collectors. The best artists working today
get plenty of commissions, and their work sells for good money, in the
thousands of dollars per painting. One painting by a living mineral artist
recently changed hands between a couple of collectors for $35,000, so there is
a genuine appreciation of mineral art as real fine art.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">11. Where to next for you? How do you think the Mineralogical Record Art Museum
will evolve in the future?</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I don’t expect that it will change much. We’ll
continue to add new artists who are good enough, but they don’t come along too
often. The Art Museum’s primary benefit is that it provides a focus for the
widespread community of mineral artists, and a place where interested viewers
can get a sense of perspective on the history and breadth of the subject. We’re
satified with that accomplishment, as formerly there was no place, no book, no
website, where a person could go to learn about mineral art in detail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuPRWlj1O0SKT-GP0Nc-uAKLfz2cGpTHYX2mn55tLGqi5Ilvh0BBU6DVmOhrWomchzFV9BcfmZR2caayRWn0pAPl4VQ4rLq8M0i035rWervssJ3nceNB_BNhHHyo13vZK_AbI2kaXfPWg/s1600/wilson-104-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuPRWlj1O0SKT-GP0Nc-uAKLfz2cGpTHYX2mn55tLGqi5Ilvh0BBU6DVmOhrWomchzFV9BcfmZR2caayRWn0pAPl4VQ4rLq8M0i035rWervssJ3nceNB_BNhHHyo13vZK_AbI2kaXfPWg/s320/wilson-104-l.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wendell Wilson himself is a skilled mineralogical artist. From the <a href="http://www.minrec.org/artmuseum.asp">Mineralogical Record Museum of Art</a>.<b> </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">12. Why are minerals beautiful?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The question of what constitutes beauty has
tantalized philosophers for a long time. There is really no explaining it,
because it is such a deeply human thing. I think some minerals showing fresh,
clean colors and rich transparency tap into an ancient mental program for
seeking out fresh fruit to eat, but then how do you explain the beauty of black
minerals? The appreciation probably comes from many directions. Mineral
crystals have an architectural quality based on their crystal structure at the
atomic level, and it is wonderful to see all the ways that structure can
manifest itself in shape and appearance. To those of us who love minerals and
are fascinated by them, and have been since the first time we saw one, it seems
to be an appreciation that we were born with.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">REFERENCES</span></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Lyall, S.
(2006). Hugh MacDiarmid's poetry and politics of place: imagining a Scottish
republic. Edinburgh
University Press p. 200</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Rule A.C.,
Carnicelli, L.A.,
Kane S.S. (2004). Using Poetry to Teach about Minerals in Earth Science Class.
Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 52, n. 1, January, p. 10-14</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-14429695931467361782011-10-03T00:30:00.000-07:002011-10-03T00:31:32.992-07:00Art or Science? Geology!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkb5JO6ga_wGVIJNWyzQVlAeijRzeSbG_mfBJso_A7SojqEhyhobYIa9hzUe8KfyezlLtVmCcYwvO_ON-Lb8_LYnMI-hYxN1vI_y8PGwRkvi83Fhu9-KhNEe146rXP9FM-4TpVg1Q1W-Nt/s1600/arte+o+scienza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIf2md-9Ul9KYykYPJkLy_QaPiWneqRz7NIeWO0ocVF5RH-L0bkiCkxTp5AdJ3VNCG32fTe5YeNzot9WNuwfR0fv4MVHnK9pwNEsbO5sDEuxBhxjcQHFa_bEBFiRI519iXPKs25ufzCnL/s1600/arte+o+scienza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIf2md-9Ul9KYykYPJkLy_QaPiWneqRz7NIeWO0ocVF5RH-L0bkiCkxTp5AdJ3VNCG32fTe5YeNzot9WNuwfR0fv4MVHnK9pwNEsbO5sDEuxBhxjcQHFa_bEBFiRI519iXPKs25ufzCnL/s640/arte+o+scienza.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkb5JO6ga_wGVIJNWyzQVlAeijRzeSbG_mfBJso_A7SojqEhyhobYIa9hzUe8KfyezlLtVmCcYwvO_ON-Lb8_LYnMI-hYxN1vI_y8PGwRkvi83Fhu9-KhNEe146rXP9FM-4TpVg1Q1W-Nt/s1600/arte+o+scienza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Arte o Scienza </i>('Art or Science') is a photographic contest supported by the University of Trieste. It aims to build awareness of scientific culture and promotes the relationship between Art and Science.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Building on the success of the previous editions, the 2011 competition featured <a href="http://www2.units.it/brain/ArteScienza/ArteOScienza2011/index2011.html">numerous entries and diverse themes.</a> Geology had a pervasive role: 2 artworks by Bernardo Cesare were exhibited at giant size in Trieste (Italy)! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_bbHuZdsDZ1Isi7qCrSXyGnhKoD5m45LXqA-bydEWYMEDpmBfYiD6zjES8kdlYtmrQ3W7E6IkfICjY5etOHBPGVfbCOc1VWEKm-EqidO3xrvgSCosle3qbj1pqlhyphenhyphen-fJcrpAhprMAvzK/s1600/arte-o-scienza-cesare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_bbHuZdsDZ1Isi7qCrSXyGnhKoD5m45LXqA-bydEWYMEDpmBfYiD6zjES8kdlYtmrQ3W7E6IkfICjY5etOHBPGVfbCOc1VWEKm-EqidO3xrvgSCosle3qbj1pqlhyphenhyphen-fJcrpAhprMAvzK/s400/arte-o-scienza-cesare.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A petrographic photograph of Bernardo Cesare, exhibited at large size in the roads of Trieste. For a more detailed analysis of Cesare's creative process, check out <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2011/02/microscopic-landscapes-of-bernardo.html">his interview</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNIIjjxkpbc-sBptwT0H6JLS1K1yAxWgzrF6jtMPl9poOZP0OOWlCbe8IIakskBKC4Bdc_mUMtCoQOD1188BFG0qRXlU04EkoifY2XC3bbCRfsQtX9c8h6saUWt-rcQMiXgx_nUyTgwpK/s1600/Carbonio-ed-Energia-%2528Cesare%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNIIjjxkpbc-sBptwT0H6JLS1K1yAxWgzrF6jtMPl9poOZP0OOWlCbe8IIakskBKC4Bdc_mUMtCoQOD1188BFG0qRXlU04EkoifY2XC3bbCRfsQtX9c8h6saUWt-rcQMiXgx_nUyTgwpK/s320/Carbonio-ed-Energia-%2528Cesare%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A granulite in all its magnificence!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Besides the gigantic petrographic photographs, other geologic photographs were selected and exhibited at the Art Hall of Trieste (Sala Comunale d'Arte). </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hFll7Tzz9_Bx65A5QMMA1luc6LvczDOkDvyT3vZ627VBU46xY8folVvizTBIjqZux0LsvKTsVRdsPkl4P01hCq0Qxgf3qDxnBar_4BOvzHdByHvjDwk266lw8TJaG6Yus149xv1K8VKE/s1600/Energia-tettonica-%2528Baucon%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hFll7Tzz9_Bx65A5QMMA1luc6LvczDOkDvyT3vZ627VBU46xY8folVvizTBIjqZux0LsvKTsVRdsPkl4P01hCq0Qxgf3qDxnBar_4BOvzHdByHvjDwk266lw8TJaG6Yus149xv1K8VKE/s400/Energia-tettonica-%2528Baucon%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried my luck with this close-up: it's tectonic art!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Waiting for the 2012 edition, it is possible to see the scientific photographs at <a href="http://www.comune.pordenone.it/eventi/scienzartambiente">Scienzartambiente </a>(Pordenone, Italy, 12-16 October 2011).</div>
Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-78504960400862409402011-09-22T10:45:00.000-07:002011-10-03T00:33:07.667-07:00Music from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Björk<div lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is one of the most impressive geological features of our planet. Extending for more than 40,000 km, it represents one of the major tectonic boundaries of the Earth. In fact, at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge humongous volcanic phenomena form new crustal material, separating different tectonic plates.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCR3pn6SoaqDhed6AvBvojR5icIVjILIwhhMBdVcUwb1YB4nRIUiHD1sIfrbUulmR-WFloYeqOhigP9anOzY1jhHfIXsbVA-QMirx31awort6qBtUORnmgUAti54gjC-6N9nfWVeKrzOF/s1600/Atlantic_Ocean_surface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCR3pn6SoaqDhed6AvBvojR5icIVjILIwhhMBdVcUwb1YB4nRIUiHD1sIfrbUulmR-WFloYeqOhigP9anOzY1jhHfIXsbVA-QMirx31awort6qBtUORnmgUAti54gjC-6N9nfWVeKrzOF/s320/Atlantic_Ocean_surface.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Atlantic Ocean is characterized by an underwater mountain system (the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) longer than 40,000 km. The Mid Atlantic Ridge has an important geological significance as it separates the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South American Plate in the South Atlantic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIO53McMdx8WZL1atGoeAIKmP_aFnOotR2EbO2pLAvtHx3fB8MBsdoHkJoKzOrGzdL2OrGX-zXZmxOIjmID0GJ31ChWj08Qy9yJLaO7e82rWW1st7RoMni3kAuDKH-PncXjXWuAEAEuU99/s1600/Iceland_Mid-Atlantic_Ridge_Fig16.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIO53McMdx8WZL1atGoeAIKmP_aFnOotR2EbO2pLAvtHx3fB8MBsdoHkJoKzOrGzdL2OrGX-zXZmxOIjmID0GJ31ChWj08Qy9yJLaO7e82rWW1st7RoMni3kAuDKH-PncXjXWuAEAEuU99/s200/Iceland_Mid-Atlantic_Ridge_Fig16.gif" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relationship between the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Iceland.</td></tr>
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Unfortunately for geologists, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is usually placed at considerable dephts, preventing direct observations. In this regard, Iceland represent a unique place because it consists of a segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above the ocean surface.</div>
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Björk is another phenomenon that erupted from the wild geological landscapes of Iceland.</div>
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Known for her eclectic musical style and a distinctive voice, Björk is among the most enduringly popular musician of modern times.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdwa6mLEdIEcwjq1jHjLAVzJt8qiBwswSV2x2E16qmysUqJyFlcWQ9yzDXJgtoyoYWST4GBzAdmm22JeT3kn8W9VrImjsDB6SHysVRRNBUdScCLEgH8rBgC8FBCzF6IQmBEIkRIT_TWbh/s1600/biophilia_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdwa6mLEdIEcwjq1jHjLAVzJt8qiBwswSV2x2E16qmysUqJyFlcWQ9yzDXJgtoyoYWST4GBzAdmm22JeT3kn8W9VrImjsDB6SHysVRRNBUdScCLEgH8rBgC8FBCzF6IQmBEIkRIT_TWbh/s320/biophilia_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cover of Biophilia. From <a href="http://www.bjork.com/">www.bjork.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">It makes no surprise that an artist born on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge realized geological music. Indeed Björk recently released Biophilia, a musical project including strong geological references. In particular, 'Crystalline' portrays an aethereal mineralogical universe. The video features crystal growth and a meteor shower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Crystalline </i>video. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aOGXxrBmStjfKYrMdeH5EEoap9znTnQz5ssAOvGmVidivSLIfcfQHp330RLOCN8S74Rb8etTBjxgmDXhll310q6dE8n9875NRbS8jFSOCisFdYzDFtPCRB_9Km4go6ZDbIXFH46IIG2v/s1600/crystalline3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aOGXxrBmStjfKYrMdeH5EEoap9znTnQz5ssAOvGmVidivSLIfcfQHp330RLOCN8S74Rb8etTBjxgmDXhll310q6dE8n9875NRbS8jFSOCisFdYzDFtPCRB_9Km4go6ZDbIXFH46IIG2v/s200/crystalline3.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crystalline </i>app. From <a href="http://liftlab.com/think/nova/">Pasta&Vinegar</a>. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Analogously to the other tracks of Biophilia, Crystalline is accompanied by an interactive application. IPad lovers can plunge into a geometric world, somehow reminescent of the celebrated videogame Rev.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Nevertheless, there is even a more explicit geological reference in Björk's new album: Mutual Core. It is a geological hymn narrating the inner mechanisms of our planet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Mutual Core includes strong references to the homeland of Björk, the emerged segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge:</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I shuffle around</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> The tectonic plates</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> In my chest</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> You know I gave it all</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Try to match our continents</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> To change seasonal shift</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> To form a mutual core</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> As fast as your fingernail grows</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> The Atlantic Ridge drifts</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> To counteract distance </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> - Björk, <i>Mutual Core</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">At the Befestival 2011, Björk performed a live version of <i>Mutual Core</i>, including amazing visuals. The visual performance dramatically shows continental drift in action: tectonics and paleogeography in art.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Björk performing <i>Mutual Core</i>. The lyrics and the visuals are explicitely geological.</span></div>
Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-42816863159917496002011-09-20T12:33:00.000-07:002011-09-20T12:33:10.963-07:00A Geological Theory of Painting: John Ruskin's Modern Painters<blockquote><div lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“[The laws of the organization of the earth] are in the landscape the foundation of all other thruths – the most necessary, therefore, even if they were not in themselves attractive; but they are as beautiful as they are essential, and every abandonment of them by the artist must end in deformity as it begins in falsehood”</div></blockquote><div></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: right;">- John Ruskin, <i>Modern Painters</i>, vol. 2, pp. 1-2</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i>Modern Painters</i> is an art treatise written by John Ruskin between 1843 and 1888. Primarily written as a defense of the English painter J.M.W. Turner, it influenced an entire generation of painters. Indeed, as Worthington Whittredge wrote, it “was in every landscape painter's hand” (Wagner, 1988). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ruskin argued that modern painters were superior to the previous ones (the so-called 'Old Masters'). With Ruskin's words: “</span></span>there is […] a greater sum of valuable, essential, and impressive truth in the works of two or three of our leading modern landscape painters, than in those of all the old masters put together [...]; while the unimportant and feeble truths of the old masters are choked witih a mass of perpetual defiance of the most authoritative laws of nature".<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books.google.it/books?id=JhwqAAAAYAAJ&dq=ruskin%20old%20masters&pg=PA75&ci=117%2C959%2C723%2C209&source=bookclip"><img src="http://books.google.it/books?id=JhwqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75&img=1&zoom=3&hl=it&sig=ACfU3U1V-mm0XtmbgQPtTtrk6NohGkeSBQ&ci=117%2C959%2C723%2C209&edge=0" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">John Ruskin , (From: Modern Painters, Volume I</span>, page 75).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
As witnessed by the initial quotation, Ruskin regarded geology as the foundation of all other 'truths' of painting, namely the truth of tone, colour, space, skies, water and vegetation. An early interest in Earth Sciences explains his 'geological' theory of painting. Ruskin collected many of his geologic observations in his geologic treatise, the Deucalion, but he also simplified geological concepts for artists (Wagner, 1988). This aspect emerges from a letter to Charles Eliot Norton:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“[...] I'm afraid of coming in this way, and go on at once to say that I can't let you have my mountain chapters. I'm going to add them, and publish with notes, not as part of the Deucalion, but as the geology of Modern Painters”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Ruskin had an important influence on landscape painters, and still nowadays he is considered one of the leading intellectual figures of the Victorian era.<br />
Ruskin founded his own school of art (the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, known as The Ruskin) under the umbrella of the University of Oxford. Moreover, John Ruskin had proficient contacts with eminent artists of the Victorian era. For instance, he spent the summer of 1853 with the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Milias. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDuBUyVgAe_2c95w1lUtEYx_JJlJIu1mZZkt2IWEYYHP8Uvgz3C-VmYO3AaMDGaRfI2M1ebFKr-xl8L4YS928ioqX7mKkwzqFzVd1LEdkAEFobyNqFbyxyI2YhNi-syJbBCgwyN-WPRcr/s1600/Millais_Ruskin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDuBUyVgAe_2c95w1lUtEYx_JJlJIu1mZZkt2IWEYYHP8Uvgz3C-VmYO3AaMDGaRfI2M1ebFKr-xl8L4YS928ioqX7mKkwzqFzVd1LEdkAEFobyNqFbyxyI2YhNi-syJbBCgwyN-WPRcr/s320/Millais_Ruskin.jpg" width="273" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHihA0rqoJs642devIQZ9pcJrfGIf1eGVFX-dbGIigHm_HSVKsE0DeD4sIXWG8YjuiDFTqndYO0XgdGg13vY1499kLhzAn9a-2hiOo_mYdzLo1AzSgrLMcB4xfyn4rX-AfRoGZ8cIp1N4l/s1600/Study_of_Gneiss_Rock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHihA0rqoJs642devIQZ9pcJrfGIf1eGVFX-dbGIigHm_HSVKsE0DeD4sIXWG8YjuiDFTqndYO0XgdGg13vY1499kLhzAn9a-2hiOo_mYdzLo1AzSgrLMcB4xfyn4rX-AfRoGZ8cIp1N4l/s320/Study_of_Gneiss_Rock.jpg" width="182" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Ruskin spent one summer at Glen Finglas (Scotland) with the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Milias, who painted a portrait of Ruskin himself (left). On the other hand, Ruskin relized his <i>Study of a Gneiss Rock</i>.</span></div><br />
In her brilliant paper 'John Ruskin and Artistical Geology in America', Virginia Wagner (1988) writes: “Landscape painters selectively applied Ruskin's theories and approach in three ways: by painting rock studies, by delineating the geological consistency of the earth, and by interpreting the scenes in Ruskinian terms”.<br />
In fact Ruskinian theories had an important role on the art of Frederic Edwin Church, who was a central figure in the Hudson River School (Wagner, 1988). As mentioned <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/11/geological-observatory-of-coldigioco.html">in a previous post</a>, the Hudson School <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">deeply involved geology in its scientific and artistic expression. </span>Among others, Ruskin influenced Frederic Durand, painter and amateur fossil collector, and David Johnson, Arthur F. Tait, Charles Herbert Moore and William Trost Richards (Wagner, 1988).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MudJbyfW7cTQLQ8JGSL0xC47u6iEoX7S3_AItlxM_BYF6lsjR8hyphenhyphenKkitEjY2PtfjQrRnrVuSrh1jRgpSQjT7ZAH5rtI2bYhyphenhyphenfY63VZe2_G4rQonXIA5ekCcQitKQeJuS0WCWyMsR8JqB/s1600/Eruption_at_Cotopaxi_Frederic_Edwin_Church.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MudJbyfW7cTQLQ8JGSL0xC47u6iEoX7S3_AItlxM_BYF6lsjR8hyphenhyphenKkitEjY2PtfjQrRnrVuSrh1jRgpSQjT7ZAH5rtI2bYhyphenhyphenfY63VZe2_G4rQonXIA5ekCcQitKQeJuS0WCWyMsR8JqB/s400/Eruption_at_Cotopaxi_Frederic_Edwin_Church.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frederic Church, <i>Eruption at Cotopaxi</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">REFERENCES</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Wagner, V.L. (1988). John Ruskin and Artistical Geology in America. Wintherthur Portfolio, vol. 23 (2-3)</span></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-61744727726435614712011-03-15T06:18:00.000-07:002011-03-15T06:18:35.997-07:00GeoArt on National Geographic!<div style="text-align: justify;">In the <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2011/02/microscopic-landscapes-of-bernardo.html">past issue</a> I asked Bernardo Cesare "What are your dreams as an artist and a geologist?". Bernardo answered: "the dream of dreams is an article in National Geographic..."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">His dream come true! </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Click <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.it/fotografia/2011/03/15/foto/fotografie_minerali-227848/1/">here </a>to access to the National Geographic page celebrating his geologic artworks!</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1376249337"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfP4yyE3K3sEtU_OWd-ybOj5E5a7FnbTLQHAYY0JWhAX8TM1dgoMiBWUx-HvdFu55GTNHrDh_-4uwTDXupEkiG235VTtoztBek1GtBo7qhRZbqjfkQ6FEVZcKmt40MlxfHwQX-Mif_vmG/s400/Bernardo+Cesare+on+National+Geographic.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernardo Cesare featured on<a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.it/fotografia/2011/03/15/foto/fotografie_minerali-227848/1/"> the National Geographic</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-12460363110679598422011-02-26T04:31:00.000-08:002011-02-26T06:12:26.867-08:00The Microscopic Landscapes of Bernardo Cesare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote>It is an old canon of art, that every scene worth painting must have something of the sublime, the beautiful, or the picturesque. By its nature, photography can make no pretensions to represent the first, but beauty can be represented by its means, and picturesqueness has never had so perfect an interpreter.<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12pt;">—</span></b> Henry Peach Robinson</blockquote><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Is photography art? Since the early days of photography, this question has puzzled intellectuals and photographers. Henry Peach Robinson, best known for pioneering photomontage, advocated for photography to be regarded as an art form. Nevertheless, many intellectuals argued that photography was the mechanical reproduction of an image and, consequently, they casted doubt on its artistic nature.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The binomial aspect of photography – technical and artistic – emerges from its application to the Earth Sciences. In fact geoscientists have used cameras to document and illustrate geological features since the 19th century.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1859, Abramo Massalongo and Mauritius Lötze were among the first to use photography in paleontology. The Geological Magazine reviewed enthusiastically the work of Massalongo and Lötze: “The delicate cream coloured matrix offers such a strong contrast to the bright rich iron stained fossil remains that a better series to submit to the art of the photographer could hardly have been chosen”.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Geological Magazine discusses about the application of photography to paleontology.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">In the same years, Timothy H. O'Sullivan, one of the most influential photographers of the 19th century, pioneered the use of photography during geological fieldwork. O’Sullivan was invited to join the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, an epic geological survey under the directorship of Clarence King, art critic and geologist (founder of the United States Geological Survey). From 1867 to 1869, O’Sullivan’s camera accompanied adventuresome geologists exploring the wilderness of the Western American landscape. O’Sullivan celebrated the spare beauty of these remote areas, and at the same time documented their geological features.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-ONddPBrkzVLGQm_znvWvCDWELrFOVqipjnmq88n0ZjdTgJt2NKXeA9cXsE6OZimaLGl6vnqM2wuRP2_jxZn_ox8HfK7PBy8zzAodzEMLuMPMnrsqc-qUg5UrKbuPPi1V-dyWrqCJl11/s1600/Clarence_King_Shoshone_Canyon_and_Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-ONddPBrkzVLGQm_znvWvCDWELrFOVqipjnmq88n0ZjdTgJt2NKXeA9cXsE6OZimaLGl6vnqM2wuRP2_jxZn_ox8HfK7PBy8zzAodzEMLuMPMnrsqc-qUg5UrKbuPPi1V-dyWrqCJl11/s640/Clarence_King_Shoshone_Canyon_and_Falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timothy O'Sullivan photographed the scientists of the "Geological Exploration of the Fourteenth Parallel" while surveying the Shoshone Canyon (Idaho). The majestic Shoshone Falls are in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaw_5M0bfqY5jY_R_-Mh0okuAiDlLt1OceHhcBksZWxLY2XEZGFmKqsCc_kh9sE9pHHKL_UOrgp4Uvf_xzwl8urNV33cOERzL23_uOd95qwIUV5CPzLNXNWRI8VCnh2GZPoSf2xesmnlo/s1600/3d+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaw_5M0bfqY5jY_R_-Mh0okuAiDlLt1OceHhcBksZWxLY2XEZGFmKqsCc_kh9sE9pHHKL_UOrgp4Uvf_xzwl8urNV33cOERzL23_uOd95qwIUV5CPzLNXNWRI8VCnh2GZPoSf2xesmnlo/s640/3d+falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During its service at the U.S.Geological Survey, O'Sullivan realized stereoscopic pictures to give the illusion of<br />
3D depth...more than 140 years before James Cameron's Avatar!<br />
The image shows the Shoshone Falls. From the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/4295374795/in/photostream/">Library of Congress photostream.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The leap from Massalongo’s fossils to O’Sullivan’s canyons involves a notable scale jump. Nevertheless, geological processes act even on a wider scale range: from canyons to microscopic crystals. In the variegated scenario of contemporary photography, there is a special place to fill this scale gap: Padua. In this nice Italian city, there is a geologist able to understand continental clashes from minute crystals and, at the same time, he can translate microscopic landscapes into art. I went to Padua and I have got a very interesting talk with him: Bernardo Cesare, the artistic petrographer.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YDw2CVdCBYaF1me6CTtuCylSXsjZlxAj84X1DlEf55wXSpNXak95ZhYuhbhjUWtmzZu8fehUeaZZghJfxVSddize5QS4NF7TV7jRdVYYtVqFn9uqNX1cpHorWEX-qvaB3ic4RLvoRcgS/s1600/Bernardo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YDw2CVdCBYaF1me6CTtuCylSXsjZlxAj84X1DlEf55wXSpNXak95ZhYuhbhjUWtmzZu8fehUeaZZghJfxVSddize5QS4NF7TV7jRdVYYtVqFn9uqNX1cpHorWEX-qvaB3ic4RLvoRcgS/s200/Bernardo.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernardo Cesare, geologist and artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>1. Tell us about your scientific background.</b><br />
I am a geologist, specialized in petrology (the study of rocks) and in particular in metamorphic rocks and in the origin of granites. I received a MsC (1987) ad a PhD in Earth Sciences (1992) from the University of Padova (Italy), where now I am Professor of Petrology. I've spent research periods in Zurich (Switzerland), Princeton (USA) and Clermont-Ferrand (France), and the field areas I study are in the eastern Alps, southern Spain, the Eolian islands and southern India. In the last decade I've been intensely involved in the advanced training of early stage researchers in petrology, coordinating the Marie Curie Project "Eurispet" (<a href="http://www.eurispet.eu/">www.eurispet.eu</a>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
2. How do you describe your photographic style?</b><br />
Technically speaking it is "Transmitted polarized light photomicroscopy of rocks and minerals" that translates into "photography of what you see looking down a microscope when polarized light is passed through a piece of rock or mineral". There are two essential aspects in this technique: that the light is polarized (using special lenses similar to those of many sunglasses) and that it passes through the crystals. In order to become transparent the rock must be sliced to a thickness of 30 micrometers (!).<br />
Actually what I just described is not at all a "style" of mine, as it is the conventional way of studying rocks that all geologists adopt. My own addition to it is the search for an aesthetic image, that I generally obtain with a non-conventional use of polarizers and compensators (like the red tint <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;"></span>'<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;"></span>lambda' plate), modifying the interference colors of minerals. In this way I can disclose the microscopic secrets within a stone.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dfPbx0Svr4XWTYjQ6a_BcqfyhHM-iRG0aEmB-M5bTPp78iWfZfSBLQkOGG9cx5DtE56CtmjJkGE9yAbPeuJfonqVQ2YdFzXMFgD1bGXw7j0Tq9kfPherrjBPfg6em1j8QPcyS8BzT68L/s1600/Image+-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dfPbx0Svr4XWTYjQ6a_BcqfyhHM-iRG0aEmB-M5bTPp78iWfZfSBLQkOGG9cx5DtE56CtmjJkGE9yAbPeuJfonqVQ2YdFzXMFgD1bGXw7j0Tq9kfPherrjBPfg6em1j8QPcyS8BzT68L/s400/Image+-33.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13y0UKojtq2I9VVtS64qARNOa-b32U3oP2M-3BLO3Il2d2cgAVU7DPCj6geq7vUf_CFOwXkgt09MAA6WsDND0Lg4LZI4sJTfHkp6m9Ddk0P8AYp6xhu_xrTf-ljawKIuF4Wml7wstmAp_/s1600/Image+-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13y0UKojtq2I9VVtS64qARNOa-b32U3oP2M-3BLO3Il2d2cgAVU7DPCj6geq7vUf_CFOwXkgt09MAA6WsDND0Lg4LZI4sJTfHkp6m9Ddk0P8AYp6xhu_xrTf-ljawKIuF4Wml7wstmAp_/s400/Image+-25.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In <a href="http://www.microckscopica.org/">his website</a>, Bernardo Cesare describes these 'crystal waves': "These undulating patterns are the result of deformation. Smashing, squeezing, and shearing of rocks create alignment and folding of crystals to give an idea of movement". </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>3. How did you get into this vein of photography?</b><br />
Photography is an essential tool for a geologist. In my case, along with being interested in outdoor, macro and reportage, I have extensively used photomicrography for research, in order to document the small-scale phenomena that I could see in rocks. Beside this scientific side, where I have got most of my training and acquired the technical rigor, I have cultivated the search for the beauty of rocks under the microscope. This 20 year-long amateur activity has recently boosted, after my images received the appreciation of audience and juries at international level, until I started the Microckscopica - Rock Art project (<a href="http://www.microckscopica.org/">www.microckscopica.org</a>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>4. What do your photomicrographs tell about Earth? And what about Art?</b><br />
My photomicrographs are taken primarily because of their aesthetic appeal: I take a picture because I like its visual impact, even if I don't know much (or anything) about the geological story of the rock. I don't know if this can be called "Art": I use to say that the artist is the rock, not me! What I do is to disclose the Art in rocks like a reporter at a Museum. Yes, I help bring to life the colors, but the shapes, textures and patterns are already there.<br />
There's no geology in the process I just described. However, when I use rock samples that I do my own research on, the image may tell a fascinating geological tale: of continents separating or smashing into each other, of volcanos erupting with explosions, of phenomena that occur in inacessible parts of our planet, of millions or billions of years in the Earth's life. So I would conclude that images at Microckscopica may tell something about the Earth, but not necessarily.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC90yAQ8KyxHBA6kbmKdkDjkSX45X-Q2N6UJMx6B0LCw7Ko36zThjL2UgQSgug2O654TVnQ_HhSTV99UjC2KjLVCcNEckJ2PVsdKmxJxv9FyO2HhpxmqYaa2QWOX36tTzJYKPTz48w6nMv/s1600/Image+-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC90yAQ8KyxHBA6kbmKdkDjkSX45X-Q2N6UJMx6B0LCw7Ko36zThjL2UgQSgug2O654TVnQ_HhSTV99UjC2KjLVCcNEckJ2PVsdKmxJxv9FyO2HhpxmqYaa2QWOX36tTzJYKPTz48w6nMv/s320/Image+-24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKncS7Y750Z1EzB-PhZNInNCO8xFuCQKMZL1fPvPQuefB8SPTeQy_DzRJt4QKvpZMs3EiI-czFh4eHJdS1DfM64wwYt6-dMAPJgmpd5ZB74s27Xgh6Fi_8KThi9kX7uK5WRIhV7StZiq8F/s1600/Image+-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKncS7Y750Z1EzB-PhZNInNCO8xFuCQKMZL1fPvPQuefB8SPTeQy_DzRJt4QKvpZMs3EiI-czFh4eHJdS1DfM64wwYt6-dMAPJgmpd5ZB74s27Xgh6Fi_8KThi9kX7uK5WRIhV7StZiq8F/s320/Image+-23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="style9"><i> "These are images from rocks samples I collected in the Tauern Window, a geological region of the Alps. I took these photos to complement an exhibit of minerals from the collection of G. Gasser,<br />
in honor of A. Bianchi and Gb. Dal Piaz, who explored the italian sector of the Tauern Window in 1920-1930" says Bernardo Cesare..</i><big> <br />
</big> </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>5. Would you give a brief walk through your workflow?</b><br />
Let's start from scratch, saying that I collect or get a chunk of rock I want to take nice images from. What I have to do first is to get a carefully prepared and polished "thin section": a 30 micron-thick slice of rock glued to a glass holder. The thin section has to be made by a technician with quite a sophisticated process, and the cleaner and more polished it is, the better and sharp the photo will be.<br />
Then I look at the thin section under a camera-equipped microscope (this is also what I do for my regular research activity) and when I find a beautiful subject I take one or more photographs varying the interference colors. Digital photography has been a revolution in this stage, because I can immediately see what the picture looks like without having to wait for film processing, and can take dozens of images for free. Then, since there's almost no post-processing (see below), I check the results and store the images in my computer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>6. How do you find your subjects?</b><br />
In three ways: looking at my own samples while I am doing research; borrowing interesting thin sections from colleagues; collecting, purchasing or asking people chunks of rocks that I know are, or could be, aesthetically promising. For example, last summer I bought a beautiful necklace made with beads of "Ocean Jasper" (see below). I knew that the rock was interesting, so instead of giving the necklace to my wife as a gift, I had thin sections made from the beads. <br />
When the thin sections are ready I browse through them until I find a good one, and I "play" with the polarisators and compensators until I obtain a nice composition.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>7. What kind of equipment do you use?</b><br />
After using for several years a conventional camera with tungsten-light film for color slides, now I have a 18-mpixel Canon 550D digital reflex mounted on a Zeiss Axioscop 40 polarizing microscope.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>8. Do you post-process your photos?</b><br />
In general I try to avoid any post-processing, even image cropping. This means that I like to have the "right" image colors and composition exactly within and at the 3/4 or 2/3 format of the camera, and with the chosen magnifying lens, at the time of taking the picture. After shooting, I use Photoshop only for subtle modifications of contrast and brightness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>9. What kind of rock do you like to shoot most and why?</b><br />
Well, there are many, because (as long as the thin-section is carefully prepared) almost any rock "hides a microscopic universe of colors and forms". Sedimentary rocks, especially limestones, are difficult due to the high birefringence of carbonates. Therefore I prefer to work with metamorphic and igneous rocks. If I had to choose just one, I'd say that "Ocean Jasper", a weathered spherulitic rhyolite from Madagascar, is the one that provided many beautiful subjects. It should be pointed out that although I work primarily with rocks, there are other things that provide very beautiful images with the polarized light. One of them is nylon, and you can see some images in the Microckscopica web gallery.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCwYwTL4jgE_wpYbQtlddkTUdunDAhhcD2LVfH1-yX8irQGE7-6omz6CyzDBQskM90hWooYVheH4gVp_mGITQCVAKnaPLSTBf0RDHF7ufghNzmmYBgTaHFhKZNS8aTfUmOsfNGYIRqbab/s1600/Bernardo+Cesare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCwYwTL4jgE_wpYbQtlddkTUdunDAhhcD2LVfH1-yX8irQGE7-6omz6CyzDBQskM90hWooYVheH4gVp_mGITQCVAKnaPLSTBf0RDHF7ufghNzmmYBgTaHFhKZNS8aTfUmOsfNGYIRqbab/s640/Bernardo+Cesare.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rock sample coming from Kerala (see next question).</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>10. Could you share a favourite recent image and tell us a little of the back story behind it?</b><br />
I like very much this image, that was taken from a rock sample coming from Kerala (India) and provided by my colleague Satish Kumar. It shows black areas interspersed between colorful patches. The black are crystals of graphite, while the colored crystals are silicates called felspars. In this region of southern India graphite is common, and can be so abundant to be economically exploited. The rock (and the graphite it contains) formed about 550 million years ago, at very high temperatures (more than 850 °C) deep in the crust. At that time India, Madagascar, Antarctica and south-east Africa were joined together as part of a supercontinent called Gondwana. This is the reason why we find very similar rocks in all these places. <br />
The size of the rock fragment captured in this image is approximately 3.5 mm in length.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>11. What has been your most memorable award and why?</b><br />
The ninth prize and one image of distinction at the Nikon Small World 2009 contest have been the most rewarding prize, because they certified that my images have reached a very high standard. From a different perspective, the request from a woman in New Jersey to use my photomicrographs as inspiration for producing artistic quilts confirmed my opinion that photomicrographs of rocks are aesthetically very appealing.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_PCmLh4T3onyIRTlfm9EVoCFldNDZ-_oHO3_wnmbmNnKplD7SKgmjB6kdOFeH2ZetjfCtzGSgKjw2tdrs0nXuisweeX4FJsuzAJqJYcACUC5XJRoo5P_7XhpLSA1kYD993pZ1WsS9s5O/s1600/Image+-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_PCmLh4T3onyIRTlfm9EVoCFldNDZ-_oHO3_wnmbmNnKplD7SKgmjB6kdOFeH2ZetjfCtzGSgKjw2tdrs0nXuisweeX4FJsuzAJqJYcACUC5XJRoo5P_7XhpLSA1kYD993pZ1WsS9s5O/s320/Image+-27.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">8 March, Chirignago (Venice): <a href="http://www.microckscopica.org/CartolinaClarin.pdf">Microckscopica per Wamba</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>12. What will you have on display at “Microckscopica per Wamba”?</b><br />
This exhibit will showcase about 25 images printed on canvas, their size ranging from 45*60 to 90*90 cm. The subjects represent a kind of "best of" selection, without a particular geographic or geological identification. Just beauty! There are sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks from all over the world, including the near Venetian Prealps and the far Antarctica. The important thing of this show is that images can be purchased through a donation to the charitable Association "Insieme per Wamba" (<a href="http://www.insiemeperwamba.org/">www.insiemeperwamba.org</a>), thereby helping to provide food, medical assistance and education to the people of Wamba, a village in Kenya.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>13. Traditional photographic printing or canvas print? Which do you prefer and how does your approach differ for each medium?</b><br />
The printing technology is quickly reaching, and passing, new frontiers. Nowadays digital files can be printed on almost any kind of surface and medium, opening infinite opportunities for the use of the image and to its visual representation. I've chosen to print my images on canvas rather than on paper because in this way (and with their "abstract" subjects) they become very similar to paintings, and this enhances their effect as decorative art. This doesn't affect my approach, as the printing resolution and technique is very similar in both cases. With time I want to explore different media, such as glass or plexiglass for retroillumination (see below) or wood or metal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>14. What projects are you currently working on?</b><br />
With museum curator, Dr. Benno Baumgarten, I am preparing the next exhibition that is planned for this summer at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Bolzano. It will be entitled "Light on the Rocks", and will include about thirty large-format (50*75 cm) images from Microckscopica, printed on plexiglass and mounted as backlit panels. I hope that "Light on the Rocks" will become a traveling exhibition.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>15. What do you aspire for? What are your dreams as an artist and a geologist?</b><br />
As a geologist I aspire for a better future for research in Italy: it is more and more difficult to work with enthusiasm when you see that everything falls apart.<br />
As an "artist" one of my goals is to publish a book of Microckscopica images: a coffee table book with large-format pictures. But the "dream of dreams" is an article in National Geographic...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSN1jtywlyJvzvyA6o0RBL2eP65U_XRGCQYMvU-dwIyW7JuRMWm9rbJVs0JPhSkh4xNE__PSOIz0BGJIdCnoRUigEM9ZiK6DPjnNMI2VS6m5KmgGvH1LZj3STGQLCzl5-fdAtMBthAXn9k/s1600/Image+-28+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSN1jtywlyJvzvyA6o0RBL2eP65U_XRGCQYMvU-dwIyW7JuRMWm9rbJVs0JPhSkh4xNE__PSOIz0BGJIdCnoRUigEM9ZiK6DPjnNMI2VS6m5KmgGvH1LZj3STGQLCzl5-fdAtMBthAXn9k/s640/Image+-28+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Flowers in the geologic greenhouse are quite small, down to less than a millimetre, and take<br />
up to hundreds million years to grow. But if we have the chance to get some,<br />
they may last forever, and do not need watering or fertilizer" says Bernardo Cesare.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-89967357410606479632010-12-27T14:59:00.000-08:002010-12-27T14:59:51.461-08:00Coldigioco Geological Observatory: winter holidays special issue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcG3Jt_zV8JIVY4epW91pgW9SryydUwh-r6hCs-huc2c6uUEMKdEOqJTVrLDAc2nMGDQG6r0Vh-kAqOIPWvW0v1a8NnzqMYupKz5dtNiPed2LbH1NA34wnk6_-J66FdaENXxHFoDzZe2D/s1600/winter+holidays+special.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcG3Jt_zV8JIVY4epW91pgW9SryydUwh-r6hCs-huc2c6uUEMKdEOqJTVrLDAc2nMGDQG6r0Vh-kAqOIPWvW0v1a8NnzqMYupKz5dtNiPed2LbH1NA34wnk6_-J66FdaENXxHFoDzZe2D/s1600/winter+holidays+special.png" /></a></div><br />
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Mountains, traditional cuisine, natural landscapes, snow-covered trees: It’s Winter Holidays time!<br />
Placed on a tiny hilltop, the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco is the ideal place to celebrate this very special moment of the year with a touch of GeoArt. In fact the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco is an independent center for research and education in geology, art, and cuisine.<br />
Founded by Alessandro Montanari (geologist and “geo-musician”) and Paula Metallo (artist), the Observatory provides an unique cultural and natural scenario which inspired scientists and artists worldwide.<br />
<a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/11/geological-observatory-of-coldigioco.html">In a recent issue of this webzine</a>, I interviewed Alessandro and Paula. Many questions remained unanswered, among which the possible existence of a 'Coldigioco School' of GeoArt. In order to explore Coldigioco’s geoartistic environment, I talked with Paula.<br />
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<b>How important do you think it is for artists to know about geology, and why?</b><br />
I thought it was more important for Geologists to know about art. When I started teaching drawing to our Carleton university geology students I had to first think about how to approach scientific thinkers in a way that they could learn how to draw more accurately. So I started out with the two halves of the brain and our two eyes and looking for relationships in general. Counting and measuring lines and angles, and observing with a devoted attention. I ended up realizing that this is exactly what Geologists do already in order to draw (conclusions). From then on the teaching became a complete give and take experience. <br />
I think the most important thing Geology has made me aware of is deep time. Actually grasping millions of years instead of just hundreds or thousands gives me a lot more data to compare with and the possibility to visualize cyclicity. The other thing I really like is the "slow motion" of mountain growth. A big reason why the handmade is still important in my work is to make space for "slow" in my life. Geology helps me to cope with the idea that everything is in constant change, it brings together impermanent and enduring elements right before my eyes. <br />
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<b>What are your experiences in “expressing geology with art”?</b><br />
My work has always taken inspiration from the wish to decipher and “fix” complicated situations by searching for the underlying symmetry, harmony, and natural beauty in things. I think it was inevitable that the work would pass from investigating people to relating to the planet that hosts them. Because I consider remaining contemporary an important consideration in my work, it was inevitable that environmental issues, having now become the most pressing of situations for all life on the planet, would eek their way into my research. <br />
For example I started out making mock thin sections like those scientists utilize for microscopic analysis. Then collaged the thin section images to other objects like the tree pies and the copper sieves.<br />
A series titled, MIMBRES BOWLS; MAN MADE HOLES, started when I read about the Mimbres culture, which was centered near the southwest region of New Mexico. Their pottery has a hole punctured in the center indicating that the bowl was ceremoniously “killed” allowing for the spirit of the image to be free, and so symbolically replenishing the “hole” left behind in nature. This struck me as such a just and romantic idea. <br />
I have made a series of bowls with images of some of the largest and deepest manmade holes on earth, and so classifying the damage. I accompany them with their own Mimbres bowl in an attempt to remedy the damage done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLsK4R0jiH6YLKpTscOpUwJyF6YIYUy5JUNXisMSx3G0YkHPZvNr57Jnrikle7DFg1h3FQHF7ZihzxRemZAlpLFBYCxJIOOd9oVCA01gwup2v6eo-bGhdBwTjHDgqjGM3A_aYYXe6sOOk/s1600/mimbres+bowls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLsK4R0jiH6YLKpTscOpUwJyF6YIYUy5JUNXisMSx3G0YkHPZvNr57Jnrikle7DFg1h3FQHF7ZihzxRemZAlpLFBYCxJIOOd9oVCA01gwup2v6eo-bGhdBwTjHDgqjGM3A_aYYXe6sOOk/s400/mimbres+bowls.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mimbres Bowls </i>(picture from <a href="http://www.saatchionline.com/paulameta">Paula's Saatchi page</a>).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58dVRe8Dlr4A7dNbeOunmM2EcYfjidt1b6kNi2yDHZ2ci8Ynnnhbbd_lo23c3HTA44msKTAgg7_mNcR-x9wfXjRsDkOYh2tFXWDhI8fEOsZ0hSnt-Sf0v8Dqtt3hZQk8zeYm7Vbc_0Jrc/s1600/mimbres+bowls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58dVRe8Dlr4A7dNbeOunmM2EcYfjidt1b6kNi2yDHZ2ci8Ynnnhbbd_lo23c3HTA44msKTAgg7_mNcR-x9wfXjRsDkOYh2tFXWDhI8fEOsZ0hSnt-Sf0v8Dqtt3hZQk8zeYm7Vbc_0Jrc/s320/mimbres+bowls1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A particular of <i>Mimbres Bowls</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The work was shown in conjunction with a Penrose Conference, “The Late Eocene Earth: Icehouse, Hothouse, and Impacts in Italy in 2007. And at the Rieskrater-Museum in Nördlingen, Germany until March 2010. These avenues were in some way connected to the concept of holes in the earth. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSr6ISEFc6KRXjacha7zYff4OfgXgAQaBOWR9cLxlOsB98oEgMz5ks1rqRp0_97CDbxJFyzw6NbiTn3EzRrtDixEDrvI-mDqE6k-dfyRehVaOqRufHL50s0tfOU2SAoWh_MA0rH3SKoTq/s1600/waiting+for+the+next+one1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSr6ISEFc6KRXjacha7zYff4OfgXgAQaBOWR9cLxlOsB98oEgMz5ks1rqRp0_97CDbxJFyzw6NbiTn3EzRrtDixEDrvI-mDqE6k-dfyRehVaOqRufHL50s0tfOU2SAoWh_MA0rH3SKoTq/s320/waiting+for+the+next+one1.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In <i>Waiting for the next one</i>, Paula Metallo compares geologic hazard and the moment of recognition in Italian filmmaking. Can't you recognize the scene? Watch the video below!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_DAa5SN0ffI?fs=1&hl=it_IT"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_DAa5SN0ffI?fs=1&hl=it_IT" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The trailer of Fellini's masterpiece </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">La Strada, </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;">which inspired Paula Metallo.</span><i><br />
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</i></div>I am now working on a body of work title, WAITING FOR THE NEXT ONE; (ASPETTANDO IL PROSSIMO). The history of Italian filmmaking documents and confirms the great Italian ability to re-present the real. It is stereotypical that in the face of natural and human tragedies Italians tend to dramatize. But is passively waiting, and not preparing for earthquakes, particularly Italian? And can this be explained through the story of Italian cinema? It seems that an honest and efficient reply to the geographical and geological reality of living on shakey ground is a response not inherent to the Italian people. Are Italians somehow attached to the drama connected with tragedy? The images in this body of work ask these questions. I have chosen frames from Italian movies that seemingly catch famous Italians in the exact moment of recognition that something is about to happen. I place these images alongside more abstract images of seismic activity, interacting as a riddle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D2YVrX7risXzF0zmRWrxIIxe0SpxaVfEr8oL03g3mdG5cJu6657nB461fh8Uw1RBsu5Gq-yqFhV1UFl8ONpdqWJtz8Lb3XV-Q2BzhGG3lGBQ3D13lO2Dqa25_k5xZ3hPJsXG54vNq6_s/s1600/waiting+for+the+next+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D2YVrX7risXzF0zmRWrxIIxe0SpxaVfEr8oL03g3mdG5cJu6657nB461fh8Uw1RBsu5Gq-yqFhV1UFl8ONpdqWJtz8Lb3XV-Q2BzhGG3lGBQ3D13lO2Dqa25_k5xZ3hPJsXG54vNq6_s/s640/waiting+for+the+next+one.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another artwork from <i>Waiting for the Next one </i>(picture from <a href="http://www.saatchionline.com/paulameta">Paula's Saatchi page</a>). With the artist's words: "I have chosen frames from Italian movies that seemingly catch famous Italians in the exact moment of recognition that something is about to happen. I place these images alongside more abstract images of geological and seismic information. Through the images, I literally put the italians face to face with a tectonic reality". </td></tr>
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<b>Together with Dona Jalufka, you realized a crater themed show for the Penrose geological conference (Ancona). Please, explain your emotional journey in creating “Rimanare Colpiti | Awestruck”.</b><br />
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We were searching for a balance between the privileges we wanted from the art world and what we were actually able to achieve. So we asked ourselves what we really had to offer, what made us particular after looking over all our life experiences, in order to apply ourselves to those places that may be looking for those particularities so that we could manage to show our work annually in less ‘invisible’ places. We thought if we took our passion for art and mixed it with our life experiences with science we would find a solid originality. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q-DIUJU0rEqWRTKgNqum3BouS1-_IRd4iKu1gRVj4h1hVLtNWK45GhBmK45ocT82zNyHkvVjYw61DuGh6DectOd14mGRQBtYHoCfN6fmoQkpVJs13ad7_0YZzSV-dZ4Z6CVUjFncmqw8/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q-DIUJU0rEqWRTKgNqum3BouS1-_IRd4iKu1gRVj4h1hVLtNWK45GhBmK45ocT82zNyHkvVjYw61DuGh6DectOd14mGRQBtYHoCfN6fmoQkpVJs13ad7_0YZzSV-dZ4Z6CVUjFncmqw8/s320/a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Invitation to Rimanere Colpiti / Awestruck.</td></tr>
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This was the beginning of an art/science collaboration, which seems to me now as a challenging approach to a new kind of comparison. <br />
The show at the Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin titled, (un)Measuring The World, was inspired by Daniel Kehlmann's 2005 book, Measuring the World, a story of how Alexander Von Humboldt hoped to measure everything on the planet: “Whenever things were frightening,” Humboldt wrote, “it was a good idea to measure them”. The show was a meditation on the idea that there is more than one way to measure the world. This was an exhibition concentrating on integrating the artwork into the science museum in unusual ways.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8nLx5Obre-_m2ZOnXU9_GnsGq503XDyMbEqCBN_QLup2p4VwgeuVUmGJNFv39HEjyK26erG6_gwlxGQaNhgXNgnhwDMU39upMCuG-iFsosYQnhR4krOKEQVsQDI9cekdVeYQajT7m2Se/s1600/impact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8nLx5Obre-_m2ZOnXU9_GnsGq503XDyMbEqCBN_QLup2p4VwgeuVUmGJNFv39HEjyK26erG6_gwlxGQaNhgXNgnhwDMU39upMCuG-iFsosYQnhR4krOKEQVsQDI9cekdVeYQajT7m2Se/s400/impact.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crater themed show for the Penrose geological conference in Ancona, Italy, 2008</td></tr>
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Paula’s words are very inspiring, but I have still many questions in my mind: How Coldigioco inspire visual arts? What is the role of geology in this process? Who are the artists revolving around Coldigioco?<br />
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The best way to answer these questions is to follow “Rimanare Colpiti | Awestruck” and chronicle the collaboration of Paula Metallo and Dona Jalufka. For this reason, I interviewed Dona Jalufka herself.<br />
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<b>Dona, you and Paula realized Awestruck / Rimanere colpiti. Please give me some insight on your journey in making this artistic project.</b><br />
“Awestruck/Rimanere Colpiti” was a bit of a signpost for both of us. The exhibit was held in conjunction with an international conference entitled “The Late Eocene Earth: Icehouse, Hothouse, and Impacts” – organized as a Penrose Conference by the Geological Society of America and held in Monte Conero, Italy, in October 2007, and was to be the first of our art/science collaborations. The show was an expression of how we where struck by the knowledge of natural phenomena, and how we sought to provide an artistic response to the ever-increasing flood of scientific information. We set out to generate a dialogue using art to examine new and prevailing ideas concerning science and the order they impose on our lives. Specifically focusing on geology, astronomy, climate change, and evolution, we began a comprehensive dissection of various concepts and perceptions. In essance, we became “scholars” in our studios, studying images, material, and concepts borrowed from the scientific community.<br />
There were a significant amount of opportunities here for us to explore. For example, an imaginary crater was created by collaging two palindrome images of a postcard of the Bay of Monte Conero, in the Marche region of Italy. A small photograph of the Earth was preserved in a keepsake locket, and arranged on a table, together with other art objects, presented in a way that recalled a display case in a classic natural history museum. This image of the Earth represents the first time man saw himself far from his usual geocentric position, and constitutes an important historical moment in human visual perception. Other objects in the exhibit utilized scientific props, such as laboratory sieves, thin sections, slides, and steroscopes. Our goal: To show that imagination and reflection are common denominators between art and science.<br />
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<b>You and Paula displayed Unmeasuring the World at the Natural History Museum in Berlin. What do you mean exactly with Unmeasuring the World?</b><br />
The connectedness to both science and the creative challenges it evokes are in many ways artistic in nature. Paula and I believe that our work reflects the never ending fascination of the arts with the wonders of science. Because the Natural History Museum is a home for many disciplines, it makes it a good base for art/science cross-pollination, and allows to present the artwork in a scientific context, providing a symbol of such an interdisciplinary approach. A major influence for this exhibit was Alexander von Humboldt (the famous German naturalist, 1769-1859). His research and discoveries in all fields (from mineralogy to volcanology to biology and glaciology), and especially his approach to unifying all the aspects of the physical world, spoke volumes to us as artists. The title of the exhibit pays homage to Humboldt as well as to Daniel Kehlmann’s thoughtful book on Humboldt entitled “Measuring the World” (a phrase referring to Humboldt’s desire to measure everything in the world). It also provided us with an opportunity to compare the concepts of measuring and unmeasuring as in contrasting science with art. The word “unmeasurable” relates to “unconstrained”, “infinite”, and “untold” --- a kind of poetic version of the scientific measuring of the world that Humboldt set out to do. The year 2009 was the 150th anniversary of his death, and considering his historical influence and association with the Berlin museum led us to invoke his creative insight in our title “Unmeasuring the World”.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuFRR0edja_xp6jvvgQobxIgGKJA07zlV5JzA85oeYJ6Fa4OkkyQiHccPXTsXaDkSzXRg1gHaFODPamCxAK0K0AH9XRq4K6YX991ewpcXHfr6ODio2UtW7PTkFaOe-qRwovZtsYLg2Jog/s1600/e-mail-card.jpg_700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuFRR0edja_xp6jvvgQobxIgGKJA07zlV5JzA85oeYJ6Fa4OkkyQiHccPXTsXaDkSzXRg1gHaFODPamCxAK0K0AH9XRq4K6YX991ewpcXHfr6ODio2UtW7PTkFaOe-qRwovZtsYLg2Jog/s400/e-mail-card.jpg_700.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Un)measuring the world: an art show by Dona Jalufka and Paula Metallo </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>With Paula Metallo, you realized an exhibit inside a meteorite impact crater with 14 million years of Impact Art. What was the emotional path in creating this artwork?</b><br />
First of all, we were excited by the opportunity to exhibit at the Ries Crator Musem and to be able to tailor the art in such a way as to compliment their collection. Paula and I set out to explore artistic interpretations, some playful and some serious, of geological and astronomical topics related to impact cratering. The impact process can be looked at artistically from a variety of perspectives, both in terms of the medium and in terms of the interpretation. So it was only natural that our emotional paths took slightly different approaches in creating the work for this show. For me, there was a familiarity to the project, and I felt at home with it. It was exciting to have one of my art works displayed next to a piece of Moon rock!<br />
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<b>What is one of your favorite pieces in this show and why?</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqjSKIZU09BfFYtgQuJuaMGSf0qiqnmbzaJ6jPhO-YYxOaGRSGPo8gikaMmIEbNcG5RKjEFP3V-OvDisog9i9Ye80VUUitMSzZer1NYgWqNsK1B0MswtgmZbjGRbHD-zrCMfLuqf0kDSF/s1600/Lunataler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqjSKIZU09BfFYtgQuJuaMGSf0qiqnmbzaJ6jPhO-YYxOaGRSGPo8gikaMmIEbNcG5RKjEFP3V-OvDisog9i9Ye80VUUitMSzZer1NYgWqNsK1B0MswtgmZbjGRbHD-zrCMfLuqf0kDSF/s320/Lunataler.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunataler: impact geology and cheese.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I don’t normally single out certain pieces as being a “favorite”, as there were many that I felt good about once I saw them in place in the museum. The piece that I feel had the strongest relationship with impact geology and the core of the museum would have to be “Lunataler”. This piece is a playful interpretation of an old saying that the moon is made of cheese. The wedge shape is universally recognized as that of cheese, and the craters, taken from the “Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon”, have been painted onto the form. Placed under a glass dome, this sculpture serves as a literal allegory for Moon cheese. Displayed in proximity to large scale lunar photographs and other impact-related exhibits, I thought it was a humorous yet thoughtful way to get people to think about craters.<br />
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<b>Impact geology has a consistent role in your art. Why?</b><br />
Oh --- that’s easy! My husband is a very prominent researcher in the international impact cratering community. To say that he has not had an influence in directing my attention to impact geology is laughable! The evidence is everywhere: antique lunar maps and crater photographs hang on our walls, there are hundreds of relevant books around, I frequently accompany him on field trips and conferences, and of course there is my exposure to planetary geology from my NASA days.<br />
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<b>In your website you quote Cicero: “Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature”. How do you express this idea in your art?</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUb2RXZNFTqUI_ryJ8y-59CnX4GVS7wyv9ctThdxAwvyWXQd5tmPnL9QZtDgLBCKP8q8uFLbUelmFESjwBVNO4O8I2C707MLWzYnOk9pfBGY-5Ua2peWMcSBUDqJLpzvVBjmNtQuguirRC/s1600/Boundaries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUb2RXZNFTqUI_ryJ8y-59CnX4GVS7wyv9ctThdxAwvyWXQd5tmPnL9QZtDgLBCKP8q8uFLbUelmFESjwBVNO4O8I2C707MLWzYnOk9pfBGY-5Ua2peWMcSBUDqJLpzvVBjmNtQuguirRC/s400/Boundaries.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Boundaries</i>: geological sections in art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The whole idea that art is born of the observation and investigation of nature is a timeless and borderless concept. Nature, being the entire natural and physical world that we inhabit, is inseparable from the inspiration and approach I take with my art. Only in examining visually and intellectually, natural phenomena and processes (in essence, taking in all of nature), am I able to make art of any kind that is meaningful.<br />
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<b>You realized many works focused on nature and science. Which of these works do you consider “geologic”? Why?</b><br />
There are a few works that I might consider purely “geological” because they deal with the Earth (for example, “Geological Evidence”, which you mention next, and works such as “A Day in the Life of Evolution”, or the computer-altered mixed media series– e.g., “Boundaries”, “Earth Stories”, and “Fire and Ash”). There are some that take a geological process (impact cratering) and interpret them from a technical viewpoint – i.e., a series of oil paintings of atomic bomb blasts, or in the purely minimalistic approach in the triptych, “Space, Sky, Earth”, which attempts to bridge the gap from the Earth (geology) to the sky (astronomy).<br />
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<b>You named a triptych Geological Evidence. Is it because that is how you see your artwork? Or did you mean something else?</b><br />
The title of the triptych “Geological Evidence” is actually from a figure caption in the book “Biological Processes Associated with Impact Events”, edited by C. Cockell, C. Koeberl, and I. Gilmour (Springer, 2006). This particular figure of magnified thin sections of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) mass extinction boundary was very inspiring. The notion of showing evidence (in effect, proof) of a meteorite impact of this magnitude is a rather abstract concept. While this is a relatively realistic depiction of what one would see looking through a microscope, from an artistic perspective, it is pure abstract expressionism. The artwork in this case is interpreting the evidence which just happens to look like a piece of art.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KarHdM8OnKH8qy4lafvjVzuog8WYynPyTp5lDhZnJzsbQh2i-3UVapqnEtL3YJrugB1A1gkf4Fr1W9NPv4s1BL3TTdRH9UFogyPEzuGKfdm1kQfEmu3jJo-34JSDZ9wwz5nj3ZH4-sk7/s1600/geological+evidence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KarHdM8OnKH8qy4lafvjVzuog8WYynPyTp5lDhZnJzsbQh2i-3UVapqnEtL3YJrugB1A1gkf4Fr1W9NPv4s1BL3TTdRH9UFogyPEzuGKfdm1kQfEmu3jJo-34JSDZ9wwz5nj3ZH4-sk7/s640/geological+evidence.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In <i>Geological Evidence, Dona Jalufka </i>presents the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction through microscopic geological proofs. As I said for <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/11/foraminiferal-sculpture-park-question.html">Zheng Shoui's foraminiferal sculptures</a>, geological objects extend over a wide range of scales.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b></b><br />
<b>You are a resident artist at the Osservatorio Geologico di Coldigioco. What is the influence of the natural environment of Coldigioco on your art?</b><br />
The influence that the natural environment in Coldigioco has on my art is quite a contrast from that of the city environment. While living in Vienna with all its distractions (both positive and negative), the natural distinction between the two can be worlds apart. I find the landscape of the countryside in general, and Italy in particular, to be very inspiring. This of course benefits my landscape and abstract work just as much as the art/science work. Geology is never far away, as is astronomy (we have a small observatory in Coldigioco), and the abundance of insect and other animal life, to name a few of the natural influences that eventually (and perhaps subliminally) find there way into my art.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3cS60bquySF9HCYT8Dcx03DBQlSPN_i4lo56YkyeX4ygiST9mWIpdxUSwiPOqhfdlZmDgslgMsoWEv6G459i8h1ODcCy54t5QrfdFmB2090qlPJhD2-rPE-YYa0E0VA2gQVayyb7oMwH/s1600/Space+Sky+Earth-triptych.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3cS60bquySF9HCYT8Dcx03DBQlSPN_i4lo56YkyeX4ygiST9mWIpdxUSwiPOqhfdlZmDgslgMsoWEv6G459i8h1ODcCy54t5QrfdFmB2090qlPJhD2-rPE-YYa0E0VA2gQVayyb7oMwH/s400/Space+Sky+Earth-triptych.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The triptych <i>Space, Sky, Earth </i>attempts to bridge the gap from the Earth (geology) to the sky (astronomy). These elements are very present in the natural landscape of Coldigioco.</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>What is the role of the social environment of Coldigioco on your art?</b><br />
The social environment in Coldigioco per se has a certain degree of influence on my art, obviously because it is such an eclectic community in so many ways. The creativity of everything, from geology and art and to regional cooking classes, makes for a much “energized” breeding ground for my creative processes. My time spent with Paula Metallo (who resides in Coldigioco) as friend and collaborator, is enormously engaging and productive. There are constantly new things happening there involving resident Coldigiocans, visitors and students of varying backgrounds, a recording studio and vibrant music scene, rich, cultural excursions to local towns and cities, etc, etc. Whatever the venue, there is always this current of creativity running through it. Something in the air there—the food— the wine— the people….<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJqBPzShNly2W1u7VPPVwNhqoyWpN0Cde2Klt1CcCrS3N8Di4cFlP6MD6nQ_20S-ys-YmZegUJVmapgjYVmsURgfFtTe9juMTzfZnmip6mSSuvzufQeMqbTZacxxxw4ZK4Ti1d_fM6Lux/s1600/Coldigioco4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJqBPzShNly2W1u7VPPVwNhqoyWpN0Cde2Klt1CcCrS3N8Di4cFlP6MD6nQ_20S-ys-YmZegUJVmapgjYVmsURgfFtTe9juMTzfZnmip6mSSuvzufQeMqbTZacxxxw4ZK4Ti1d_fM6Lux/s640/Coldigioco4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coldigioco: where art meets geology! Picture from the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1352690392">webpage of the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco.</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.geosc.psu.edu/%7Edmb53/OGC/index.html"><br />
</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>The words of Paula and Dona clearly expresses the vibrant artistic scenario of the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco. Within a unique social and natural environment, Coldigiocans traces shapes and colors which are continuously dancing with the Earth's interior. However, dance is often accompanied by music: at Coldigioco rock layers are singing! <br />
Are you surprised? Earth's sounds are coming soon, on the <a href="http://www.geologyinart.blogspot.com/">Geology in Art Webzine</a>!<br />
</div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-23154369885086481002010-12-06T05:29:00.000-08:002010-12-06T09:17:27.293-08:00Coprolite time!<div style="text-align: justify;">From the <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/11/wearable-trilobites-prehistoric-update.html">Paleolithic fossil pendant</a> to <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/07/cephalon-wearable-trilobites-trilobites.html">Hannah Ingalls's wooly trilobite</a>, geologic objects are often used as items of personal adornment. For this reason, it should sound trivial to speak - again! - of geologic fashion accessories, but this time I will tell of fecal fashion: coprolites!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Coprolites are fossil dung. They are prized objects for paleontologists as they provide direct evidence of the diet of extinct organisms and they can shed light on paleoparasitological issues.<br />
In the late 19th century, the British geologist John Stevens Henslow understood the potential of coprolites as a source of phosphate and soon coprolites were mined on an industrial scale for their application as fertilizers.<br />
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The coprolite mining area was located in the Cambridgeshire (Eastern Britain), while the refining process was carried out by the Fison Company in Ipswich. For this reason, nowadays you find "Coprolite street" in Ipswich! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="314" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.it/maps?hl=it&q=coprolite+street&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Coprolite+St,+Ipswich,+Suffolk+IP3+0,+Regno+Unito&layer=c&cbll=52.052445,1.16259&panoid=90Zf6tywFTTZGdgWs5xHfA&cbp=13,265.24,,0,15.95&ll=52.045747,1.165838&spn=0.016576,0.048237&z=14&source=embed&output=svembed" width="562"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.it/maps?hl=it&q=coprolite+street&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Coprolite+St,+Ipswich,+Suffolk+IP3+0,+Regno+Unito&layer=c&cbll=52.052445,1.16259&panoid=90Zf6tywFTTZGdgWs5xHfA&cbp=13,265.24,,0,15.95&ll=52.045747,1.165838&spn=0.016576,0.048237&z=14&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa</a></small><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click on the picture to walk around Coprolite street!</span><br />
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The true nature of coprolites was discovered in the 19th century by William Buckland, one of the most influential figures in the history of paleontology. Known for his eccentric habits, Buckland possessed a table made entirely of his coprolite specimens. If you think that this was his weirdest behavior, you are wrong. Indeed he had the reputation for <a href="http://www.culture24.org.uk/science+%26+nature/art64980">eating everything that had a pulse, </a>including bluebottle, panther, crocodile and the preserved heart of the French King Louis XIV.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2C-w33kWU_kNB1jEdczg4R77Fq9RR-OLac-wUNeIFx43_M0cXjSkWy7mbEKp-3X9ehQH36oR_cq3D5H171wX11D39NjcgxB9RP2x7ycy_op4WP8v5JPhZgZrCEZCMyvqd8IzQo_TLaVF/s1600/45-buckland%2527s+coprolite+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2C-w33kWU_kNB1jEdczg4R77Fq9RR-OLac-wUNeIFx43_M0cXjSkWy7mbEKp-3X9ehQH36oR_cq3D5H171wX11D39NjcgxB9RP2x7ycy_op4WP8v5JPhZgZrCEZCMyvqd8IzQo_TLaVF/s320/45-buckland%2527s+coprolite+table.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buckland's Coprolite Table. I have to acknowledge Chris Duffin for precious comments on the subject. Picture from the <a href="http://subhumanfreak.blogspot.com/2009/08/sea-dragons-of-avalon.html">Disillusioned Taxonomist Blog</a>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>In William Buckland's times, nodules with coprolites at their nucleus received the name of 'beetle-stones' and they were often used as ladies' ornaments. This habit did not end with the 19th century.Indeed Artya designed <a href="http://artya.luxuryartpieces.com/product_coprolite">'Coprolite'</a>, a luxury watch blending art, geology and horology. With a sectioned coprolite as dial, Artya's watch transformed dung into gold.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC9LpnK0fM3u4W8s054GTSLH8sPEApmsMKliBHNo_0UEH8cnnvA5CsbBrzA99b6DMdwQl1kYYi51h8p2acy-iRPzSgrf3u19GIRDOYTGHCBostcVsQMm0QWWIbcvKg4fDTuyYdaBnRmO9/s1600/ArtyA-Coprolite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC9LpnK0fM3u4W8s054GTSLH8sPEApmsMKliBHNo_0UEH8cnnvA5CsbBrzA99b6DMdwQl1kYYi51h8p2acy-iRPzSgrf3u19GIRDOYTGHCBostcVsQMm0QWWIbcvKg4fDTuyYdaBnRmO9/s320/ArtyA-Coprolite.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artya's Coprolite Watch, made of actual fossil dung.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Despite its creative timekeeping, Artya's 'Coprolite' is not the first example of the relationship between dung and time. Indeed coprolites appear in the first illustration of 'deep time', that is the concept of geological time. As early as 1830, Henry Thomas De la Beche painted "Duria Antiquior, a more ancient Dorset", inspired by the paleontologic discovers of Mary Anning.<br />
Famed as the first scene with deep time, <i>Duria Antiquior </i>shows the first stage of the production of coprolites, that is... well, see the watercolor for more details.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK0v4k-p0-gqiXq6Sbd-ElFy_nDBUOVpTx7AOCPX1P5KJYeCHNeavhav81BsgmSj5LETiSMHU6Co_WesfCtYPwa-9Ev5gwscALdDH8ualyvkMZhLk_IbS-fvM1-Qktbj8LN7DDnc_dSQs/s1600/Duria_Antiquior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK0v4k-p0-gqiXq6Sbd-ElFy_nDBUOVpTx7AOCPX1P5KJYeCHNeavhav81BsgmSj5LETiSMHU6Co_WesfCtYPwa-9Ev5gwscALdDH8ualyvkMZhLk_IbS-fvM1-Qktbj8LN7DDnc_dSQs/s400/Duria_Antiquior.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Duria Antiquior, a more ancient Dorset" by Henry de la Beche</td></tr>
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In conclusion, coprolites are waste products only apparently. Indeed, fossil dung is precious either for scientists or for artists. With the words of the 19th century author Francis Buckland:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://books.google.it/books?id=d_w-AAAAYAAJ&dq=approach%2C%20approach%2C%20ingenuous%20youth%2C%20And%20learn%20this%20fundamental%20truth%3A%20The%20noble%20science%20of%20Geology%20is%20founded%20firmly%20in%20Coprology&pg=PA6&ci=137%2C1097%2C802%2C381&source=bookclip" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://books.google.it/books?id=d_w-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA6&img=1&zoom=3&hl=it&sig=ACfU3U1ZfA1ketjD04Oldl0lBK5Yvdn4ug&ci=137%2C1097%2C802%2C381&edge=0" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Geopoetry: "Approach, approach, ingenuous youth, And learn this fundamental truth:The noble science of Geology is founded firmly in Coprology." Click on the image to read the whole book!</span><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-10530803918622785682010-11-26T07:58:00.000-08:002010-11-26T07:58:43.498-08:00Foraminiferal Sculpture Park: a question of scales<div style="text-align: justify;">Geological objects extend over a wide scale range: from tectonic plates to mountains, from glaciers to sand grains. Intriguingly, distant scale ranges are often interconnected and the same phenomenon can hold on very different scales. In order to explain this concept, I invite you to a relay race through orders of scale. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Variations in the Earth's orbit change the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth. At the same time, the motion of tectonic plates reconfigures Earth's topography, consequently affecting both global and local patterns of atmosphere-ocean circulation. Plate tectonics influence also volcanic emissions (gases and particulates), which have a significant climate-controlling role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These (and many other) elements shape the Earth's climate, including ocean temperature and marine currents, which controls the distribution of marine microorganisms.<br />
From 150 million kilometers (Earth-Sun distance) to half a millimeter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsz13MMn1Favcm3wZe9mQSsKa5joEm-QrkxUEOgzHVi8xsCQFxAe7eH-7jwFPU6MCsIL899SkvjtKb4iZzuaHspZbKVe1-K4wFl6i75bdmyyi15hqeZS1k1wPe4q5IHmkxa4dPrnXiZD1/s1600/scale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsz13MMn1Favcm3wZe9mQSsKa5joEm-QrkxUEOgzHVi8xsCQFxAe7eH-7jwFPU6MCsIL899SkvjtKb4iZzuaHspZbKVe1-K4wFl6i75bdmyyi15hqeZS1k1wPe4q5IHmkxa4dPrnXiZD1/s640/scale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the levels of scale dealt in the text. Left: 150 million kilometers (Earth-Sun average distance). Center: Thousands of kilometers (plate tectonics); Right: Less than one millimeter (foraminifera).</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Conversely, variation in the ancient Earth's orbit can be figured out from fossils smaller than a sand grain. Likewise, microfossils are used to reconstruct past climate, ocean currents and sea depth.<br />
One of the most important groups of microfossils are Foraminifera ('forams', for friends). They are a large group of unicellular organisms with fine strands of cytoplasm that branch and merge to form a dynamic net. They typically produce a test, or shell, which is often preserved in marine sediments.<br />
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Geologists usually study forams through a microscope and obtain information from their complex morphology. The shape of Foraminifera already captivated the artistic talent of Earnst Haeckel, who depicted several specimens in his “Artforms of Nature”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULgjWXeqxGiuSSkiZnGIp4V97lkyyYcLiX3IGKILoYdKiDV2EsnmUPDeyBM7pmD3JJU0v0fZjGRwWBkRXx93cY-5e6SjmI07qrve_a33siVazepuZ6Y0tMarrLNsHXmk5V3aemq1tq814/s1600/Haeckel_Thalamophora_81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULgjWXeqxGiuSSkiZnGIp4V97lkyyYcLiX3IGKILoYdKiDV2EsnmUPDeyBM7pmD3JJU0v0fZjGRwWBkRXx93cY-5e6SjmI07qrve_a33siVazepuZ6Y0tMarrLNsHXmk5V3aemq1tq814/s320/Haeckel_Thalamophora_81.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foraminifera in Ernst Haeckel's Artforms of Nature.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, the morphology of Foraminifera became the key point of a sculpture garden: the Foraminiferal Sculpture Park in Zhongsham, China. The Zhongsham park is the world's first park dedicated to Foraminifera. It hosts sculptures of Paleozoic to modern species, carved out of marble, granite and sandstone. </div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoct8t-1EI9CtZxTo1ZToyR1pPnwTNmdEyvQ3Fr7O987Uw50hNOtUkdJCDYiSU8b_wyEw8GQP3x1mNkOXAI5n72DH0NbctV0a2cqMM45bL10NOc0vXcf9VWf5gTWhw3bbu5KN94yGGVUxu/s1600/forampark4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoct8t-1EI9CtZxTo1ZToyR1pPnwTNmdEyvQ3Fr7O987Uw50hNOtUkdJCDYiSU8b_wyEw8GQP3x1mNkOXAI5n72DH0NbctV0a2cqMM45bL10NOc0vXcf9VWf5gTWhw3bbu5KN94yGGVUxu/s400/forampark4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Foraminiferal Sculpture Park of Zhongsham (China). From the <a href="http://www.cushmanfoundation.org/resources/forampark/forampark.html"></a>website of the <a href="http://www.cushmanfoundation.org/resources/forampark/forampark.html">Cushman foundation</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">A question might arise: How did the Foraminiferal Sculpture Park come to light?<br />
The answer is given by the <a href="http://www.cushmanfoundation.org/resources/forampark/forampark.html">Cushman Foundation</a>, one of the world's leading micropaleontological associations: <br />
“The germ of an idea for a sculpture park first began some ten years earlier when marine geologist Bilal Haq of the National Science Foundation visited the lab of marine biologist and academician Zheng Shouyi at the Institute the Institute of Oceanology in Qingdao” <br />
Indeed Zheng Shouyi, one of the world’s leading foraminiferalogists, sculpted palm-size models of over a hundred of Foraminifera for educational purposes. She enlarged the tridimensional morphology of microfossils by sculpture, in order to render their form – otherwise indistinguishable to the human eye.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HQbNvXlooaftjzrFrCSnc7d8rjaf9F8deEsAfcIJZvmN1M-jq_6php2iZ7Y1xgt9QoKgqE9ExHS_hEGiqZM27LBGQES0A2_DCQuJBhyQIU-nCg6foauE2LBHVe0dOA4NL9ds3wvdUh0D/s1600/126042686772311_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HQbNvXlooaftjzrFrCSnc7d8rjaf9F8deEsAfcIJZvmN1M-jq_6php2iZ7Y1xgt9QoKgqE9ExHS_hEGiqZM27LBGQES0A2_DCQuJBhyQIU-nCg6foauE2LBHVe0dOA4NL9ds3wvdUh0D/s400/126042686772311_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking between gigant forams: this is possible at the Zhongsham Foraminiferal park! Image from <a href="http://www.nfdaily.cn/">Nfdaily</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSiI7fyoccmPsIeLb9WLBAicCOUi5XC6epcqaZJTVeYQQvpgPpwFYvrdwlgVXUuh8MRfAdlowT0Oy5o8R4rm_XpdXqJ6-GSUnQKGs2wljX9R1FBpChxMTXribDwXAH6BfuHsepKP_TrH3/s1600/126042686772311_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSiI7fyoccmPsIeLb9WLBAicCOUi5XC6epcqaZJTVeYQQvpgPpwFYvrdwlgVXUuh8MRfAdlowT0Oy5o8R4rm_XpdXqJ6-GSUnQKGs2wljX9R1FBpChxMTXribDwXAH6BfuHsepKP_TrH3/s320/126042686772311_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A variety of the sculpted forams. Image from <a href="http://www.ccdu.cn/">www.ccdu.cn</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bilal Haq, admiring the abstract and organic beauty of these models, proposed to Zheng to enlarge the sculptures. As reported by the Cushman foundation, “Zheng, a woman of action and a politically influential scientist, took the suggestion seriously” and supervised local artisans for a period of over five years.<br />
<br />
The result of this elaborate creative process is breath-taking: 114 permanently-sited sculptures in landscaped surroundings, covering a time span from Paleozoic to recent times. The Foraminiferal Sculpture Park in Zhongsham is an astounding celebration of biological diversity through geological time. <br />
True Artforms of Nature, in the best Haeckel's tradition.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vRTjc5IWzcBLPxqZ62wwNDzRgRPqPFkxRh3e6afGDJkEtTmMkZWAoyM5NGP_lYZOHf2cCuLIh8SNZelPsVnqXJWAziNISFvIpgwVqteS42Nqy_ZnRP8IX6uEthEUtseivExzOv__5CxD/s1600/forampark17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vRTjc5IWzcBLPxqZ62wwNDzRgRPqPFkxRh3e6afGDJkEtTmMkZWAoyM5NGP_lYZOHf2cCuLIh8SNZelPsVnqXJWAziNISFvIpgwVqteS42Nqy_ZnRP8IX6uEthEUtseivExzOv__5CxD/s400/forampark17.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interpretative structures corroborates the artistic experience. From the website of the <a href="http://www.cushmanfoundation.org/resources/forampark/forampark.html">Cushman foundation</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6_qdfcMIJiOhbA-4thXaiGBrY-pbjilG1pEfPsfB3E07I89x74UJLqEKn-pta2M_w1bPIYmHzB6PsNnrevqHfHraKh-eP7aZ85IDVZ69QFI110MrQNh9pNNiFN4sYUDRvCob7MDjNzbN/s1600/forampark5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6_qdfcMIJiOhbA-4thXaiGBrY-pbjilG1pEfPsfB3E07I89x74UJLqEKn-pta2M_w1bPIYmHzB6PsNnrevqHfHraKh-eP7aZ85IDVZ69QFI110MrQNh9pNNiFN4sYUDRvCob7MDjNzbN/s320/forampark5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art is a great opportunity for scientific entertainment and geotourism!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4l2PVYR4OVtr9DN5w7MfV2mxhV3AWcpyEztEn-FpLRGnZlQoW_2tPLeE_PZHKhjrP7HABlMYcqXM69XGdjoB7ARObqMXvvZsVE9Cf__AL22JHvRocO80B9OfOIr225WigJvury-Gb8a7/s1600/091207004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4l2PVYR4OVtr9DN5w7MfV2mxhV3AWcpyEztEn-FpLRGnZlQoW_2tPLeE_PZHKhjrP7HABlMYcqXM69XGdjoB7ARObqMXvvZsVE9Cf__AL22JHvRocO80B9OfOIr225WigJvury-Gb8a7/s400/091207004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More micropaleontologic art. From <a href="http://www.deltabridges.com/news/zhongshan-news/sanxiang-town-builds-1st-foraminiferal-sculpture-park-world">deltabridges.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-9337678991862770612010-11-09T03:16:00.000-08:002010-11-09T03:18:01.073-08:00Wearable Trilobites: a Prehistoric Update<div style="text-align: justify;">In a <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/07/cephalon-wearable-trilobites-trilobites.html">recent post </a>I discussed about 'wearable trilobites', that are trilobites used as items of personal adornment. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The oldest example of ‘trilobitic fashion accessory’ is the drilled fossil that has been found in a 15 000 year old archeological site, hence named <i>La Grotte du Trilobite</i> (French for 'the Trilobite’s Cave'). At the time when I wrote the post, I was looking for a good picture of the trilobitic ornament, but without luck. Today I browsed <a href="http://mammothtales.southernfriedscience.com/2010/07/29/the-first-trilobite/">Mammoth Science </a>and I found it!</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_RpO52u5yNM7y-YXy-OXu8-_GYxZBzSxjHPZB5UioOL1vJUbQG8vQV58PlvvvLRViRbt59C9s29hgaHF-xZ-RoOfF5RYgxnZ2BVySzhFPgqEx9Q3mheK4FiDoJM74AbPy3eeC65Sw6XF/s1600/Yonne+Trilobite.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_RpO52u5yNM7y-YXy-OXu8-_GYxZBzSxjHPZB5UioOL1vJUbQG8vQV58PlvvvLRViRbt59C9s29hgaHF-xZ-RoOfF5RYgxnZ2BVySzhFPgqEx9Q3mheK4FiDoJM74AbPy3eeC65Sw6XF/s320/Yonne+Trilobite.JPG" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The object found in <i>La Grotte du Trilobite</i>: humans used fossil trilobites as items of personal adornment since prehistoric times! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-37316166545708809152010-11-04T07:48:00.000-07:002010-11-04T07:52:04.683-07:00Geological Observatory of Coldigioco: where art meets science<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"><< It is self-evident that nothing concerning art is self-evident. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">>></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">—<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Theodor Adorno</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Geology is expressed in art through a plethora of media, styles and movements. For instance, it seems very difficult to find an order or a “common line” between <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/06/origins-of-geology-between-art-and.html">Leonardo da Vinci</a> and <a href="http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/03/per-kirkeby-geologys-abstract-landscape.html">Per Kirkeby</a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Accordingly, I defined Geologic Art as “a collective term for artistic phenomena in which geology brings its own aesthetic and conceptual baggage” (Baucon, 2010). Indeed Geologic Art cannot be regarded a style or a movement; nevertheless, it is a definite, peculiar field as it records the work of ‘geologic thinkers’ (<i>sensu</i> Andrews, 2003).</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO8EizZhWbEeBTI13Da1gonlr24JMoOrSx4xj5k8qHBxVYteUCvRQ_pK0Bbjyz6k3mHkG6FLRv0iQYUDPZ1v2Aijzec814RdG9pYezKPICSTQdp3YE0qO7rHRaX2UtsHYwPZfLc4qISU3/s1600/Cole_Thomas_The_Oxbow_(The_Connecticut_River_near_Northampton_1836.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO8EizZhWbEeBTI13Da1gonlr24JMoOrSx4xj5k8qHBxVYteUCvRQ_pK0Bbjyz6k3mHkG6FLRv0iQYUDPZ1v2Aijzec814RdG9pYezKPICSTQdp3YE0qO7rHRaX2UtsHYwPZfLc4qISU3/s320/Cole_Thomas_The_Oxbow_(The_Connecticut_River_near_Northampton_1836.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Cole, Oxbow or the Connecticut River near Northampton, 1836.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Some places are special for ‘geologic thinkers’. For instance, the 19<sup>th</sup> century saw artists and scientists celebrating the geology of the Hudson River. According to Rebecca Bedell (2001): “Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Frederic Church, John F. Kensett, William Stanley Haseltine, Thomas Moran, and other artists read scientific texts, participated in geologic surveys, and carried rock hammers into the field to collect fossils and mineral specimens. As they crafted their paintings, these artists drew on their geologic knowledge to shape new vocabularies of landscape elements resonant with moral, spiritual, and intellectual ideas”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">This phenomenon – known as the Hudson School – involved geology in its scientific and artistic expression.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkuzW6OA3ap9ixetb1MThQC4D39USO7pIX0WUKms0yuTMpmDDc-U2zHLH3rIhfLCERt5ctFh-ifSRnnnz28YWJhHMrdnPsJ3F6OFpvYekQNenKKawvHmKU8GextI9t4ZPOIwrRnUqOzpI/s1600/it_221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkuzW6OA3ap9ixetb1MThQC4D39USO7pIX0WUKms0yuTMpmDDc-U2zHLH3rIhfLCERt5ctFh-ifSRnnnz28YWJhHMrdnPsJ3F6OFpvYekQNenKKawvHmKU8GextI9t4ZPOIwrRnUqOzpI/s320/it_221.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Cole's Rock Collection (from <a href="http://www.explorethomascole.org/">Explore Thomas Cole</a>, a comprehensive website about the founder of the Hudson School).</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">Special places continue to inspire geological thinkers still nowadays. In fact, geology and art meet at Coldigioco (Italy), a hilltop village sitting among mystical peaks and lyrical woodlands. In this unique scenario Alessandro Montanari (geologist and “geo-musician”) and his wife Paula Metallo (artist and educator) restored and rebuilt an old town, creating the<span lang="EN-GB"> Osservatorio Geologico di Coldigioco (Geological Observatory of Coldigioco), which is described as “an independent center for research and education in geology, art, and cuisine”. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Alessandro and Paula are Coldigioco's permanent residents, but the geological observatory is a vivid meeting point for geological thinkers from all over the world. Indeed Coldigioco provides extensive facilities for geoscientists and it is intensively involved in artistic initiatives.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAPvSMq6rP29cFa1GB97cB_qikFLK_9asrqIsJ2j_7t9MYf5a8CZ3C2L9FNoDjuubUm2ZzhzSj0HVHvkBNGAi6Uw3221dzCWCZvz4ypLogR1_8-D6SUz5K2OwUsX2r8C8ZFxbUNTepS3l/s1600/landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAPvSMq6rP29cFa1GB97cB_qikFLK_9asrqIsJ2j_7t9MYf5a8CZ3C2L9FNoDjuubUm2ZzhzSj0HVHvkBNGAi6Uw3221dzCWCZvz4ypLogR1_8-D6SUz5K2OwUsX2r8C8ZFxbUNTepS3l/s400/landscape.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="main">Monte San Vicino and the surroundings of Coldigioco. Coldigioco is located near the center of the image along one of the ridges ascending toward the mountain. From <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_604610828">the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco Website</a><a href="http://./">.</a></span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Since 1992, the Geologic Observatory of Coldigioco has hosted numerous science, art and culinary programs and conferences. Geoscientists use it as a base from which to study the amazing geology of the Apennines. Its vibrant cultural and natural environment is a vivid source of inspiration for artists.</span></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">It appears manifest that the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco could be considered a sort of 'GeoArt's navel'.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">For exploring this unique cultural scenario, it is necessary a 'first-hand' opinion. For this reason I interviewed some of the artists revolving around Coldogioco, starting from its founders: Alessandro Montanari and Paula Metallo.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><span class="apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>1. What led you to found the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco?</b></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-tab-span"></span><span class="apple-style-span">A love for spontaneity and a sort of naive trust in coincidence.</span><span class="apple-style-span"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="apple-style-span">2. Could you define Coldigioco Geologic Observatory? </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span">What is Coldigioco? Here are a few of the things we love about Coldigioco .... the rural landscape that is so beautiful, the peace, the sense of community, the many stimulating conversations, the give and take in learning about each others disciplines - and how we always feel a creative jump start. But most importantly for us we love sharing with students, the Coldigioco life and all of our accomplishments, and that special-Coldigioco-something that each person who visits feels changed for the better and connected to everyone else who loves Coldigioco. That in and of itself if we have accomplished nothing else (which we have) is an extraordinary feat!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><b>3</b><span class="apple-style-span"><b>. What are the greatest challenges facing the Geological Observatory of Coldigioco?</b></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-tab-span">F</span><span class="apple-style-span">inancial. It is often small or emerging organizations that generate provocative ideas, reframe an issue, or look at persistent problems in new ways. I think we are particularly effective at challenging old ways of approaching problems. Especially university level education and research. Even though it should be said that we have yet to find a formula to penetrate and participate in the Italian university system in a way that could begin to transform its inertia.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span">The initial energy and excitement we and our group of friends had was enough for the initial push but long-term growth has been difficult to keep up with as we get older. As organizers, caretakers, educators and researchers, Sandro and I are just now able to deligate those jobs that took time and energy away from research that permitted us to offer quality work. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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The above lines suggest the existence of a 'Coldigioco School' of GeoArt. Is it really true? Who are the artists revolving around Coldigioco? And who are the geoscientists? What is the relationship between Coldigioco, music and geology? How Coldigioco inspire visual arts and what is the role of geology in this process? <br />
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The answers - and much more - are coming soon: this December, on<a href="http://www.geologyinart.blogspot.com/"> the Geology in Art Webzine</a>!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpGT1dOmXdw16oPL-ukciE9M5kPOQ1FAqXO_CyUBROfQHgNFs0-4M7yTDowYv0ggxBYVNfBBSAXKFeEWxp4b-IfsAREP5ZgNzMa4Cf2mS_ulAU0beNasm5phdAteAqtNkE01mmZXZzBRd/s1600/collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpGT1dOmXdw16oPL-ukciE9M5kPOQ1FAqXO_CyUBROfQHgNFs0-4M7yTDowYv0ggxBYVNfBBSAXKFeEWxp4b-IfsAREP5ZgNzMa4Cf2mS_ulAU0beNasm5phdAteAqtNkE01mmZXZzBRd/s400/collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coldigioco Special Issues are coming soon - on these pages!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="apple-style-span">REFERENCES</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="apple-style-span">Andrews S. 2003. Spatial thinking with a difference: an unorthodox treatise in the mind of the Geologist. AEG News, 45(4) and 46(1-3)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="apple-style-span">Baucon A., 2009. <a href="http://www.geologyinart.com/">Geology in Art. An Unorthodox Path from Visual Arts to Music. </a>geologyinart.com / tracemaker.com, 120 pages </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="apple-style-span">Bedell, R. 2001. The Anatomy of Nature: Geology and American Landscape Painting 1825-1875. Princeton, Princeton Press, 185 pp.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br />
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</span></div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3392451304164903034.post-49421995954403537672010-08-22T05:49:00.000-07:002010-08-22T05:49:52.766-07:00A Record of Life<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">Owen Gatley and Luke Jinks authored a nice short movie: "A Record of Life". What is it about?</span></span></div><div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Triceratops, Volcano, Iguanodon. Shark, Jellyfishes, Buffalo. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">"A Record of Life" isn't all about geology, but it deals also with biology and the diversity of present-day life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You might ask: 'Is it about Earth Sciences or Life Sciences?' This does not matter. Indeed the fossil record is a crucial proof of evolution and explains the diversity of the present-day biological world. Earth Sciences and Life Sciences are connected through paleontology. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Equations, Diagrams, Charts.<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">'A Record of Life' celebrates the diversity of life through science. Indeed the visual space is filled with objects derived from scientific papers and field notebooks. All on a very physical paper-like texture. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">Owen Gatley and Luke Jinks seem to suggest that </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB">science is a coherent language to describe the beauty of the natural world. Furthermore, the final metaphor (a man which dives in...well, watch the movie!) seems to express where we come from: evolution, as recorded by the geologic record.</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-GB"></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="320" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/6130123" width="400"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/6130123">A Record Of Life</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/owengatley">Owen Gatley and Luke Jinks</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>Andrea "tracemaker" Bauconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08748578820324528930noreply@blogger.com0