As a musician, actor, and studying meteorologist, it didn’t
take much time for me to realize how relevant C.P. Snow’s so-called third
culture is in the world. One striking example relating to my field of study
comes from Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry
Night where some scientists believe that Van Gogh used different shades of luminescent paint in a way that can be modeled mathematically, the
same way scientists model fluid turbulence (Gleiser). They believe that
Van Gogh keyed into the scientific/mathematic state of turbulence and used
it in creating a realistic and beautiful sense of nature in his work.
.jpg)
Vincent Van Gogh’s The
Starry Night
Another example of the science/technology/art interface
within meteorology is in the simulation of fluids in movies that employ 3D
animation. The equations that govern fluid dynamics, (most notably the Navier-Stokes equations) are often used by 3D animators to create natural looking
ocean waves, and flames/explosions (which are phenomena that take place in the
fluid we call air). Below is a realistic simulation of ocean waves, from a
website that explains these connections further (Seymour).
“Naiad simulation shown at SIGGRAPH 2010's Naiad
User Group & Get Together (NUGGET).”(Seymour)
However, I think the most interesting connection between the two cultures is actually the fundamental similarity between them.
In describing the most underlying interest of a scientist in science, Bohm
states in his paper On Creativity,
“what he is really seeking is to learn something new that has a certain
fundamental kind of significance… to find in the reality in which he lives a
certain oneness and totality, or wholeness, constituting a kind of harmony that is felt to be beautiful. In
this respect, the scientist is perhaps not basically different from the artist...”
(138) I believe this is absolutely true, and in a large sense, what people of
many cultures and professions really desire is to create something meaningful
and beautiful. My question going forward is how can education teach people to be
creative learners in any field, rather than task performers in only one, a state
of affairs Sir Ken Robinson describes in his talk RSA Animate – Changing Education Paradigms.
Ken Robinson, RSA
Animate – Changing Education Paradigms
Sources
Bohm, D. "On
Creativity." JSTOR. The MIT Press, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
Changing Education Paradigms. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube.
Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, 14 Oct.
2010. Web. <http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U>.
Gleiser, Marcelo. "Van Gogh's Turbulent Mind Captured
Turbulence." NPR. NPR, 01 Apr. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
NUGGET. "Siggraph 2010 Naiad Tech." YouTube. YouTube,
8 Oct. 2010. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
Seymour, Mike. "The Science of Fluid Sims." Fxguide.
Fxguide, 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.”
Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.
Vincent van Gogh, The
Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, 29 in. x 36 1/4 in. (73.7 cm x 92.1 cm),
Museum of Modern Art, New York. Accessed 1 Jan. 2013.
<http://uploads2.wikiart.org/images/vincent-van-gogh/the-starry-night-1889(1).jpg>
Hi Francis,
ReplyDeleteI like how both you and some of the class material discuss the creativity involved in the scientific process. Regarding your interesting question at the end of your post, it seems that one major way that the RSA video suggests will promote the development of creativity in education, is by removing standardization as it places students in a box that they may not be meant to succeed in. I believe that a better way would be to promote collaboration and problem solving amongst students so that they can practice thinking creatively and critically.
I like your idea about collaboration and problem solving. I think I would have benefited greatly from a more collaborative environment in my classes as a kid and as an adult, as the act of talking to people about subject matter usually peeks my interest and makes me feel part of a community with a higher purpose than just my own learning.
Delete