Art and Science Weekend

Although art and science may appear as distant disciplines, they reveal surprising affinities in both methodologies and the language used. It is a common misconception that artists are driven solely by creative instinct, while scientists strictly follow rules. In reality, both artists and scientists undergo a phase of study and a process of experimentation that involves exploring techniques and materials. Both aim to activate new processes of research and knowledge, demonstrating that innovation often arises from the meeting of creativity and method.

In 1966, Marina Apollonio stated: “Every one of my plastic investigations aims to explore the phenomenal possibilities of elementary forms and structures. The elementary form contains total abstraction as it is based on a mathematical program. On this basis, action unfolds with absolute rigor in a direct relationship between intuition and verification: intuition at the optical level and verification on a mathematical system.”

In addition to Apollonio, many artists of the last century have been able to integrate art and science synergistically: Alexander Calder, who studied engineering, created his innovative mobiles; Robert Delaunay explored visual perception and the refraction of light; the Cubist and Futurist avant-gardes sought ways to represent movement and the fourth dimension; while abstract artists focused on geometric compositions. These interconnections between scientific inquiries and artistic movements, especially among the avant-gardes of the 20th century, demonstrate how these worlds can coexist and enrich one another.