The purpose of this initiative goes
beyond complementing a Michael Graves building with wellchosen
art. Public interest in the interaction of image, art and science
is growing rapidly, and represents an opportunity to attract a
wide audience to explore the relationships between science and
art, and to bring together active practitioners in both for
exchange and public events. Interactions among art, image and
science are manifested in a variety of forms. Examples include art
with scientific themes (produced by scientists and
non-scientists), exhibits touring national scientific centers
(e.g. National Academy of Sciences, Chicago Academy of Sciences),
and vibrant research imagery, such as pictures from the Hubble
Space Telescope or microscopic images from other research. The
relationship between art and science is fundamental. Art and
imagery are relevant to the creative process in science and
integral to the communication of science. For theoretical physics,
images can be powerful expressions of elegant mathematical
equations that are inaccessible to most people. Through this
initiative the KITP is attracting a wide range of people to the
institute to explore the interactions among art, image and
science, and to communicate leading edge research to a broader
public than might ordinarily be exposed to this work. In addition,
this initiative creates opportunities for the KITP to collaborate
with local art organizations and museums, strengthening the
institute's community ties. It is our hope that through this
initiative the KITP can provide a dynamic crucible where the
nonscientist and scientist alike can experience and benefit from
the vibrant relationships among art, image and science.
