voi Cesthe first volume of his magnificent design of the history of the macrocosm and the
microcosm in 1617. on page 26 of Book 1, there is a pitch- black, almost square
rectangle. on all four sides of the figure is the same text, ‘et sic in infinitum’. For
the brilliant english polymath of the seventeenth century this image symbolized the
infinity of matter and at the same time that, ultimately, it was impenetrable.
much later this image would acquire tremendous importance for the entire art
history of the modern age. adapted, modified, and referenced many times, 300 years
later in the famous painting by Kasimir malevich this image became the icon of the
dawning of a new worldview. science was characterized by dynamic, non- euclidean
geometry, discoveries concerning the fourth dimension of time and electronics, the
practical and theoretical consequences of albert einstein’s relativity theory, and the
early experiments in quantum mechanics. The arts saw the rise of the cubism, futurism,
and constructivism movements and their variants. With abstract forms and kinetic
studies artists, as well as musicians, attempted to respond structurally to the increasing
complexity of the world using the resources at their disposal. The world as apparatus
or automaton, which had been envisaged by René descartes amongst others, became a
pre- eminent theme. mechanical ballets danced on the stage and on canvas, animated
spirals moving into the depths of the image space irritated people’s perception, which
had become lethargic. nudes were sent up and down staircases. surrealists attempted
to liberate bodies from the physical laws of gravity and the linear arrow of time – at
least in the moving image. Composers experimented with arranging notes in series that
fundamentally upset familiar notions of the simple and clear harmony of all elements
of the world. at the precise moment in time when the media began to be established
as a special area of theory and praxis, when the first models of empirical research on
the mass media were developed, and marshall mcluhan was becoming the first pop
star of media theory, John Cage performed his most famous piece, which effectively
constituted a radical break with reproducibility and infinite simulations. Cage sat down
at the piano for the first performance of this work in 1952 and played for four minutes
and thirty- three seconds – nothing. The radical experiment 4'33" was also a particular
form of investigating the audible world around us.
artists and scientists may live on different planets and their aspirations may be fixed
on different stars. however, in the terra incognita of their hardware and the dissimilar
oceans of their consciousness strong affinities are at work and energies are restive that
conjoin time and again, especially when they are excellent, exceptional, and powerful.
Then, occasionally, they encounter each other at intersections where something
wondrous happens.
the operation of zgodlocator by Herwig Weiserlike the beginning of the twentieth century, physics and the life sciences hold a
powerful fascination for young artists of today. They engage with genetic algorithms,
system transformations, solar- powered frequency modulators, bio- feedback, the
pulverization of metals, the breakdown of liquids, dynamic geometry, the analysis of
eye movements, morphogenesis, robotics, brain research, particle accelerators, and the
design of interfaces between machines and their users. They each do this in their own
individual way, in close alliance and with frictions to their exuberant imagination, their