Photography, Physics, and Complexity - Sudden Stillness€¦ · Let’s cut right to the chase...
Transcript of Photography, Physics, and Complexity - Sudden Stillness€¦ · Let’s cut right to the chase...
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Andy [email protected]
571-217-8198
http://www.sudden-stillness.comhttp://tao-of-digital-photography.blogspot.com
Photography, Physics, and Complexity:Strange Bedfellows or a New Aesthetic?
Morrison House Presentation, August 2011
…with just a little bit of tao sprinkled in!
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What am I here to talk about?
Preamble
By day…
I am a physicist, specializingin chaos, complex systems.
and mathematical modeling
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At all other times(that often intrude on the day)…
I am a photographer, who forgets all about physics, complexity,
photography, even my “I”
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What am I here to talk about?
Preamble
By day…
I am a physicist, specializingin chaos, complex systems.
and mathematical modeling
htt
p:/
/ww
w.c
reat
ivec
rim
inal
s.co
m/i
mag
es/
mer
ced
esle
ftri
ghtb
rain
1.jp
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At all other times(that often intrude on the day)…
I am a photographer, who forgets all about physics, complexity,
photography, even my “I”
I’m here to (attempt to) describe what theworld that exists at the cusp of these two realms looks like
from the point of view of one ineffable “I” (and to show a few photographs along the way ;-)
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PhotographyThe art of capturing what a “thing” isto communicate what else a thing is
PhysicsThe science of distilling perceivedorder into simplest possible form
ComplexitySelf-organized emergence of global
order that arises from local simplicity
What is this talk about?
• Who decides what is “order”?
• Aesthetics ( “order principle”), patterns, emergencelocal vs. global, self-reference/organization, dynamics, multidimensional spaces, objective vs. subjective
• What does observed order say about the observer?
Themes /Questions
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Let’s cut right to the chase Physics and photography both define and revel in
categories, divisions, groupings, labels, orders, and partitions;
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Let’s cut right to the chase Physics and photography both define and revel in
categories, divisions, groupings, labels, orders, and partitions;
An artist is a meta-patternof subjective order
Gjon Mili, Life Magazine (1949)
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Let’s cut right to the chase Physics and photography both define and revel in
categories, divisions, groupings, labels, orders, and partitions;
An artist is a meta-patternof subjective order
Gjon Mili, Life Magazine (1949)
A physicist is a meta-patternof “objective order”
http://insidetheclassics.myminnesotaorchestra.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/formulas_440.jpg
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Let’s cut right to the chase Physics and photography both define and revel in
categories, divisions, groupings, labels, orders, and partitions;
An artist is a meta-patternof subjective order
Gjon Mili, Life Magazine (1949)
A physicist is a meta-patternof “objective order”
http://insidetheclassics.myminnesotaorchestra.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/formulas_440.jpg
Art is the transcendenceof subjective categories
Kandinsky, "First Abstract Watercolor“ (1910 / 1911 ?)
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Let’s cut right to the chase Physics and photography both define and revel in
categories, divisions, groupings, labels, orders, and partitions;
An artist is a meta-patternof subjective order
Gjon Mili, Life Magazine (1949)
A physicist is a meta-patternof “objective order”
http://insidetheclassics.myminnesotaorchestra.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/formulas_440.jpg
Art is the transcendenceof subjective categories
Kandinsky, "First Abstract Watercolor“ (1910 / 1911 ?)
Physics is a reduction / distillationof “objective categories”
![Page 10: Photography, Physics, and Complexity - Sudden Stillness€¦ · Let’s cut right to the chase Physics and photography both define and revel in categories, divisions, groupings, labels,](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070717/5edc15c2ad6a402d66669a4d/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Let’s cut right to the chase Physics and photography both define and revel in
categories, divisions, groupings, labels, orders, and partitions;
An artist is a meta-patternof subjective order
Gjon Mili, Life Magazine (1949)
A physicist is a meta-patternof “objective order”
http://insidetheclassics.myminnesotaorchestra.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/formulas_440.jpg
Art is the transcendenceof subjective categories
Kandinsky, "First Abstract Watercolor“ (1910 / 1911 ?)
Physics is a reduction / distillationof “objective categories”
Complexity and Taoremind us of the
absurdity of dividingthe world in this way!
Tatsuya Ishida (http://sinfest.net/comikaze/comics/2010-02-01.gif)
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What Do I mean by “New” Aesthetic?Speculations spurred by a provocative question by a blogger friend
Q: How does solving a difficult problem is physicscompare to capturing a great image in photography?
A: The experience – in each context – is exactly the same !
Half the talk is a discussion about what I mean by “exactly the same”
The other half is about the potential implications if this is really so;
psychologically, creatively,and spiritually
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Most popular entries…
• Ergodicity and (Abstract) ArtMay 2006
• Learning to See from the BlindJanuary 2009
• Unconscious Influence and the Creative ProcessFebruary 2009
• Sting, Goethe, and the Creative ProcessAugust 2010
• Implicate Order, Enfolded CentersJanuary 2011
• Toward an Aesthetic GrammarApril 2007
• Traversing an N-Dimensional Aesthetic SpaceMarch 2009
• The Click of the Shutter Button...and A Deep MysteryNovember 2008
http://tao-of-digital-photography.blogspot.com
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Who Am I? – Take #1• 1960: Born / Glen Cove, Long Island, NY
• 1970: First cameraPolaroid instamatic / Christmas giftFirst picture: (abstract?) closeup of my right toe
• 1978: First encounter with TaoChuang-Tzu: Inner Chapters
• 1982: First “serious” cameraCanon AE-1
• 1988: Ph.D. / theoretical physicsDiscrete Complex Systems
• 1998: First digital cameraNikon Coolpix 950
• 2001: First published book Cellular Automata (physics)
• 2002: First “serious” DSLRCanon D60
• 2007: First Solo ShowCoral Gables, Florida
• 2007: First Lenswork portfolioDVD Edition #71 / July-August
• 2008: First self-published book Hawaii, Blurb.com (photography)
• 2008: First art co-opOne of 14 founding membersof Lorton Arts, Occoquan, VA
Whatever I may know about light, tone, texture, form, and
compositionI learned by
watching my dad
He was not a photographer,
But was an artistpar excellence
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Who Am I? – Take #2
Who am I ?
Physicist
Complexicologist
Photographer
Andy
?
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Who Am I? – Take #2
Physics
Building the objective worldout of imagined parts
Dissolving distinctions between inner and outer experiences
Complexity
Photography
Seeing imagined worldsin objective realities
Who am I ?
Physicist
Complexicologist
Photographer
Andy
?
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Sometimes I ponder about physics when something catches my eye
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Sometimes I ponder about complexity …
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Sometimes I use my physics to steer my eye / camera
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Sometimes I use my complexity to steer my eye / camera
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*Art is a process+ “…in which we give ourselves so deeply to our seeing that we takethings right into ourselves and then give forth a new version of them from inside, tinted by all
of the possibilities within us, transformed the way an oyster takes grit and makes a pearl.”
— SEAN KERNAN, Photographer (Lenswork, May 2004)
In truth, the core “Andy” is a “complex” nested creative process…
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Who Am I? – Take #2
Physics
Complexity
Photography
Dissolving distinctions between inner and outer experiences
Seeing imagined worldsin objective realities
Building the objective worldout of imagined parts
“I” am a creature on a creative journey, whose path is both informed by
– and shapes – many “subjective” and
“objective” categories
Who am I ?Who am I ?
Hypothesis
The best way to discoverthis “I” is to examine what
it has spent a lifetime creating
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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A Lesson from a Physicist
“We are not only observers.We are participators.
In some strange sense this isa participatory universe...
…no phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is
an observed phenomenon.”
— JOHN ARCHIBALD WHEELERPhysicist (1911 - 2008)
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A Lesson from a Complexicologist
“There is a constant and intimate contact among the things that
coexist and coevolvein the universe;
A sharing of bonds and messages that makes reality into
a stupendous network of
interaction and communication.”
— ERVIN LASZLOPhilosopher & Systems Theorist (1932 - )
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“There is no closed figure in natureEvery shape participates with another.
No one thing is independent of another,and one thing rhymes with another,
and light gives them shape.”
— HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON, Photographer / Artist (1908 - 2004 )
A Lesson from a Photographer
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“Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters...
When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters.
But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest.For it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains,
and waters once again as waters.”
— Ching-te Ch'uan Teng-lu (“Transmission of the Lamp”)
A Lesson from Taoist Master
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All partitions are arbitrary
“The division of the perceived universeinto parts and wholes is convenient
and may be necessary, but no necessity determines
how it shall be done.”
— GREGORY BATESON(Anthropologist, 1904 – 1980)
Takeaway #1
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There are no things, just processes
“All is process. That is to say, there is ‘no thing’ in the universe. Things, objects, entities, are abstractions of what is relatively constant
from a process of movement and transformation.
They are like the shapes that children like to see in clouds..”
— DAVID BOHM(Physicist, 1917 – 1992)
Takeaway #2
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All is organized energy
“Science shows us thatthe visible world is
neither matter nor spirit; the visible world is the
invisible organization of energy.”
— HEINZ PAGELS(Physicist, 1939 – 1988)
Takeaway #3
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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… …
What Does a Physicist Do?The multidimensional “art” of selection / pattern spaces
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
Dimensionsof Physicist
(Local) OrderDimensions
Dimensionsof Reality
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus reviewer’s attention (peer review)… on the message you wish your physics to communicate
Dimensionsof Reviewer
… …
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus reviewer’s attention (peer review)… on the message you wish your physics to communicate
• How does this “something” fit into whole body of work?… that the physicist has produced over a lifetime
(Global) OrderDimensions
xy
z
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… …
What Does a Physicist Do?The multidimensional “art” of selection / pattern spaces
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
Dimensionsof Physicist
(Local) OrderDimensions
Dimensionsof Reality
xy
z• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus reviewer’s attention (peer review)… on the message you wish your physics to communicate
Dimensionsof Reviewer
… …
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus reviewer’s attention (peer review)… on the message you wish your physics to communicate
• How does this “something” fit into whole body of work?… that the physicist has produced over a lifetime
(Global) OrderDimensions
What Does a Photographer Do?The multidimensional “art” of selection / aesthetic spaces
… …
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in a given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … you wish to capture, deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus viewer’s attention… on the message you wish your photograph to communicate
• How does this “something” fit into whole body of work?… that the photographer has produced over a lifetime
… …
Dimensionsof Photographer
(Local) AestheticDimensions
Dimensionsof Reality
Dimensionsof Viewer
(Global) AestheticDimensions
xy
z
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… …
What Does a Physicist Do?The multidimensional “art” of selection / pattern spaces
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
Dimensionsof Physicist
(Local) OrderDimensions
Dimensionsof Reality
xy
z• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus reviewer’s attention (peer review)… on the message you wish your physics to communicate
Dimensionsof Reviewer
… …
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in the given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus reviewer’s attention (peer review)… on the message you wish your physics to communicate
• How does this “something” fit into whole body of work?… that the physicist has produced over a lifetime
(Global) OrderDimensions
What Does a Photographer Do?The multidimensional “art” of selection / aesthetic spaces
… …
• Experience / view the world – experiment / interact
• Find “something” interesting… in a given context, for a particular reason(s)
• Select “something of that something” … you wish to capture, deliberately excluding everything else
• Focus viewer’s attention… on the message you wish your photograph to communicate
• How does this “something” fit into whole body of work?… that the photographer has produced over a lifetime
… …
Dimensionsof Photographer
(Local) AestheticDimensions
Dimensionsof Reality
Dimensionsof Viewer
(Global) AestheticDimensions
xy
z
… …
The multidimensional “art” of selection / aesthetic spaces
• Selecting where to look
• Selecting what to take a picture of
• Selecting camera, lens, aperture, exposure, …
• Selecting what to emphasize in post-processing
• Selecting who / where to show
• Selecting what to keep in (long-term) portfolio
… …
Aesthetic
An artist’s pattern of selections
(in somen-dimensionalfeature space)
xy
z
Core ofCreative Process
Is Selection
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…
I’ve found it has little to do with the things you seeand everything to do with the way you see them.”
- Elliot Erwitt, Photographer (1928 - )
Aesthetics (a Physicist’s Take… ;-)
• Why this instead of that?
• An ordering principle
Is this really random?
Changeperspective
Rotate axes
Seeing witha new “aesthetic”
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A “Baby Step” Experiment
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/245471
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
DialecticTransition
Figure / GroundRepetitionDistinction
StabilityBalance
OrganizationCoherenceGeometry
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A “Baby Step” Experiment
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/245471
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
ExtrusionFine / CourseDislocation
StabilityModularityPlanarity
OppositionOverlap
GeometryProximity
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A “Baby Step” Experiment
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/245471
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
GeometryGestalt
DissonanceDominance
OrganizationInterlockAssembly
ConnectionAngularity
Scale
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A “Baby Step” Experiment
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/245471
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
Most Common Features
HarmonyInterlock
InterpenetrationStillness
Unity
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A “Baby Step” Experiment
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/245471
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
Most CommonFeature-Feature Pairs
Figure-Ground / GeometryCoherence / Harmony
Dialectic / GestaltDynamics / Stillness
Distinction / Interpenetration
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A “Baby Step” Experiment
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/245471
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
Most CommonFeature-Feature Triplets
Balance / Coherence / SynergyDialectic / Gestalt / Resonance
Interlock / Unity / UnfoldingDynamics / Stillness / Process
Balance / Interpenetration / System
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A “Baby Step” Experiment
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/245471
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
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Photography in 100 Words: David Clark
David BaileyHenry BensonY.-A. Bertrand
Steve BloomNick BrandtJoe Cornish
David DoubiletElliot Erwitt
Ralph GibsonDavid Hurn
Michael KennaSteve McCurryJ. Meyerowitz
Martin ParrPaolo Pellegrin
Dennis StockDenis ThorpeCharlie Waite
Art Wolfe
…ideas … stories … motion …crisis … wonder …provoke … metaphor …exploration … emotional …challenge … truth …seredipitous … inquisitive …
… simplicity … accident …
… motion … crisis …
… wonder … provoke …
… emotion … challenge …
… mythic … elegy …
… atmosphere … connection …
… otherwordly … addictive …
… humor … observation …
… signature … subtractive …
… culture … memory …
… suggestion … abstract …
… compelling … insight …
… awakened … delight …
… recognition … ambiguity …
… witness … signal …
… preconception … improvisation …
… distance … geometry …
… recognition … ambiguity …… moment … vision …
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Evolving Landscapes: Take #1• 1960: Born / Glen Cove, Long Island, NY
• 1970: First cameraPolaroid instamatic / Christmas giftFirst picture: (abstract?) closeup of my right toe
• 1978: First encounter with TaoChuang-Tzu: Inner Chapters
• 1982: First “serious” cameraCanon AE-1
• 1988: Ph.D. / theoretical physicsDiscrete Complex Systems
• 1998: First digital cameraNikon Coolpix 950
• 2001: First published book Cellular Automata (physics)
• 2002: First “serious” DSLRCanon D60
• 2007: First Solo ShowCoral Gables, Florida
• 2007: First Lenswork portfolioDVD Edition #71 / July-August
• 2008: First self-published book Hawaii, Blurb.com (photography)
• 2008: First art co-opOne of 14 founding membersof Lorton Arts, Occoquan, VA
Color Slides
Transition #1
Transition #2
Transition #3
B&W / Photoshop“Serious” printing: outsourced
Photography: Things / Places
B&W / Photoshop“Serious” printing: self
Photography: Feelings / Mood / Projects
Started entering juried contests
B&W / Darkroom
Photography: Everything(that catches the eye)
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Stage 1: Joyful snapshots of anythingand everything
First camera, excited aboutanything & everything
Stage 1: Joyful snapshots of anythingand everything
First camera, excited aboutanything & everything
Stage 2: A passive stirring ofaesthetic value
Certain objects draw a deeperattention than others
Stage 1: Joyful snapshots of anythingand everything
First camera, excited aboutanything & everything
Stage 2: A passive stirring ofaesthetic value
Certain objects draw a deeperattention than others
Stage 3: Willful engagement of theaesthetic environment
Photographer actively seeks outimages of interest
Both difficult to see "from the outside” and dramatic
Stage 1: Joyful snapshots of anythingand everything
First camera, excited aboutanything & everything
Stage 2: A passive stirring ofaesthetic value
Certain objects draw a deeperattention than others
Stage 3: Willful engagement of theaesthetic environment
Photographer actively seeks outimages of interest
Both difficult to see "from the outside” and dramatic
Stage 4: Recognition of the powerof expression
Photographer discovers how to expressnot the object itself, but what draws attention to the object
Stage 5: One picture is not enough Photographer begins to see the world
as a patchwork; a tapestry of images
Stage 1: Joyful snapshots of anythingand everything
First camera, excited aboutanything & everything
Stage 2: A passive stirring ofaesthetic value
Certain objects draw a deeperattention than others
Stage 3: Willful engagement of theaesthetic environment
Photographer actively seeks outimages of interest
Both difficult to see "from the outside” and dramatic
Stage 4: Recognition of the powerof expression
Photographer discovers how to expressnot the object itself, but what draws attention to the object
Stage 5: One picture is not enough Photographer begins to see the world
as a patchwork; a tapestry of images
Stage 6: Need to tell a story Focus on portfolios of interrelated
images as elements of narrative Interested in telling a story about
what the eye (and heart) is drawn to,and why
Stage 5: One picture is not enough Photographer begins to see the world
as a patchwork; a tapestry of images
Stage 6: Need to tell a story Focus on portfolios of interrelated
images as elements of narrative Interested in telling a story about
what the eye (and heart) is drawn to,and why
Stage 7: Portfolios of Portfolios Work begins to transcend a “mere”
aesthetic impression of the worldto an imprint of a deeper aestheticorder of the external world
Photographer “discovers” the patternsof the world by observing her own work
Stage 5: One picture is not enough Photographer begins to see the world
as a patchwork; a tapestry of images
Stage 6: Need to tell a story Focus on portfolios of interrelated
images as elements of narrative Interested in telling a story about
what the eye (and heart) is drawn to,and why
Stage 5: One picture is not enough Photographer begins to see the world
as a patchwork; a tapestry of images
Stage 6: Need to tell a story Focus on portfolios of interrelated
images as elements of narrative Interested in telling a story about
what the eye (and heart) is drawn to,and why
Stage 7: Portfolios of Portfolios Work begins to transcend a “mere”
aesthetic impression of the worldto an imprint of a deeper aestheticorder of the external world
Photographer “discovers” the patternsof the world by observing her own work
Stage 8: Self-discovery Outwardly similar to Stage-7 (to others) Inwardly, photographer “discovers”
truths about her own soul
Stage 5: One picture is not enough Photographer begins to see the world
as a patchwork; a tapestry of images
Evolving Landscapes: Take #2
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Evolving Landscapes: Take #3
f1meta
f2meta
f3meta
Andy’sphotographymeta-pattern
Andy’s
physicsmeta-pattern
Andy’s
musicmeta-pattern
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Evolving Landscapes: Take #3
f1meta
f2meta
f3meta
Andy’sphotographymeta-pattern
Andy’s
physicsmeta-pattern
Andy’s
musicmeta-pattern
Remember earlier illustration?
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Evolving Landscapes: Take #3
f1meta
f2meta
f3meta
Andy’sphotographymeta-pattern
Andy’s
physicsmeta-pattern
Andy’s
musicmeta-pattern
Remember earlier illustration?Is there a way to “rotate the aesthetic axes” so that …
metaf*
F
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Evolving Landscapes: Take #3
f1meta
f2meta
f3meta
Andy’sphotographymeta-pattern
Andy’s
physicsmeta-pattern
Andy’s
musicmeta-pattern
Remember earlier illustration?Is there a way to “rotate the aesthetic axes” so that …
metaf*
F
If so, then these features describe“Andy’s” core meta-pattern – his “I” !
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Interactive Map http://www.art-sciencefactory.com/complexity-map_feb09.html
Complexity: Timeline
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Interactive Map http://www.art-sciencefactory.com/complexity-map_feb09.html
Complexity: Timeline
Bertalanffy / Wiener / Ashby / …(Cybernetics & Systems Theory, 1940s-1950s)
Shifted focus from mass, energy, and force to feedback, control, information, and communication
Introduced new “aesthetic” components fora new (and still evolving) worldview of nature
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Interactive Map http://www.art-sciencefactory.com/complexity-map_feb09.html
Complexity: Timeline
Bertalanffy / Wiener / Ashby / …(Cybernetics & Systems Theory, 1940s-1950s)
Shifted focus from mass, energy, and force to feedback, control, information, and communication
Introduced new “aesthetic” components fora new (and still evolving) worldview of nature
Varela / Maturana / Kauffman / …(Complexity Science, 1970s-1990s)
Autopoiesis = Self-Creation(Greek: auto = “self” and poiesis = “creation)
1. Dynamic form is only incompletely specified by properties of “objects”
2. Systems defined by self-referential form-preserving transformations
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Complex Systems: A Gentle Introduction
http://www.idiagram.com/examples/complexity.html
Self-assertive
Integrative
4
Holons
Individual components onvarious levels of a system
are simultaneously…
wholes(self-assertive)
and parts(integrative)
Arthur Koestler (1967)The Ghost in the Machine
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Complex Systems: A Gentle Introduction
http://www.idiagram.com/examples/complexity.html
Self-assertive
Integrative
4
Holons
Individual components onvarious levels of a system
are simultaneously…
wholes(self-assertive)
and parts(integrative)
Arthur Koestler (1967)The Ghost in the Machine
Self-reflective
To which we can add an
inner creative tendency
“Self-excited Circuit”
JOHN ARCHIBALD WHEELERLaw Without Law (1983)
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Complex Systems: A Gentle Introduction
http://www.idiagram.com/examples/complexity.html
Self-assertive
Integrative
4
Holons
Individual components onvarious levels of a system
are simultaneously…
wholes(self-assertive)
and parts(integrative)
Arthur Koestler (1967)The Ghost in the Machine
Self-reflective
To which we can add an
inner creative tendency
“Self-excited Circuit”
JOHN ARCHIBALD WHEELERLaw Without Law (1983)
Ouroboros“Your vision will become clear only when
you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens."
–– CARL JUNG
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Complex Systems: A Gentle Introduction
http://www.idiagram.com/examples/complexity.html
Self-assertive
Integrative
4
Holons
Individual components onvarious levels of a system
are simultaneously…
wholes(self-assertive)
and parts(integrative)
Arthur Koestler (1967)The Ghost in the Machine
Self-reflective
To which we can add an
inner creative tendency
“Self-excited Circuit”
JOHN ARCHIBALD WHEELERLaw Without Law (1983)
Ouroboros“Your vision will become clear only when
you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens."
–– CARL JUNG
Properties
• Diverse heterogeneity Components defined by many properties and behaviors
• Nonlinear interactions Small perturbations may cause a large effect
• Local information processing / decentralized Components only know a small “part” of the system
• Relationships contain feedback loops Both negative (damping) and positive (amplifying) feedback
• Multiple simultaneous scales of resolution Agents, meta-agents, .... system
• Self-organization & phase transitions
• Emergent behavior Global patterns cannot be deduced from local behavior
• Open to the environment Nonequilibrium patterns & order;
boundaries difficult to define; observer dependent
• Adaptive Prior states influence present states; learning
• Understanding requires both analysis & synthesis Components may themselves be “complex systems”
http://www.idiagram.com/examples/complexity.html
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Complex Systems: A Gentle Introduction
Examples
• Brain / nervous system (Kandel & Squire, 2000)
• Biological cells, organisms
• Biosphere (Levin, 1998)
• Combat dynamics (Ilachinski / CNA, 2000+)
• Communication networks (Barabasi, 2000)
• Economies / financial markets (Arthur, 1994)
• Ecosystems (Sigmund 1993)
• Gene-regulatory networks (Kauffman, 1993)
• Global climate (Lovelock, 1995)
• Human culture (Luhmann, 1984)
• Immune system (Segel, 2000)
• Insect colonies (Bonabeau, 1999)
• Internet / WWW (Mayer-Kress,1995)
• Natural evolution (Smith & Szamary, 1995)
• Organizations (Forrester, 1960s)
• Pedestrian / vehicular flow (Still, 2000)
• Social networks (Wasserman & Faust, 1994)
• Terrorist networks (Ilachinski / CNA, 2007+)
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A “simple” demonstration of how complexity arises
from simplicity…
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1-Dimensional Cellular AutomataUsing very simple “agents” (building blocks) to generate complexity…
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1-Dimensional Cellular AutomataUsing very simple “agents” (building blocks) to generate complexity…
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1-Dimensional Cellular AutomataUsing very simple “agents” (building blocks) to generate complexity…
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1-Dimensional Cellular AutomataUsing very simple “agents” (building blocks) to generate complexity…
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1-Dimensional Cellular AutomataUsing very simple “agents” (building blocks) to generate complexity…
Pretty simple!
But, what happens after a row of random cells “evolves” in time?
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Let’s Look at a Few Steps ...
Still pretty simple..nothing interesting yet!
What if we look at many cells evolving for longer times?
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Simplicity Breeds Complexity!
Alternative “explanation” Particles of form…
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Other Rules: A Universe in 1-Dimension…
Wolfram CA-Classification:
Fixed State Periodic State Chaotic State Complex State
Especially interesting…
Conjectured to beUniversal Computers!
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Other Rules: A Universe in 2-Dimensions
time = t time = t+1
1
, , 1, 1 , 1 1, 1 1, 1, 1, 1 , 1 1, 1, , , , , , , ,t t t t t t t t t t
i j i j i j i j i j i j i j i j i j i jf
John Conway’sLife Rule
“Birth”
“Death”
“Survival”
Consider one particular ruleout of 2512 ~ 10154 possible rules !
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Other Rules: A Universe in 2-Dimensions
time = t time = t+1
1
, , 1, 1 , 1 1, 1 1, 1, 1, 1 , 1 1, 1, , , , , , , ,t t t t t t t t t t
i j i j i j i j i j i j i j i j i j i jf
John Conway’sLife Rule
“Birth”
“Death”
“Survival”
Consider one particular ruleout of 2512 ~ 10154 possible rules !
time = 0
100 time steps
“Gliders”
Glider-Gun Puffer Train Breeder
Conway’s “Life” is a general purpose computer Halting Theorem holds!
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feedback
Cellular automaton
Self-enlightenment from a humble automaton?
{0,1}
What are my left neighbors doing?
What are my right neighbors doing?
feedback
Scientist / Physicist / Artist / Photographer
Artist’sinner state
Memory of past efforts Anticipation of future work
“If patterns of ones and zeroes were'like' patterns of human lives and deaths,if everything about an individual could be
represented in a computer recordby a long string of ones and zeroes,then what kind of creature could be
represented by a long stringof lives and deaths?”
— Thomas Pynchon, Vineland
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2038/1603390142_e641501dfa_o.gif
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Language of Physics
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Language of Complexity
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Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?
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Christopher Alexander, Architect (1936 - )
Nature of OrderEverything is alive, it is only a matter of degree
“Space itself, matter itself, has life in varying degrees.
There is a consequence of function, geometry, and feeling in space;
this space is conceived as a living fabric that - through its structure - encompasses these things.
Space does not merely contain living structure.
Space has life, to a greater or lesser degree.
It is the space itself which resembles self, which functions, which works, which has living structure in it,
and which has life.”
The life which appears is an attribute of space itself.
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Christopher Alexander, Architect (1936 - )
Nature of OrderEverything is alive, it is only a matter of degree
• There is a structure – called wholeness - visible in any given part of the world
• The wholeness is an abstract mathematical structure that exists at many levels of scale,and covers the interrelationships of the configurations at different scales
• The primary entities of which the structure is built are centers (which become activated in the space as a result of the configuration as a whole)
• Centers have different levels of strength or coherence, depending on relationships withother centers
• There are fifteen types of relationships among centers which increase or intensify the strengthof any given center
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Christopher Alexander, Architect (1936 - )
Nature of OrderEverything is alive, it is only a matter of degree
Strongcenters
Levels of scale
Boundaries Alternating repetition
Positive space
Good shape
Local symmetries
Deep interlock & ambiguitiy
Contrast Gradients
Roughness Echoes The Void Simplicity & inner
calm
Non-seperateness
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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At first, the photographer finds the picture…Something about the photographer draws him to it
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At first, the photographer finds the picture…
Photographer ATextures,
LandscapePhotographer B
Dilapidated door,Contrast
Photographer CTones,Forms
PoetRomance,
History,Culture
PhysicistLight,
Entropy,Geometry
Something about the photographer draws him to it
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At first, the photographer finds the picture…
Photographer ATextures,
LandscapePhotographer B
Dilapidated door,Contrast
Photographer CTones,Forms
PoetRomance,
History,Culture
PhysicistLight,
Entropy,Geometry
Something about the photographer draws him to it
…the pictures discover a path…
Trees
Tao
Abstraction
Color
Leaves
Water
Rocks
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At first, the photographer finds the picture…
Photographer ATextures,
LandscapePhotographer B
Dilapidated door,Contrast
Photographer CTones,Forms
PoetRomance,
History,Culture
PhysicistLight,
Entropy,Geometry
Something about the photographer draws him to it
…the pictures discover a path…
Trees
Tao
Abstraction
Color
Leaves
Water
Rocks
…the path assembles itself…
Complexity
Photography
Physics Common Theme
Relationship betweenthe Whole and its Parts
PhysicsPatterns Order
Complexity
Micro Macro
Photography
Emergence,Transcendence
Compositional Elements
Image /Meaning
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At first, the photographer finds the picture…
Photographer ATextures,
LandscapePhotographer B
Dilapidated door,Contrast
Photographer CTones,Forms
PoetRomance,
History,Culture
PhysicistLight,
Entropy,Geometry
Something about the photographer draws him to it
…the pictures discover a path…
Trees
Tao
Abstraction
Color
Leaves
Water
Rocks
…the path assembles itself…
Complexity
Photography
Physics Common Theme
Relationship betweenthe Whole and its Parts
PhysicsPatterns Order
Complexity
Micro Macro
Photography
Emergence,Transcendence
Compositional Elements
Image /Meaning
Eventually, the path defines the photographer
“Through the years,a man peoples a space with imagesof provinces, kingdoms, mountains,bays, ships, islands, fishes, rooms,
tools, stars, horses and people.
Shortly before his death, he discovers that the
patient labyrinth of lines tracesthe image of his own face.”
— JORGE LUIS BORGES(1899-1986)
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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My creative process is very simple: I take pictures of what calms my soul.
There may be other, more poetic words that may be used to define the “pattern”
that connects my images, but the simplest meta-pattern is this:
I capture moments in time and space in which a peace washes gently over me,
and during which I sense a deep interconnectedness between
my soul and the world.
Not Cartier-Bresson’s “Decisive Moment,”
but rather a…
Sudden Stillness
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Sudden Stillness / U.K. Black & White Magazine Book Contest (2007)
Chaos Order Complexity Entropy
The book is a meditation on using photographs astokens of a visual grammar to communicate onephotographer’s fragmentary impressions of some ofnature’s basic patterns; partly as a physicist (with aphysicist’s eye and understanding of chaos, order,complexity and entropy), and partly as an artist (withan appreciation of the subjective character of each ofthese four rhythms).
I am hoping that the book can also serve as apalimpsest of the author’s – and reader’s – process ofself discovery: as nature is quietly revealed, throughfour “movements” of snapshots of its timelessrhythms, the reader will discover visual echoes ofherself experiencing nature, as sudden stillness.
http://web.mac.com/ephraums/Whats_your_book/Home.html
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Chaos“To divine the significance of pattern is the same as to understand beauty itself.”
— Yanagi Soetsu, Philosopher (1889 – 1961)
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Order“We have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself
but nature exposed to our method of questioning.” — W. Heisenberg, Physicist (1901 – 1976)
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Complexity“I've always been fascinated with the idea that complexity can come out of such simplicity. ”
— Will Wright, Game Designer / Systems Theorist (1960 – )
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Entropy“Only entropy comes easy.” — Anton Chekov, Author (1860 – 1904)
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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A “planned” day of rocks & water variety
Came home from a long photo-safari at Great Falls, during which I took many soon-to-be-forgotten photos of the
usual rocks-and-water variety
Sat down to dinner with my family
As my fork was about to pierce the skin of a potato, my wife nonchalantly
placed two small acrylic candle holderswith trapped air bubbles inside
on the table
My “eye” was consumedfor the next 4 months
“Micro Worlds” portfolio
Lenswork, Issue #76(May-June, 2008)
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Abstract Glyphs
“Everything in the world has a hidden meaning. . .. Men, animals, trees, stars, they are all hieroglyphics.
When you see them you do not understand them.
You think they are really men, animals, trees, stars.
It is only years later that you understand.”
— NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS(1883 - 1957)
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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“Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils”
My younger son (Josh, 7) accidentallydropped a newspaper that I had written
something on with a fountain peninto the sink
I noticed an interesting pattern …
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Tao
“The use the order of words to try to explain life is reallyas clumsy an operation as trying to drink water with a fork.”
— ALAN WATTS, Philosopher (1915 – 1973)
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Luray Caverns
Despite having visited Luray Caverns countless times…
I never took anything other than a small“point and shoot” camera, relegating family
picture taking chores to my wife.
Until earlier this year, when I finallygot the nerve to ask (and be granted!)
a full day in the caverns!
“As Above, So Below” portfolio
Lenswork, Issue #95(July-August , 2011)
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Sneak Peek: Work in Progress …
Synesthetic Landscapes
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OutlinePart 1: Andy as photographer-physicist
• Who am “I” – Take #1 / Take #2• A few lessons from a physicist, photographer, and taoist• What a physicist does vs. what a photographer does• Aesthetics – a physicist’s take; a “baby step” experiment• Evolving landscapes (take #1 / #2 / #3)• Complexity – a gentle introduction• Steps Towards a Universal Language of Aesthetics?• Who am “I” – Take #3
Part 2: Andy as physicist-photographerA sampling of portfolios: examples of how one “photographic eye”is informed / shaped by physics, complexity, and Tao
– Chaos, Order, Complexity, Entropy (“Sudden Stillness” book)– Micro Worlds– Abstract Glyphs– Swirls, Whorls, and Tendrils– Tao– “As Above; so Below” (latest project: Luray caverns, VA)
Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
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Physics, Complexity, and Photography: One Last Take
Physics: let it guide your eye & camera
• Search for nature’s forms: fractals, dynamics,
symmetry, order, pattern, … out there!
The observer is outside the stream(Newtonian physics)
“Before I had studied Zen for thirty years,
I saw mountains as mountains, and waters
as waters…”
Photography: find meaningful patterns
• Use light, color, form, texture, and patternas primitive building blocks out of which tocreate “mini-worlds” interesting to you
• You actively roam around the landscape!The observer attempts tosteer a canoe in the stream
(Quantum physics / Photography)
“…I came to the point where I saw that
mountains are not mountains, and waters
are not waters…”
Complexity / Tao: no fundamental distinction between “inside” / “outside”
• Forget about things…• Forget about categories…• Forget about boundaries…
• Use camera to find the “I” behind lens!The observer is the stream(Complexity theory / Tao)
“…I see mountains once again as mountains,
and waters once againas waters.”
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Exploring the InvisibleLynn Gamwell
ReferencesSome books on physics / complexity / tao / photography / art
Art & ComplexityJ. Casti, A. Karlqvist
(editors)
Nature of OrderChristopher Alexander
Nature’s ChaosJ. Gleick, Eliot Porter
The Great ImageHas No Form
Francois Jullien
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Please visit my website…http://www.sudden-stillness.com
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“When words become unclear,I shall focus with photographs.
When images become inadequate,I shall be content with silence.”
— ANSEL ADAMS