ART JUROR
STATEMENT:
Diana Moore

“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.” 
–Arthur C. Clarke

With every grain of sand, sod, and soil spoken for on the shore, the artists in this exhibit are deeply connected to the mystery and great unmined truths of the last thing no one can claim: the sea. Sadly, living in a time of rising pollution, the previously imperceptible becomes prominent and threatening as even the smallest changes can have a rippling effect on ocean health. Each artist blends science and art to elevate the ocean from a respite of sublime contemplation to a bellwether of environmental instability.
 
Many of the works are linked by processes of discovery and data-driven creativity. Marta Beltramo, a biochemist, allows streams of color and textures to collide into unique patterns, drawing on the development of earth’s topography over centuries. Based on marine research, Mary Ann Biehl isolates and names the iconic whale fluke to emphasize the individual dependence of these literary legends on an evolving seascape. Images deeply rooted in the sincerity of science unify this exhibition where art is a vessel for vital truths.  

Just as the role of a scientist is to translate data into information, several of the artists translate scientific data into visual and tactile calls-to-action. Carrie Bodle transforms spatialized sound derived from oceanographic data into immersive installations that “create a tangible experience of data through art”, while Hunter Cole uses bioluminescent fish gut bacteria to emphasize the ocean’s complex network of nutrients. And, the work of artists like Susan Hoenig and Colleen Flanigan evokes the fragility of our interconnected underwater worlds where one droplet can trigger a cascading crisis if we, as a society, do not change tack. 




Science Inspires Art: OCEAN
19th international, art-sci juried exhibition
organized by Art & Science Collaborations 
to be held at the New York Hall of Science
September 16, 2017 - February 25, 2018

CO-JURORS:
Diana Moore is Curator, Marie L. Matthews Gallery at the Johnson Education Center of the D&R Greenway Land Trust, Princeton, New Jersey http://www.drgreenway.org/art_galleries.htm
John Stegeman is Senior Scientist and Director of the Center of Ocean and Human Health at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in Massachusettes www.whoi.edu

CO-JURORS:

(see Bios)


Diana Moore, Curator
D&R Greenway Art Galleries, Princeton, NJ

ART JUROR STATEMENT (lower-left column)


John Stegeman, Senior Scientist & Director 

the Center of Ocean and Human Health 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA

      SCIENCE JUROR STATEMENT (right column)       


ONLINE EXHIBITION:

https://artsciocean.wordpress.com/artist-pages/



INTRODUCTION

 

OCEAN -- she remains enigmatic even though she was here eons before us. Historians and economists see her as a “super-highway” for transporting cultures and goods, fishermen made livelihoods from her bounty, and writers and poets have memorialized her merciless storms and other-worldly creatures. But most of us know ocean from personal experience -- her photo-worthy sunsets and buoyant waters, waves to play in and salty fresh air, seashells for collecting, and the sounds of sea birds.


Today’s ecologists know our global ocean from the life-sustaining services she provides us-- every second breath of oxygen we take, all the fresh water we require (hydrologic cycle), her regulation of our planet’s temperature and weather patterns, and her important food source of fish.


Unfortunately, for over a decade, scientists have also been reporting on changes that threaten ocean’s health: bleaching corals, ocean acidification, over-fishing, ocean plastics, and endangered marine species.


Based on new scientific information and personal experiences, the international Open Call for this exhibition asked artists and scientists to help create a new public perception of ocean by sharing creative visions of our deep connections to her, the health issues she faces and/or possible solutions, and feelings she inspires in us.  


~ Cynthia Pannucci, ASCI Founder-Director

SCIENCE JUROR
STATEMENT:
John Stegeman

The sea touches all of us in many ways, some we are aware of, and some not so obvious.  The sea is a controller of climate, is the source of half of the oxygen we breath, and can even affect our blood pressure.  The sea shapes our experiences in youth, is a source of power, of beauty, and mystery.  In the works submitted to this exhibition the artists have captured the beauty and wonder of the oceans in many creative and different ways. 

In some works I was reminded of the thrill of first going to sea on a research cruise, of glimpsing fascinating and rarely seen animals from the deep.  The artistic rendering of things in the deep-sea (e.g., Robigou, Koh, Rutstein) will be familiar to any ocean scientist. The depiction of power and the almost hypnotic majesty of the sea, and its appearance in different settings (e.g., Getzler, Juul, Cohen, Davidson among others), all are wonderful. As well, the portrayals of organisms illustrate the variety of life in the sea, although really these just hint at the incredible diversity we now know exists. 

There are images also that suggest the fragility of life in the sea, with an Orca held in a plastic bag (Fartushenko).  There also is whimsy (Wheeler), imagination (Nilsson), and even the many sounds of the sea -- whale song, water motion, and fish sounds are artfully translated (Bodle).

Altogether, this exhibition will captivate the viewer, and evoke memories, wonder, and contemplation.  I loved seeing all the images submitted.

The sea touches all of us in many ways, some we are aware of, and some not so obvious.  The sea is a controller of climate, is the source of half of the oxygen we breath, and can even affect our blood pressure.  The sea shapes our experiences in youth, is a source of power, of beauty, and mystery.  In the works submitted to this exhibition the artists have captured the beauty and wonder of the oceans in many creative and different ways. 
In some works I was reminded of the thrill of first going to sea on a research cruise, of glimpsing fascinating and rarely seen animals from the deep.  The artistic rendering of things in the deep-sea (e.g., Robigou, Koh, Rutstein) will be familiar to any ocean scientist. The depiction of power and the almost hypnotic majesty of the sea, and its appearance in different settings (e.g., Getzler, Juul, Cohen, Davidson among others), all are wonderful. As well, the portrayals of organisms illustrate the variety of life in the sea, although really these just hint at the incredible diversity we now know exists. 
There are images also that suggest the fragility of life in the sea, with an Orca held in a plastic bag (Fartushenko).  There also is whimsy (Wheeler), imagination (Nilsson), and even the many sounds of the sea -- whale song, water motion, and fish sounds are artfully translated (Bodle).
Altogether, this exhibition will captivate the viewer, and evoke memories, wonder, and contemplation.  I loved seeing all the images submitted.