2008 Physics and Astronomy Congress Art Award Recipients

The Particle Decay Series by Kristal Feldt, Undergraduate, University of Kansas

Best in Show
$100 cash prize, and a trip to the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) 2009 WInter Meeting.

The goal I wish to achieve in the art field is not to go the average route of replicating organics, but instead bring light to the beauty of science. I seek to design sophisticated art jewelry and small scale sculpture that brings the elegance of scientific phenomena and concepts, particularly in the realm of physics, to the everyday person. I intend to accomplish this by taking my understanding of the literal and conceptual views of different topics (that I do personal research to understand to the best of my ability) and creating something beautiful out of it. In The Particle Decay Series, I created a line of artistic jewelry to express the nature of particle decay through its collision patterns. The set includes a hairpin, necklace, bracelet, earrings, brooch, and ring.

Fallen by Glenn A. Marsch, Associate Professor of Physics, Grove City College

1st Place, General Science Category
$75 cash prize.

A maple leaf has fallen on a road, and rain has fallen atop the leaf. Under the leaf, the stain of water shows adhesion to the pavement, on which it has spread.

Awe by Cara Taber, Undergraduate, Grove City College

1st Place, Citizen Science Category
$75 cash prize.

This collage shows how important it is to get children excited about physics. It also reminds each of us how it feels to stand in awe of both the mystery of physical phenomena and the even more astounding concept that we can understand such amazing things through physics. The citizen scientist wants other people to experience this amazing feeling-- not necessarily a teacher by trade, but still committed to share with others a passion for physics.

In Dimension by Jeanette Powers, Undergraduate, Rockhurst University

1st Place, Future Faces of Physics Category
$75 cash prize.

The painting begins with a point in the lower left corner. A point is described by zero dimension. A conglomeration of points in a row creates a line, which is one dimensional. Likewise, a collection of lines creates a plane, which is two dimensional. Finally, she approaches three dimensions in the right hand side of her face where an artist’s concept of depth, volume and form is taken into account. The grid lines are left behind to show the beings that occupy the physical, spatial dimensions we live in. As you walk past this in a gallery, you experience it moving through time, and it lives with you in four dimensions. Fractal dimensions also enter into this piece. There are instances of a phase transition between laminar flow and viscous fingering, a fractal-like boundary. The underlying texture is created by using crumpled plastic wrap as a sort of stamp, and so is similar to the fractal dimension of the crumpled paper ball. This painting exemplifies the theme Future Faces of Physics both by being a self-portrait of an aspiring physicist and by addressing the emerging science of dynamical systems and fractal dimensions.

The Bubble Chamber Reliquary by Kristal Feldt, Undergraduate, University of Kansas

Artist’s Choice Award
$50 cash prize.

The Bubble Chamber Reliquary was a project for my introductory course to metalsmithing. A previous course in astronomy at the university and further research introduced me to the beauty of neutrinos and particle collision, which have become recurring themes in both my sculpture and art jewelry. So I created a spherical container to place symbols of my sister (a more logical mind, symbolized by a Feynman diagram) and myself (a more creative mind, symbolized by the visual representation of particle collision). The reliquary itself is sealed shut (a symbol of the inescapable blood bond between the two of us). The holes, or bubbles , help represent the bubble chamber in which the particle collision occurs and give the observer a peek at the symbols inside. The bubbles might appear to be random at first glance, but a look at the side shows that they actually are symmetrical to the bubbles on the other side.

Fractalline Fluids by Jeanette Powers, Undergraduate, Rockhurst University

Curator’s Choice Award
$50 cash prize.

This painting represents a dynamic system of the movement of fluid and the drying rate and interactions of acrylic pigment. The fractured surface is created by crumpling cellophane over a wet surface of paint. Pigment is then forced into the channels of the cellophane while the canvas is tilted at an angle, to allow gravity to pull the pigment down through the fractured system. This technique I have developed allows the artist to use the natural mixing that fluid dynamics creates along with the control of the artist to create an art piece which exists on the boundary between order and chaos. The result is a chaotic landscape reminiscent of leaves, cells, rivulets, the cracked dirt of arid land: all chaotic processes which leave a recognizable mark. The pattern is not exact, but exhibits self-similarity at different scales. In my experience, the struggle with creating science-based art is to keep the technical details while still creating art which is warm, human and ultimately still relates to people from all walks of life.

Jovian Marbles by Douglas Parsons, Undergraduate, Angelo State University

People’s Choice Award
$50 cash prize.

Recently, The New Horizons probe - on its way to explore Pluto - passed by the Jovian System and took some rather nice snap-shots of the system. This is not a representation of Jupiter, but rather just a simple gas giant system in orbit around some far off star system.