Married to the Lab : Tying the Knot of Art and Science

• Main Author: Thrandardottir, Maria Run
• Other Authors: Helsingin yliopisto, Matemaattis-luonnontieteellinen tiedekunta, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Science, Helsingfors universitet, Matematisk-naturvetenskapliga fakulteten
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Helsingin yliopisto 2022
• Subjects: Art; Artistic Research; Science Art; Performance Art; Video Art; White; Wedding Gown; Marriage; Repetition; Scientific Method; Atmospheric Science; Aerosol; Black Carbon; Ice Nucleation; Dust; Nordic Master Programme in Environmental Changes at Higher Latitudes; ei opintosuuntaa; no specialization; ingen studieinriktning; Ice; Iceland; permafrost
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/350397

The aim of this thesis is to tie the knot of art and science, searching for ways to explain and explore complex atmospheric phenomena through art. Primary methods of research are poetry, video and performance art practice. The results of this thesis are five video performance art works as well as five related poems: Listening Again, Coffee Filter, Repetition, Reflection and Snow Angel created in Iceland and Finland from August 2021 until April 2022, focused on atmospheric science. The results are divided into six sections, addressing six aspects of the traditional scientific method to explain my art works. At the same time, I ask the reader to think about the scientific methods in a different way and how can they be expanded? I connect Listening Again to hypothesis, Coffee Filter is related to field work, Repetition is about laboratory work, Reflection about data analysis and Snow Angel about interpreting the results. Finally I compile how the art works were presented at the IBA-Permafrost Snow Seminar, April 1st 2022 at the Finnish Meteorological Institute as the exhibition “Particles of Sensing”. The performances are all influenced by science in addition to their connection to scientific methods. Listening Again is sparked by mineral dust research in Iceland. Coffee Filter is derived from research of Saharan Dust in Finland and the coffee filter sampling method. Repetition deals with dedication to the laboratory, invigorated by transmittance research of black carbon and Reflection spurs from ice nucleation research. Snow Angel was an emotional life performance, a farewell ceremony of the changing cryosphere. Rather than using my art to explain the science, as in scientific communication, the artworks in this artistic research are on one hand inspired by the scientific research and methods and on the other hand they approach atmospheric science with different research questions, with different methods, gaining different results. The artistic background of this thesis will be written through chosen works by ...