Luminous Scores: Reflections on Light in Art & Science
Madison Science Museum, Madison WI
Permanent Collection
On 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies. The works presented in Luminous Scores revolve around the theme of light and light technologies and explore the role visual aesthetics play in the translation and understanding of light whilst seeking to create links to imaging technologies and related research.
Luminous Scores: Reflections on Light in Art + Science is a group of works and experiments ranging from interactive installations, light sculptures, and digital photography and prints that aim to explore the visual and aural articulation of scientific observations of light and sound.
Tracing a historical trajectory of artwork that uses light to create specific conditions of viewership, the exhibit explores the scientific, experiential, and sculptural nature of light, with emphasis on the inventions and theoretical work of Robert W. Wood. A pivotal figure in this domain was Robert W. Wood, who taught at the University of Wisconsin from 1897 - 1901 and made contributions in almost every branch of physics, be it acoustics, electricity, heat, or optics.
