Science in depth
Traveling exhibition sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH:
The momentous Science in Depth traveling exhibition opened at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago with 25 PHSColograms. The 1990 opening at the Museum of Science and Industry was the first museum show of science and art, presented as PHSColograms that then traveled to the Computer Museum in Boston and the NASA Ames Visitor Center. A final showing was presented at SIGGRAPH '92 in Chicago and was installed around the perimeter of EVL's first public showing of the VR CAVE. Approximately 40 PHSColograms were shown at each venue, with slight variation, as new works were being produced in parallel to be shown at the NASA Ames Visitors Center and SIGGRAPH ’92 Chicago.
A selection of PHSColograms from Science in Depth continued to travel and were also shown at IMAGES DU FUTUR ’92, La Cite Des Arts - Montréal, Québec, for the city’s Sesquicentennial celebration of arts and culture. Highlights from this endeavor were shown at EXPO ‘92, Seville: Exposición Universal Sevilla 1992, Pabellón de España, along with six commissioned PHSColograms, and by Feature, Inc. in New York, May 27–June 27, 1992.
Catalogue Introduction
NASA Ames Research Center extends its sincere thanks to (art)n Laboratory and the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago for their cooperation in presenting Science in Depth.
Since artists first began to paint images on canvas and other media, they have been experimenting with techniques to show depth and perspective in their work. The challenge is to give a two-dimensional, flat surface the appearance of three-dimensional depth.
Three-dimensional visualization is a valuable tool for NASA scientists and engineers that finds application in a wide range of settings. For instance, it is very beneficial for the pilot “flying” a flight simulator to observe a realistic view of the world through the flat surface “window” of his simulator cab. Similarly, for the engineer using computer generated images to stay air flow patterns about the body and wings of an aerospace vehicle, simulated depth is an invaluable aid in understanding the dynamics and complexities of the aerodynamic problems.
A PHSCologram is an exciting new side of medium that addresses both the artists’ and the scientists’ objectives. It employs high-technology wizardry to combine arty and science in unique images of stunning clarity and three-dimensional depth.
The Science in Depth traveling exhibition was sponsored in part by grants from ACM SIGGRAPH, University of Illinois at Chicago, IPP LithoColor, American Printers and Lithographers, AT&T, Hewlett Packard, and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Exhibition schedule
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL, November 1990–January 1991
Computer Museum, Boston, MA, February–September 1991
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, December 1991–July 1992
IMAGES DU FUTUR '92, Montréal, Québec, Canada, May 15–September 20, 1992
SIGGRAPH '92 Chicago, Summer 1992