Artists add dazzle to science at Shanghai Astronomy Museum
"Gravitation" by Japanese artist Masayuki Koorida.
Six art installations have added their own dazzle to Shanghai Astronomy Museum, with spectators marveling at the intersection of science and artistry they have created.
The installations, curated by both prominent local and foreign artists, revolve around the theme of astronomy.
The most notable of the art pieces is "Gravitation" by Japanese artist Masayuki Koorida. Located outside the museum, the 10-meter-high and 11-meter-in-diameter installation comprises 12 mirrored stainless-steel ellipsoids.
Museumgoers can also become a part of the piece, as the sculpture projects objects within its orbit on a stainless-steel mirror, a remarkable feat.
"Have a Moon" by American artist Anthony Howe.
Another eye-catching piece is "Have a Moon" by American artist Anthony Howe.
It is Howe's first sculpture in China and is named after the moon phases in the Chinese lunar calendar, starkly illustrating movements of satellites, planets and stars. Strikingly, the blades on the piece also rotate with the brightness of projected light, illuminating spots of light in the background.
"Star – Birth ・Brightness・ Death" by Qu Qianmei.
Wonders of the universe are also highlighted through "Star – Birth ・Brightness・ Death" by Chinese artist Qu Qianmei.
Using mahogany chips, lacquer and pigments, Qu has deftly applied various techniques to paint the nuclear fusion of stars, illustrating the vivid process of star birth, brightness and, ultimately, death.
Starkly contrasted with the universe's complexity is Japanese artist Minami Tada's work "Universe."
Despite using simple and abstract lines to illustrate the universe, her piece is thought-provoking, using stainless-steel materials to produce an array of light.
"Universe" by Japanese artist Minami Tada.
"The Velocity of Light" by American artist Michele Oka Doner.
American artist Michele Oka Doner's "The Velocity of Light" is displayed in the "Home" section of the museum. Opening areas for large spaces of light to enter, the sculpture resembles a camera lens, with small craters also on the surface of the piece to mimic star clusters.
The last piece "Life" is still undergoing installation. Created by French artist Vincent Leroy, it was originally inspired by the transformation that asteroids undergo on entering the Earth's atmosphere.
While the five different sculptures represent separate facets of the universe, they are united by their skillful integration of art and science, and will undoubtedly impress museumgoers, irrespective of their interest.
"Life" by French artist Vincent Leroy.
