Graduate student Reina Suyeon Mun’s (SMACT ’23) work was recently published in SEISMA Magazine’s O2: Astrophysics edition.
Excerpts of the text:
[…] Often based in theoretical physics, her speculative projects are developed in the form of spatial or interactive installations and hybrid drawings, with the aim of engaging with science beyond an expression of aesthetic qualities.
In the course of work, I have collaborated and discussed astrophysical concepts with several researchers […] the interactive installations which investigate the nature of space-time through the lens of Block Universe theory (see:Vaccaro, 2018) and Loretnz Transformation (see: Marinov, 1979)
So, what might it feel like to dance through our solar system? How do you design food for astronauts? And, can interplay between creative disciplines and astrophysics really lead to bidirectional innovation and progress? In this edition, we explore these questions and many more through conversations between expert interdisciplinary practitioners and academics, contextual articles, original commissioned projects, and creative works from over sixty groundbreaking sciartists.
The two works selected are titled Timeless Probe and ∆(x,y,z,t).
Description of the work:
Timeless Probe:
Timeless Probe is an interactive device that embeds the narratives of Einstein’s Block Universe Theory. It is a retranslation of the object, pendulum, as an indicator of the time. The double motorized arms rotate and swing according to the average velocity calculated using the position data of the person in the vicinity. Time is not a flowing entity. It is just like any other spatial entity: x-coordinate, y-coordinate and z-coordinate. It exists in form of all possible coordinates for an observer to plot. The t-coordinate the observer ends up in is determined by one’s interaction with the direct surrounding.
∆(x,y,z,t):
Δ(x, y, z, t) is an interactive interface made based on the concept of Lorentz Transformation. An observer’s motion through space has direct impacts on how fast their clock ticks- hence the clock of an observer walking ticks slower than the observer at rest.Ordering of the events can be done by sharing the different readings of the same events between the observers in the locality, without having to utilize the centralized clock. This is possible as there is one quantity that is agreed by all observers, the space-time intervals.
