Scientia Year
 

One Book.

Every month.

For a year.

To Stimulate an Informative Encounter.

 

 

 

'Scientia' is a self-directed project with the intent of improving my knowledge and utilizing my practice as a conduit between art and science. 'Scientia' is a year-long project in which I've learned (and continue to learn) about concepts and ideas through a book and then attempt to translate those into an artwork for the audience to experience as an 'informative Encounter'.

- Lewis Andrews

 

 

‘Scientia’ was undertaken as an extension to the current investigations into the theory of an ‘Informative Encounter’ originating from experimentation during Lewis’s masters degree. Describing his process as a conduit between art and science, ‘Scientia’ takes this approach and puts the theory to the test for a whole year with the incorporation of scientific information provided by a carefully selected list of books. During his masters degree, Lewis discovered his work would have one or more of the following traits:

 

- New Knowledge

- New Viewpoints / Impossible Viewpoints

- Comprehension

- Visualising Data

- Collapsing Distances

- Answering Questions

- Open Up Conversations

- Condensing Information

- A Catalyst for information

- Understanding or attempting to Understand

 

Identifying these traits through his entire catalogue of artworks, Lewis’s theories of the ‘Informative Encounter’ continued to evolve and develop. Lewis’s artworks seem to interact and behave in a means that conforms to a theory of translating scientific information into something visual in an attempt to convey information to its viewer. If we were to think then of the audience in one room and a wealth of scientific information in another room, does that make the artworks and Lewis’s practice (as well as any other artist working with this technique) a doorway? Possibly metaphorically.

 

It’s important to note here that this is not the only possible doorway into this room of scientific information. A simple internet search could be another metaphorical doorway. Either way, this is why Lewis feels his work is a conduit. Attempting to connect the two and allowing the viewer to gain a new understanding of scientific information. However, sometimes the work itself will not be able to communicate the entirety of the subject matter. Instead, it could offer snippets to the viewer, enough to open up conversations that may lead them to further research of the subject matter.

 

 

 

“My artworks seem to interact and behave in a means that conforms to the theory of translating scientific information into something visual in an attempt to convey information to its viewer. If we were to think then of the audience in one room and a wealth of scientific information in another room, does that make me and my practice (as well as any other artist working with this technique) a doorway? Possibly metaphorically. It’s important to note here that we are not the only possible doorways into this room of scientific information. A simple internet search could be another metaphorical doorway. Either way, this is why I feel my work is a conduit. Attempting to connect the two and allowing the viewer to gain a new understanding of scientific information. However, sometimes the work itself will not be able to communicate the entirety of the subject matter. Instead, it could offer snippets to the viewer, enough to open up conversations that may lead them to further research of the subject matter.”

 

- Sample from Lewis’s thesis “Attempting to Image the Impossible”. 2021.

 

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‘Scientia’ resulted from Lewis’s ongoing research into the ‘Informative Encounter’. Each month of the year, a book is selected with (if possible) a different subject matter within the realm of science than the prior book. Lewis’s practice would then attempt to translate information, theories, stories and data from the activity of reading these books into artwork. Each artwork should in turn have at its heart one of the ten traits previously identified in an attempt to stimulate an ‘Informative Encounter’.

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