The convergence of artistry, science, and technology offers a distinctive, at times daunting, perspective for both researchers and creators. It is within this junction that art historian Lindsay Caplan places herself: “My role as an art historian centers around the ways in which artists throughout the 20th century engage with emerging technologies such as computers, video, and television, not merely as innovative materials for producing art as they already conceive it, but as conceptual frameworks for restructuring and reimagining the foundational tenets of their practice.”
With this prelude, Caplan, an assistant professor at Brown University, inaugurated the first Resonances Lecture — a fresh series by STUDIO.nano aimed at probing the creative frontier where art, science, and technology intersect. Presented on April 28 to a diverse audience at MIT.nano, Caplan’s discourse, titled “Analogical Engines — Collaborations between Art and Technology in the 1960s,” examined how artists from Europe and the Americas during the 1960s engaged with and reacted to the nascent technological advancements in computer science, cybernetics, and early AI. “By the time we entered the 1960s,” she noted, “analogies between humans and machines, derived from computer science and domains such as information theory and cybernetics, flourished among art historians and artists alike.”
Caplan’s address focused on two artistic networks, particularly highlighting American artist Liliane Lijn: the New Tendencies exhibitions (1961-79) and the Signals gallery in London (1964-66). She skillfully examined the artist’s material exploration with recent innovations in emerging technologies — quantum physics and mathematical formalism, particularly Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. She contended that both art historical formalism and mathematical formalism grapple with challenges of representation, indeterminacy, and the tension between constructed and essential truths.
After her presentation, Caplan was joined by MIT faculty Mark Jarzombek, professor of architectural history and theory, and Gediminas Urbonas, associate professor of art, culture, and technology (ACT), for a panel discussion moderated by Ardalan SadeghiKivi SM ’22, lecturer of comparative media studies. The dialogue expanded on Caplan’s themes, discussing artists’ fascination with newly developed materials and technologies, as well as the critical aspect of reimagining and repurposing technologies that were originally intended for entirely different uses.
Urbonas underscored the importance of these dialogues. “It is incredibly thrilling to see artists working in dialectical tension with scientists — a tradition traced back to the establishment of the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT and which continues at ACT today,” Urbonas shared. “The dual ontology of science and art allows us to perceive the world as a network of becoming, where novel materials, social imaginaries, and aesthetic values are co-constituted through interdisciplinary exploration. Such collaborative efforts are imperative today, providing tools to reconceive agency, subjectivity, and the cultural role in shaping the future.”
The event wrapped up with a reception in MIT.nano’s East Lobby, where attendees could view MIT ACT student projects currently displayed in MIT.nano’s gallery areas. The reception itself was an intersection of art and technology. “The inaugural lecture of the Resonances Lecture Series lived up to its title,” Jarzombek reflects. “A brilliant presentation by Lindsay Caplan demonstrated that the historical and aesthetic dimensions in the sciences hold just as much significance to a critical stance as the technical.”
The Resonances lecture and panel series aims to convene artists, designers, scientists, engineers, and historians who investigate how scientific endeavors influence artistic production, and vice versa. Their insights illuminate the historical context regarding how art and science are created and disseminated in society, while also hinting at the potential futures of such works.
“When we contemplated whom to invite to launch this lecture series, Lindsay Caplan immediately came to the forefront,” notes Tobias Putrih, ACT lecturer and academic advisor for STUDIO.nano. “She is one of the most stimulating thinkers and historians examining the intersection of art, technology, and science today. We hope her insights and concepts will inspire further collaborative initiatives.”
The Resonances series is among several new endeavors orchestrated by STUDIO.nano, a program within MIT.nano, to bridge the arts with state-of-the-art research environments. “MIT.nano produces remarkable scientific work,” states Samantha Farrell, manager of STUDIO.nano, “but it’s equally essential to cultivate space for cultural contemplation. STUDIO.nano invites artists to engage directly with emerging technologies — and with the inquiries they provoke.”
Alongside the Resonances lectures, STUDIO.nano organizes exhibitions in the public areas at MIT.nano, and an Encounters series, launched last fall, to bring artists to MIT.nano. For updates on current installations and ongoing collaborations, visit the STUDIO.nano website.