Art-Science connections for the visualisation of minerals: historical precedents for media arts

Abstract

The Making of Rocks: ‘By what furnaces of fire the adamant was melted, and by what wheels of earthquake it was torn, and by what teeth of glacier and weight of sea-waves it was engraven and finished into its perfect form, we may perhaps hereafter endeavour to conjecture.’ [John Ruskin, Modern Painters, vol iv. part v. ch. vii, § 2.] Visualisation is a complex process for artists and scientists. In both science and art visualisation can refer to objects that have material existence, or the visualisation can be a representation of conceptual or abstract phenomena. One area where there is a rich history of both representation and conceptualisation relevant to a critical understanding of current media arts is in the visualisation of rocks and minerals. This paper will discuss historical examples from the arts and design of the 19th and 20th centuries as the background for considering actual and potential synergies in present day arts-science collaborations that explore visualisation within the earth sciences and specifically mineralogy and crystallography. This will include reference to current theoretical approaches to visualisation where knowledge building,the expressive potential of visualisation of data, and consideration of visual representations and models as tools and mediators are integral to the complexity of our visual culture.