The art installation “Origins of Life: Experiment #1.6” by Adam Brown, BEACON’s artist-in-residence, and Robert Root-Bernstein was featured this month at Ars Electronica 2011 in Austria. This series of experiments is a re-enactment of the famous Urey-Miller experiment which simulated the conditions of early Earth in order to understand the chemical process leading to the creation of organic compounds.
This year’s theme for the art festival was “Origin,” focusing on understanding the basic nature of the cosmos and the origins of the universe and life itself. “Origins of Life: Experiment #1.6” was part of the exhibit Symmetries:
A heterogeneous array of experimental assemblies, images and exhibits invites visitors to confront highly diverse manifestations of the human spirit of inquiry and the joy of discovery. […] To find out whether or not a scientific experiment can also be a work of art, artists/scientists Adam Brown (US) and Bob Root-Bernstein (US) conducted the Origins of Life: Experiment 1.6. It explores imaginary worlds of gas under glass.
Learn more about Ars Electronica, whose awards are known as the Oscars of the digital media arts world, here.
