record

Thesis Info

LABS ID
00782
Thesis Title
The Nonessential Essential
Author
Daniela Brill Estrada
2nd Author
3rd Author
Degree
Masters
Year
2019
Number of Pages
60
University
University of Applied Arts Vienna
Thesis Supervisor
Virgil Widrich
Supervisor e-mail
virgil.widrich AT uni-ak.ac.at
Other Supervisor(s)
Bernd Kräftner
Language(s) of Thesis
English
Department / Discipline
Art and Science
Copyright Ownership
Daniela Brill
Languages Familiar to Author
Spanish, German, English
URL where full thesis can be found
Keywords
Art and Physics, particle physics, cern, fundamental forces, artistic research, scientific method, artistic method, force of embodiment, atomic reincarnation, quantum mechanics
Abstract: 200-500 words
The Nonessential Essential is an artistic hypothesis about the existence of a fourth fundamental force in matter. Written from the perspective of an artist immersed in the scientific world, its language and theories and in collaboration with scientists from CERN. The artistic work, presented as experimental drawings, exposes the visualization and study of the hypothetical force, compared to the three known and proven forces, the weak or electromagnetic force, the strong force and the gravitational force. The proposed Force of Embodiment is impossible to prove scientifically but is coherent to the discourse of particle physics. Qualified as “poetic but not scientific” in the physics world, and being proud of this qualification, this hypothesis opens up a discussion on how far arts can imagine into the world of particle physics. The thesis is composed of the hypothesis itself, the artistic and scientific methods used in order to propose it and conclude with the possibility of its existence as well as the scientific, theoretical, philosophical and poetical background research. It concludes with the artistic proposal, which artistically proves the hypothetical force. For over two years I visited several scientific Institutions such as CERN (Geneva), the Cavendish Laboratories (Cambridge) and the Hephy Institute (Vienna) looking for answers. I wondered about the elements constituting my body, and how they found each other here on earth to grow this way. I wondered if there was a fundamental difference between the atoms in my body and the atoms in space. I create a connecting thread from the creation of the different chemical elements in space and the final body they constitute on earth. I propose different hypothetical, experimental and artistic experiments to prove the force responsible for this thread, one of them, for example, would be the possibility of “hacking” the Large Hadron Collider and bringing my own hydrogen. The LHC collides protons of hydrogen atoms, but when asked about the origin of this hydrogen, scientists told me they order it online. It would be impossible for me to bring the hydrogen; it would cost me millions of euros and I could damage the collider. Out of my artistic contemplations and meditations around the scientific world, I conclude that there is a fourth force in nature. Like the gravitational force, strong force and electroweak force. I have called this force “Force of Embodiment”, or F.E, due to its steering purpose, meaning that its task is to steer the atom, molecule or system to the new body it will create. The letters F.E have another meaning: in Spanish, my mother tongue, fé means faith, or believe. And this hypothesis is mostly based on that, a hunch that the force exists.  About my hypothesis, George Mikenberg, ATLAS scientist at CERN said, it is possible, that in unknown conditions, the mass of one proton is different from the mass of another proton. And this is all the evidence and confidence I need to know that my theory is not completely out of orbit.