With this post we reach the 50% mark in this series, as the number of works by Venice high-school students who participate in the Art & Science contest is 38. The work titled “L’umana macchina” (the human machine) is a creation of Geremia Sassetto and Emma Bastianini, from Liceo Benedetti. They realized it with clay and iron wire.
I think their work is quite commendable as the object has a pleasing appearance. To create a perfect sphere they deposited a layer of clay on a inflated ball, which they then pierced and removed. Inside the ball, they set led lights and colored filters, producing a nice effect once the thing is lit up in a dark place.
They explained what drove them to realize their artwork in a text that can be thus translated:
Humans have always observed the phenomena and elements making up the world around them. However, the Higgs boson cannot be observed directly – only its effects can be detected. Because of that, in our work the source of light is hidden within the sphere, and it is only what we see from the outside -the light seeping through the holes, that determines and guarantees its presence. The sphere is shaped as an eye bulb to symbolize the way we “see” and observe the Higgs boson.
So here you have it – a pleasing sculpture, a lamp, an object of clean design, and also an inspired way to communicate particle physics!
This work was selected to be exposed to the Casinò di Venezia at Lido during the EPS conference, July 5th to 12th, and it participates in the final selection of the best artworks by Venice high-school students.