Presenters:   Elio Caccavale   Dawn Danby   Olaf Dreyer   Juan Geuer   Rob Godman   John Hatch   Kenneth A. Huff   Mantissa   Miroslav Lovric   Sally McKay   Eric Raymond   S. David Rosner   Mariano Sardón   Frederic P. Schuller   Krister Shalm   Lydia Sharman &   Stephen Morris   Donald Spector   Joseph Thywissen   Marion Tränkle   Koala Yip Symposium Some Adaptations of Relativity in the 1920s and the Birth of Abstract Architecture by John G. Hatch The University of Western Ontario http://publish.uwo.ca/~jhatch/hatch.htm In 1921 the Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg met the Russian artist El Lissitzky in Germany. They struck up a friendship which would last until 1931, the year Van Doesburg passed away. Their friendship was forged in part by the fact that they were abstract artists, and, more specifically, by their shared interest in modern physics. This interest in science was spurred on by the work of their respective mentors, Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich, two pioneers of abstract art. Both Van Doesburg and Lissitzky sought to embody in their art some of the key concepts related to Relativity theory. Van Doesburg examined initially the relativistic theories of Henri Poincaré and Henrik Lorentz and, eventually, following his initial encounter with Lissitzky, began to explore Albert Einstein's formulations of Relativity. Lissitzky's interest in Relativity took a rather literal approach when he adapted a diagram he found in Hermann Minkowski's famous 1908 text "Space and Time" as a motif in a number of his paintings between 1919 and 1923; he quickly found this method of incorporating Relativity into his art unsatisfying and turned to designing interior spaces, which for him proved far more successful in conveying the unity of time and space. Like Lissitzky, Van Doesburg moved from painting to architecture in seeking out a form best suited to conveying the spatiotemporal experiences phrased by Relativity, resulting in some remarkably innovative designs. This paper explores the path Lissitzky and Van Doesburg's interest in Relativity theories took, and the seminal ideas and designs that resulted. Biography: Dr. John G. Hatch is an associate professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Western Ontario, where he teaches modern and contemporary art history and theory. He has published studies addressing the impact of the sciences on the work of Max Ernst, Frantisek Kupka, and Francesco Borromini.   Page Top Copyright © 2004 Subtle Technologies Festival