How Supermassive Black Holes Drove Me to Design Clothes
One day in Chicago I found out that a scientist was giving a talk on supermassive black holes, and I dropped everything to go see it. I was ecstatic as I walked into what I predicted would be the most amazing lecture of my life. How could it not be? The subject matter gave the speaker an immediate advantage.
When the scientist started with a standard Powerpoint (and standard Powerpoint theme), my heart dropped a little, but when they used stock photos of apples and straws to explain the most powerful known things in the universe, it changed my life: I felt inspired by how wildly unsuccessful it was at communicating the compelling complexity of a supermassive black hole.
I wanted to understand what these things looked and felt like. Maybe some thoughtful animations would've increased engagement, but this scientist was hiding no tricks up their sleeve. I get it. It can be hard to explain the fundamentals of something that you know a lot about, or to take equations and make them into exciting stories.
The Essence of Science
When I realized the supermassive black hole presentation was not going to live up to my expectations, my mind wandered. What does a black hole smell like? What if I ate a supermassive black hole for breakfast? I haven’t tackled these specific questions, but through similarly absurd approaches, I’ve been able to develop an understanding of chemistry and physics I never came close to achieving in college. I’m convinced that I can share my work and help get others excited and engaged with these topics, too. Supermassive black holes are truly one of the most amazing phenomena in the universe. The reason people don’t care might be because they were never given the option to care or not. They probably won’t stumble upon a sculpture about them at work or in the grocery store. But what if they did?
What if there was a bridge in science between non-experts and experts that helped both sides communicate with one another and see the benefits of that communication–a sort of translator? Language might not be the only output. If the goal is to communicate the essence of something, then there might be more successful ways: we retain information differently through multi-sensorial experiences, etc. Figuring out the best ways to communicate is a full time job. It means understanding the subject matter and the audience, equally.
Lawn Chairs and Event Horizons
The reason I love space is because the summer before I moved away to college, I picked up Neil deGrasse Tyson’s book, Death by Black Hole in a bookstore and read it in a lawn chair in my parents’ backyard and couldn’t put it down. In fact, the book convinced me I could actually understand science (I was a "bad" science student in K-12), so I changed my major to pre-med (science is science, right?). Then I took science classes and felt so empty and confused that I switched back to literature and fine arts. Where, suspecting that it wasn’t the science that was awful but the mechanisms of teaching, I continued to pursue science through art. In order to creatively explore the concepts I was so engulfed in, I had to pick up robotics, 3D printing, and coding. I found that I was able to learn technical skills and science through making.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to teach technical concepts to a variety of ages, and understand that how we learn is radically different from person to person. If people can't picture how a black hole fits into their own way of seeing the world, why should we expect them to connect?
The more personal reason I want to make art about science is because I find scientific concepts unbearably fascinating, and I want to share everything I learn with everyone I meet. I also recognize that my deep affection for science may be fueling a bias that tells me it's important for everyone to learn. Part of this project is for me to learn why or if it matters that others learn, and how to gather and use data that will shed light on the topic.
Ultimately Why It's Important
Learning about scientific processes, about trial and error and the creativity behind the theoretical science that is the premise of Fabric of Space-Time, could help people realize that science isn’t dogma. The people specializing in it have more questions than answers. This realization could help people approach everything in life with inquiry, instead of taking it exactly as it presents itself. The whole world doesn’t need to become scientists, but the whole world could benefit from adopting scientific approaches toward making sense of the enormous amount of content that floods our brains every day.
So what exactly is Fabric of Space-Time? At its core, it's about the two things I madly, deeply believe in: art and science. I feel so strongly about the potential they have when paired. FoST lets me take all of my passion and madness and make it into beautiful designs and a brand. It's the perfect scenario.
I am so excited to continue my self-proclaimed career as an artistic translator of science. I hope our existences overlap soon. Make it happen sooner by sending me your thoughts. I’d love to hear.
Kayla