is responsible for gathering the data to create a full sky map of the faint variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation. to learn more about this project then pop over to this nasa news link.
cosmic microwave background radiation (this image has been modified from an image at cobe)
here on earth, jonathon keats is what is commonly termed a “conceptual artist”. this places him squarely in a tradition that has laid bare the assumptions, and architecture of society and placed them up for reflection for many years. because some of these assumptions are sacred, taboo, or for some people, simply “not up for discussion”, conceptual artists have functioned in that part of the artistic spectrum that places them near the fringe if they challenge in a big way, or nearer the centre if they challenge after the manner of the court jester (which contrary to the common use of the term "jester" was a serious role requiring an astute sense of when and what to say as the life of the jester would literally hang in the balance as he drew attention to or made fun of the king) whose role was circumscribed by the understanding that he would be given free reign to ridicule the extant power structure without fear of consequence.
keats’ latest work sees him somewhere in-between those two extremes addressing as he does the age-old difference of opinion that has delineated the worlds of science and religion. he has entered the fray through his creation of “the atheon”.
so what exactly is “the atheon”? well keats describes it as “a secular temple devoted to scientific worship. delivering spiritual fulfillment through exposure to the latest research in fields ranging from cosmology to quantum mechanics.” a heady and intriguing objective underpinned by the ambition to provide “a nondemoninational alternative to theocentric religions.”
the credo? “to make faith rational.”
the atheon is located in berkeley, california a city noted as one of the more politically liberal cities in america. so the atheon fits right in with its challenge to reassess exactly where religion fits - if it still does - or if indeed its form and purpose are ready for some sort of reconsidering.
a short but detailed write-up on the atheon can be read here.
the sounds you will hear at the atheon are the work of university of virginia astronomer mark whittle who used audio files of sounds "pulsating through several hypothetical universes as well as our own living cosmos". mark has also posted a lovely article chronicling a journey through the history of matter that explains the whole of physical science in a manner that even i, a fully accredited artsy can understand and get excited about. nip over here to read mark's writing.
entering the atheon through my laptop i encounter an image that i later learn is cosmic microwave background radiation. in the background can be heard a faint hissing sound that ebbs and flows. that is sll that i found. the installation is apparently much more complex and detailed and i am looking forward to much more images and text when they become available.
meanwhile, my own take on science and religion is that science is one facet of the description in the same way as the map is one facet of the place it describes. science articulates our understanding of the physical manifestation of all that is. because it is inexorably drawing closer to essences and deeper mappings of our understanding, my sense is that it is inevitable that it’s language become more spiritual. when it is no longer necessary to articulate that language, then we’ll know that we’ve truly sourced elements of the allness of everything.
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