Art, Science and the Sacred
with Dr. F. David Peat and others |
6-12 October 2006
This five day course/workshop will explore the deep connections, as well as the boundaries, between art, science and the sacred. It will explore the ways in which the artist and the scientist engage the universe and encounter mystery. It will touch on the sense of awe and wonder that many scientists experience about the cosmos. It will look at ways in which the arts have sought to portray, symbolize and point to the sacred.
Topics to be explored will include:
The universal nature of the sacred and the sense of wonder, awe and respect in the face of the cosmos that is experienced even by those who could call themselves agnostics as well as the thought of such figures as Ibn bin Arabi, and Nicholas of Cusa's proposal that God is the coincidence of opposites. We shall also look at the change that took place from the early middle ages, through the Renaissance and the rise of science to our present age with its search for belief.
The nature of sacred objects, sacred spaces, icons and the symbolism of sacred art. In particular we shall visit the Duccio altar piece "The Virgin Enthroned" in Siena, and consider the work of the artist and mathematician Piero della Francesca who felt that the divine can be approached "through symbols and mathematical signs” as well as some contemporary artists such as Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Janine Antoni. The alchemical belief in the transformation of matter through spirit will be shown to be a tradition that has persisted in the arts from the time of Michelangelo and Durer to the present day.
We shall also look at the influence of the artist Paul Cezanne on the the development of the physicist David Bohm's "Implicate Order" and on his notion that the basis of the universe is an activity of information. Bohm's views on process and the constant enfolding and unfolding of the manifest world come close to Eastern religious traditions and raises the question that mind may have pervaded the cosmos from the moment of its origin.
What of the claim that "God is a mathematician" and is it justified to invoke the Big Bang as evidence for the existence of a Creator God? The role of beauty and elegance as an end in itself and as a means to that end in physics and mathematics. J.S. Bach's interest in number mysticism and the role it, and Kepler's theory of the solar system, plays in the Art of Fugue. As well as talking about music we shall hear some live music and the experience of the musician. Music also plays a role in healing and we shall also learn about Therese Schroeder-Sheker's use of music with the dying.
From the world of literature we shall examine the life of the priest and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and his notion of Inscape, as well as James Joyce's use of Epiphanies. We shall enquire about the origins of theatre within the mystery religions and the role of "sacred theatre" today.
The life and work of several scientists have been inspired by belief. The introduction of the concept of a field in physics came about because of Michael Faraday's conviction that God acts directly and his handiwork can be found in the laws of nature. The physicist Wolfgang Pauli was inspired by his belief in the possibility of the resurrection of spirit in matter, but he was also disturbed by what he saw as the rise of "the will to power" within physics. We shall also ask if there are limits to how far the scientific enquiry should be taken, and about its its preoccupation to discover an ultimate level and a final equation.
October 6 . Participants arrive, welcome and dinner.
On the following days there will be two daily workshop sessions:
10.00 - 12.30 Lecture and question period
4.00 - 6.30 Lecture and discussion of the topic of the day.
October 12 . Summing up. Participants leave following lunch
The cost of the course will be 1,200 Euros and will include all meals and accommodation, starting with dinner on 6 October and ending with lunch on 12 October. To ensure a place in the course a deposit of 200 Euros is required.
Pay Pal, Please note: Payment can be made via the PayPal system using a credit card. If you wish to use this method we will send you an invoice with instructions on how to pay. The actual transaction is managed by PayPal so that we do not learn any of your credit card details.
Click here to enroll.
For further information write to info@paricenter.com.
