Art and Science and Taping Shape at Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park

By Patricia Frischer

Rubin H. Fleet Science Center collaborates with local artist and engineer Dave Ghilarducci, Ashanti Davis and the San Diego State University (SDSU) Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) to create Taping Shape, an installation of cellophane tape that takes over two of the Fleet's upstairs galleries from January 30 to June 12, 2016. The final show for the Art and Science Learning Center's Innovation Incubators made its debut on the same night. 

There are two other exhibits, in Zoo in You: The Human Microbiome, visitors will learn all about the complex ecosystem and trillions of different microbes that inhabit the human body. Super Cells: The Power of Stem Cells teaches us all about stem cells, how they work in our body and the benefits of stem cells for science.
 

What are we looking for when we go to an art opening at a Science Museum?  We want something fun and interactive and exciting and educational. Look no further than Dave Ghilarducci's Taping Shape. He created with research assistance from Ashanti Davis an entire packing tape environment complete with slide and bounce and changing colors. The tape in some places is 12 layers deep and goes from 75 pounds a square inches to 350 pounds a square inch. A great deal of planning when in to making sure the structure is strong and safe for all that romping and the kids and adults alike were running, jumping and slip sliding. 

Taping Shape is a great STEAM project as it combines the art work element of design, color, the spacial relationships of a sculpture and the WOW effect factor, but can teach lessons about tensile strength, membranes and mathematics. When I think Art and Science, this is exactly what I imagine. 

Taping Shape explores a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) concepts, including:
•           Tensile strength
•           Materials science
•           Topology
•           Geometry
•           Spatial relations
•           Membranes
•           Mathematics
•           Structures
•           Architecture
•           Sound
- See more at: http://www.rhfleet.org/exhibitions/taping-shape#sthash.tvuh6TJy.dpuf

Taping Shape explores a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) concepts, including:
•           Tensile strength
•           Materials science
•           Topology
•           Geometry
•           Spatial relations
•           Membranes
•           Mathematics
•           Structures
•           Architecture
•           Sound
- See more at: http://www.rhfleet.org/exhibitions/taping-shape#sthash.tvuh6TJy.dpuf

Taping Shape explores a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) concepts, including:
•           Tensile strength
•           Materials science
•           Topology
•           Geometry
•           Spatial relations
•           Membranes
•           Mathematics
•           Structures
•           Architecture
•           Sound
- See more at: http://www.rhfleet.org/exhibitions/taping-shape#sthash.tvuh6TJy.dpuf

Dave Ghilarducci

Ashanti Davis who is also part of the Tinkering Space project at the Fleet

 In comparison to Taping Shape, is the written, video and photographic display of the results of the Innovation Incubator project does include a few artifacts in plastic cases. The three cities are represented, Chicago, Wooster and San Diego in the didactic. This was a well funded project that challenged teams to come together with artist and scientist, which I have written about before at the start Picked RAW Peeled: Innovation Incubator by Patricia Frischer
in Oct 2013 and Picked RAW Peeled: Innovation Incubators are proved great success in Dec of 2015

But the only real art you see in the display are three works in photo only by artists in residence for the three cities. The science over whelms the art in the display and this is a great pity because artists contributed hugely to the project.  What was forgotten was how the arts can create a huge excitement. The only interactive part of the display was a chance to make your own 3-d brainstorming experiment. The Art of Science Learning company will continue to spread the word and hopefully arrange for whole new generations of scientist to collaborate with artist, but they missed the boat in creating excitement to  explain this to the public.