The sense of wonder about what surrounds us and makes us, in all its complexity and depth, is expressed as a dilemma. Hidden scenarios seem unreachable for us at any degree of perceptual imperative, while we are simultaneously free to question nature with astonishment. Imperceptible processes and phenomena within our society and our world vision literally become too small to care about, and therefore even harder to find. In order to uncover, understand and return this knowledge, as cultural artefacts we must employ the strategies of art alongside the strategies of science in order to take advantage of the tools of perception at our disposal.
The imperceptibles and unknowns of which our Universe is constructed can only be observed via the most challenging means. It is, without a doubt, a demanding task for most of us to try to understand the science of the invisible that is being pursued today. As Lisa Randall reminds us, we should think of Galileo, a pioneer and champion of the power of observing nature and consequently our interpretations. His radical contribution to the scientific method was that he changed his views in accordance with those observations. Without independent and radical thinkers such as him, who precipitated the scientific revolution, advances in knowledge would remain glacially slow. Alongside the independent thinkers we also need pioneering ways of bringing together disparate modes of thought and strategies for understanding.
Touch Me Festival: The Invisible Around Us places the proposals of the selected artists within the wider cultural context in which science and technologies play a crucial role in defining the limits of our senses and experience. We are particularly interested in observing how artists define, design and build up creative models, tools and scenarios in order to explore the astounding phenomena that reside within the core of nature.
Monica Bello, festival exhibition curator, excerpt from the text.
