Deedee Morrison Sculpture
University of Alabama Birmingham
Laser Cut and Rolled Stainless Steel LED Light Towers with Light Programming
12 - 15’H
Each tower features art patterns conceptualized by Deedee Morrison and inspired by sketches and notes from former UAB faculty, staff and students found in the UAB Archives; one features chalkboard-style mathematical equations, with the other two displaying illustrations inspired by the view through a microscope. The light towers have sequenced, program lighting that changes every few minutes.” Herfurth, Haley. “New Art Installation Pays Homage to Math, Science Education - The Reporter.” Home - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Light Tower One & Two: The Microscope - Art Inspired by The World Seen Under the Lens
Nature has many fascinating forms, but some of the most interesting structures are too small to be visible to the naked eye. Other than under a microscope, we are unable observe the surprising beauty of microorganisms, despite them being all around us.
The microscope magnifies objects or organisms that are too small to see with the naked eye. This invention revolutionized the field of science. The microscope has had an enormous influence on the development of modern medical, forensics, and environmental science. But with the invention of the powerful atomic force microscope scientists are now able to study cells at an atomic level - bringing together a multidisciplinary group of researchers, including biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers and opening up the next frontier of research and discovery.
Light Tower Three: The Chalkboard - Art Inspired by Collaborative Workspace
In 1800, the headmaster of the Old High School of Edinburgh, wanting to offer geography lessons to his students that required larger maps, connected several smaller slates into a single grand field. And in 1801, George Baron, a West Point mathematics teacher, also began to use a board of connected slates, the most effective way, he found, to illustrate complex formulas to a larger audience. Although the term blackboard did not appear until 1815, the use of these cobbled-together slates spread quickly; by 1809, every public school in Philadelphia was using them. Students no longer simply listened to the teacher; they had a reason to look up from their desks and participate.
The use of chalkboards in the classroom kicked off the collaborative learning movement. All communication was now communal. Students learned in groups and shared knowledge. The board became the mindshare of the classroom. This launched the chalkboard as a global collaborative space. We have witnessed the exploration of the universe from the mathematical equations and concepts that were formulated in this collaborative workspace.
As a global society, we have moved on from there, and now a network of computers link scientists, mathematicians, writers, artists, and poets together in a way that continues to expand our collaborative efforts and has inspired the next generation of innovative thinkers in groundbreaking new fields of research.