Artist to talk at VCU on connections between science and art

By Brian McNeill

Artist Narcissus Quagliata, known for producing monumental art installations that incorporate glass and light, will give a talk at Virginia Commonwealth University on the connections between his art and the sciences.

Quagliata's talk, “Science, Art, Light, Time,” will be held Feb. 21 from 1 to 2 p.m. in room 1165 of the T. Edward Temple Building at 901 W. Main St. The event is free and open to the public.

The talk is part of VCU's Mathematics Colloquium, sponsored by the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics in the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Craig Larson, Ph.D., an assistant mathematics professor and organizer of the event, said Quagliata might be an unexpected choice for a math lecture, but he is interested in what science offers artists, and what artists can offer science.

"We had a unique opportunity to bring him here and thought it was an unusual and promising experiment," Larson said. "Our students will certainly see something besides our usual math talks, and we'll have an opportunity to bring in people from a wider audience to see what we're up to."

Quagliata will also discuss the nature of light as a medium in art and science and dreaming as a cognitive activity for the arts and sciences, and he will offer reflections on the nature of time.