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Edited by SiĆn Ede, preface by A.S. Byatt. Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, London, 2000.
200 pp.,
ISBN 0 903319 87 X
Reviewed by Jacques Mandelbrojt, E-mail: jmandelbrojt@wanadoo.fr


STRANGE AND CHARMED deals of science and the contemporary visual arts.

SiĆn Ede who edited the book and wrote almost half of the chapters, gives a panoramic view of the art world and similarly of the scientific world, on the way it works, on scientific ideas that can be relevant to art,on the way artists feel towards science or scientists towards art , or the layman feels about one or the other. In other words she gives a general outlook on several aspects of art and science and gives what could be labeled a sociological point of view mainly on art but also on science. She clearly benefits for her analysis on her first hand experience as Arts Director at the Galoust Gulbekian Foundation.

Other chapters develop special topics relevant to the general point of view of the book: Ken Arnold compares the role of images in art and in science and how they differ. Martin Kemp and Deborah Schultz make a very acute study of the role and philosophy of classifications both in science and in art, and the way some artists can be deliberatly disturbing in this respect.

Mike Page studies fundamental problems in creativity and show what lights neurosciences can shedon the procedures of artistic creation. . He studies in particular what it can mean for a work of art to be "just right". This interesting chapter could usefully be compared to Jean Piere Changeux's article "art and neurosciences" published in the special issue LEONARDO 27, 3, 1994 " Art and Science:Similarities, Differences, Interactions".

Richard Bright refers to the use (and misuse) by artists of ideas that originated in modern physics and especially in quantum mechanics, such as uncertainty, the influence of observation on a system...

Andrea Duncan shows the fascination artist can have towards the human body and the straange use they can make of surgery or biology.

A list of art and science ressources espcially in Great Britain, but also internationally is given at the end of the book. LEONARDO is in particular mentioned (Incidently LEONARDO was established in 1969 and not in 1982 as stated in the book).

STRANGE AND CHARMED gives a good overall general description of many of the problems raised when one compares art and science. It also gives sharp studies on particular points. It should appeal to readers, like those of LEONARDO, who are interested in the comparaison of art and science.