Cosmos versus Canvas: Tensions between Art and Science in Astronomy Images

.Cosmos versus Canvas: Tensions between Art and Science in Astronomy Images
Jayanne English

Bold colour images from telescopes act as extraordinary ambassadors for astronomers because they pique the public's curiosity.  They are especially popular during this International Year of Astronomy 2009. But are
they snapshots documenting physical reality?  Or are we looking at artistic spacescapes created by digitally manipulating astronomy images? This lecture provides a tour of how original black and white data from the Hubble Space Telescope, for example, are converted into the colour images gracing magazines.  Each image is a battlefield where the attempt by scientists to represent their discoveries all but drowns out the voice of visual literacy. Yet sometimes in this battle, between the cultures of science and visual art, both sides win. This struggle will be presented from the perspective of a professional astronomer who also trained as an artist.
 
Dr. Jayanne English is an Associate Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Her career has intertwined art and astronomy right from the outset - she graduated from the Ontario College of Art before moving on to receive her B.Sc. in Astronomy from the University of Toronto, and then her PhD from the Australian National University in 1994.  Dr. English is committed to public outreach, and served as the astronomy columnist on CBC Radio's "Quirks and Quarks" program from 2000-2002.  Aside from her "standard" research pursuits (e.g. studying the behaviour of gas in interacting groups of galaxies and in our Milky Way Galaxy), Dr. English's forte' is creating colour outreach images from  astronomy data.  For example, as part of her work with the Hubble Space Telescope, Dr. English coordinated the Hubble Heritage project, and authored the Hubble Heritage website in 1998-2000.

This event continues the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone "She is an Astronomer" series, with the lectures given by Dr Jayanne English on the subject of astronomy and art. The lectures, jointly organised by Blackrock Castle Observatory, Armagh Observatory, Armagh Planetarium, the Science Gallery and Trinity College Dublin, are free, and everyone, especially those with an interest in art and science, are welcome to join.