Ron Saunders: Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
- Published: Monday, February 24 2014 20:16
These paintings investigate how our desire to find our place in the universe can result in a deeper understanding in what we observe. There is a recognition that what we observe may not have always been the same, that the very action of observing may impact the end result.
As explained by the observer effect, born out of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, to observe something is to change it, and not just the perception of what that object is but also its metaphysical properties, its nature and behavior. Wherever we look, we find evidence of the divine animating principle that pervades the Universe; we may only need an appropriate lens to see it; we need a cipher. I understand that these paintings do not entirely constitute this; rather, they are the beginning of a corpus with an infinite number of possibilities, each one, with an infinite number of interpretations
Dreams Are People Too, 16”X16”. acrylic, enamel, spray paint, paper and marker on masonite
Passing in asynchronous orbits, many of the earth’s satellites are only 200 or 300 miles away. All of us have taken the time on a clear night to look up and see if we can find something that looks like a moving star. Like a needle in a haystack, we celebrate finding the object and on a certain level and we also celebrate what it signifies for us. The object holds so much power, it allows us to communicate with each other, locate ourselves in relation to other objects, and even fight wars. It is easy to fall into self-importance when reflecting on our advances, however it only takes a second to realize that our objects are mere reflections of what is found naturally in our universe.
Satellites Flights, 16”X16”. acrylic, enamel and spray paint on masonite
At one point, I saw an image taken by Cassini of the rings of Saturn with the Earth as a small dot identified by an arrow along with the text “you are here”. Although this beautiful image makes an attempt to define our relationship to the sixth planet from the sun, it seemed off, perhaps a little misleading. More correctly, you are everywhere! I believe it was Sagan who said;
“You are everywhere. The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. On this shore we’ve learned most of what we know. Recently, we’ve waded a little way out, maybe ankle-deep, and the water seems inviting. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return, and we can because the cosmos is also within us. We’re made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”
Cassini Perspectives, 16”X16”. acrylic, enamel and spray paint on Masonite
The web that connects the spaces of what we know is filled with mystery, a higher power, or a beginning of an idea. At many points, we felt we found answer to a question that evaded us, only later to find that many more questions took its place. Dark matter and dark energy provide us with more questions than answers, but we need them to hold everything together, to make the math work. As we fill in the spaces between places, there is less and less room for imagination and magic, or so we think. Much like a huge tree, the God of Gaps creates a branch providing support to so many of our ideas, and we then realize a single branch which supplied us with a foundation only creates two or three more which need explanation.
In Search For A God of Gaps, 16”X16”. acrylic, enamel, spray paint, and paper onmasonite
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