Chaos, Levitation and Sculpture: Overlapping Circles of Creativity

Abstract

This is lecture, given in spring 1996 as part of Prof. James McConkey’s cross-disciplinary course on Mind and Memory. Prof. Frank Moon presents a lecture/demonstration on his pioneering work on magnetic levitation of trains utilizing superconductors, his extensive research in chaos and nonlinear vibrations and his passion for sculpturing using several media. He connects these disparate interests by the connecting framework of twelve steps in the creative process:

I. History - Memory – What went before?

II. Learning Skills – Practice and patience

III. The Quest – A vague vision or goal

IV. Gathering Facts and Ideas

V. The Struggle – Passion, discipline, order

VI. Serendipity – Some chance or chaos

VII. Cross Stimuli - Many projects are good

VIII. Sweating the Details – Boring!

IX. Recognizing Quality – When is it done?

X. Presentation - Selling, offering the work

XI. Once Is Not Enough – Entropy lives

XII. Pass It On – Teach another, memory again!

Professor James McConkey's course , which was open to the public, had weekly guests from the various disciplines in the arts and sciences, faculty members and others who discussed the process underlying their research, or their work as creative or performing artists.

Running Time: 78 minutes