Esther's photos with the keyword: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"Jaume Plensa’s sculptures often deliberately distort the human form. In some of his most recognized works, a human head is elongated and rendered through a stainless steel mesh of letters or symbols, or as a totem-like bronze or resin-and-marble-dust sculpture. These pieces, often produced at a monumental scale, are emphatically physical, yet they frequently appear to be digitally imposed onto the landscape because of their odd sense of perspective or matrix-like forms. While some suggest a sense of serenity, particularly those depicting a face with eyes closed, others, such as Alchemist, evoke the energy of thought, with frenetic collages of letters, numbers, or symbols that appear to be in the process of organization. Alchemist is related to Plensa’s El Alma Del Ebro (2008) and Nomade (2010), both of which are composed of a stainless-steel fretwork of randomly arranged letters, painted white and used to outline the negative space of a faceless person sitting with knees drawn to their chest. However, instead of consistently scaled letters, Alchemist employs numbers and mathematical symbols of varying sizes—the number six and the delta symbol are particularly prominent—which more actively convey a sense of thinking and calculation. The sculpture was produced at a more modest scale than its precedents, which allows the figure to seem more approachable, and an opening at the foot of the sculpture invites a viewer to step into the open mesh of the work. Plensa considered this sculpture an “homage to all the researchers and scientists” who have contributed to scientific and mathematical knowledge at MIT. Jaume Plensa (b. 1955) was born in Barcelona, Spain. After studying in his hometown, he lived in several other countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, and the United States, before returning to Spain. He is most known for his exhibitions and sculptural installations incorporating sculpture, sound, and language. Since 1996, Plensa has also produced stage and costume design for some of the world’s most important operatic productions. He has taught at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, from which he received an honorary doctorate in 2005. Solo exhibitions of Plensa’s work have been organized at the Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona; Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris; Kunsthalle Mannheim, Germany; Musée d’Art Contemporain, Lyon; and Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover, Germany, among many others. His works are also in the collections of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City; Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. Plensa lives and works in Barcelona." listart.mit.edu/art-artists/alchemist-2010 Sunday Challenge: Numerals AIMG 3506

Robots are among us. Moving Day at MIT - May 7, 2016 AIMG 3541

"n the late 1960s and early 1970s, Professor Marvin Minsky created a robotic arm that used a video camera and computer to build with children’s blocks. This work was the principal inspiration and source of ideas for his landmark book on the workings of the human mind, The Society of Mind (1986). While it might seem counterintuitive to build a machine without a conceptual framework, the method proved surprisingly effective and gave rise to Minsky’s theory that the mind is composed of a multitude of little processes called “agents.” As Minsky put it: 'Each mental agent by itself can only do some simple thing that needs no mind or thought at all. Yet when we join these agents in societies—in certain very special ways—this leads to true intelligence.'" museum.mit.edu/150/9 AIMG 3483

The Sunday Challenge: Take a picture of what you are doing on this day, whether it be working, ironing, shopping, walking the dog, staying in bed, visiting friends/family etc etc. May 7, 2016 celebrated 100 years since the date that MIT moved its campus from Boston to Cambridge, Massachusetts. My husband and I arrived at MIT early to get parking and avoid road closures. We visited the MIT museum and saw wonderful exhibits on holography and scientific photography. After a quick lunch, he left to perform in the MIT Gilbert & Sullivan's production of "Patience." I had done 3 performances but I was not playing this one so I decided to catch the parade and the sail from Boston to Cambridge. The grand marshall of the parade was Oliver Smoot '62, who is well known by all in the area for a fraternity prank where he was flipped end to end to measure the length of the bridge from Boston to MIT (364.4 Smoots, plus or minus an ear). I don't know whether this sparked an interest for measurements but he later became Chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). For more information, see alum.mit.edu/news/AlumniNews/Archive/smoots_legacy . After the parade and sail, I arrive only a wee bit late for "Patience". Following the show, my husband and I attended the barbecue dinner sponsored by the alumni associate and then headed out to see the pageant. It was very entertaining, featuring a light show, a video call from the International Space Station, dancers, humorous hosts and giant bobble heads of famous scientists affiliated with MIT. Fireworks followed the pageant and the night was completed with food and dancing. It was a grand celebration. TSCMay7

Massachusetts Institute of Technology''s 150th Birthday celebration. MIT is one of the premier universities in the world and emphasizes scientific and technological education and research. It was founded in 1861 and turned 150 years old in 2011. Celebrations included technological events, artistic displays, a gigantic 500,000 calorie three-diminsional birthday cake in the shape of the university and fireworks over the Charles River. In the background, the 32nd through 49th floors of the Prudential Tower in Boston, Massachusetts sent out a birthday greeting. AIMG_1411

Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 150th Birthday celebration. MIT is one of the premier universities in the world and emphasizes scientific and technological education and research. It was founded in 1861 and turned 150 years old in 2011. Celebrations included technological events, artistic displays, a gigantic 500,000 calorie three-diminsional birthday cake in the shape of the university and fireworks over the Charles River. In the background, the 32nd through 49th floors of the Prudential Tower in Boston, Massachusetts sent out a birthday greeting. AIMG_1403

Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 150th Birthday celebration. MIT is one of the premier universities in the world and emphasizes scientific and technological education and research. It was founded in 1861 and turned 150 years old in 2011. Celebrations included technological events, artistic displays, a gigantic 500,000 calorie three-diminsional birthday cake in the shape of the university and fireworks over the Charles River. This shot was handheld. ODT: Nerdy AIMG_1379

Fireworks at MIT's 150th Birthday celebration. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the premier universities in the world and emphasizes scientific and technological education and research. It was founded in 1861 and turned 150 years old in 2011. Celebrations included technological events, artistic displays, a gigantic 500,000 calorie three-diminsional birthday cake in the shape of the university and fireworks over the Charles River. AIMG_1395

For Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 150th Birthday celebration. the 32nd through 49th floors of the Prudential Tower in Boston, Massachusetts sent out a birthday greeting. MIT is one of the premier universities in the world and emphasizes scientific and technological education and research. It was founded in 1861 and turned 150 years old in 2011. Celebrations included technological events, artistic displays, a gigantic 500,000 calorie three-diminsional birthday cake in the shape of the university and fireworks over the Charles River. ODT: Nerdy AIMG_1392