Marcus Craig

A Kinetic Interpretation to the Mechanics of Popper's 'Three Worlds'.

The work is a functioning interactive schema that demonstrates and recontextualizes philosopher Karl Popper's theory of mind, by way of his findings on the theory of knowledge as it relates to the self. Acting as a kinetic sculpture, the work renegotiates the place of ontology and epistemology in an arts context. Informed by the intrinsic qualities of phenomenal consciousness and astronomical instrumentation of antiquity, the work represents a literal ‘model of the mind’.
Central to this discussion is how the mind and body interact. It is through this interaction that shows potential, an opportunity to chart a no man’s land that bridges the mental and physical worlds. Should a physical model of the mind exist, does it have a topology? Will the self reside in the centre? Do other people occupy embassies inside your head? There is a wealth of existing knowledge and opinion that could dictate the landscape in which this model can resemble. This particular work adapts Poppers controversial ‘three worlds’ theory as discussed in his Emory University lectures from 1969. His ‘three worlds’ are the spatial representations that demonstrate his theory that there exists three states in how one views the universe.
The stochastic revolutions of the work mimic that of a gimbal, the addition of discrete gyroscopic and velocity sensors provide some programmatic functionality. These sensors wirelessly feed into a program that calculates a one-to-one translation of movement and momentum, providing variables that will translate some relatively simple math that act as my interpretation to Poppers interactionism. This component of the piece enables what I refer to as a ‘modular auxiliary’. A steady stream of data can now be utilised in any capacity befitting the work, for this particular incarnation, the data will render visuals on a CRT monitor opposite the piece.