Michigan State University is pleased to announce the 2024 MSUFCU Arts Power Up artists-in-residence. Abel Korinsky (representative of Studio Korinsky) of Berlin, Germany, will be in residence during the spring semester, and Violeta López López of Ávila, Spain, will be in residence during the fall semester.
This inaugural open call for artists is a collaboration between the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB; the MSU Museum; the STEAMpower Project, Michigan State University’s art, science and culture collaborative; and Arts MSU. This new residency fosters collaboration, exploration, experimentation and innovation on MSU’s vibrant campus, culminating in the creation of groundbreaking artworks at the intersection of art, science and technology.
Korinsky is one half of Studio Korinsky. Along with Carlo Korinsky, the two media artists conduct research into the reciprocal dynamics among sound, light and architecture, with a focus on how time-based media can be harnessed to create and transform the atmosphere of a space.
“I strongly believe that the future lies in the synergy of art and science,” said Korinsky. “Artists and scientists, despite working in distinct fields, share a common approach. Our curiosity to understand and explore the world, the pursuit of answers, the discovery of new phenomena, and the willingness to push the boundaries of knowledge or creativity unite us. Both our disciplines embrace a process of trial and error to achieve our goals. I look forward to collaborating with researchers and scientists during the MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency program, and I am confident that the residency period will be mutually inspiring for both scientists and myself.”
López is an interdisciplinary artist who takes a multimedia approach to her practice, merging analog and digital through visuals, sound and words. The resulting work explores language, literature and science from a poetic perspective.
“Participating in the MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency is an invaluable opportunity to develop a body of work that combines physics and art from the inside out, to gain first-hand knowledge, and to engage with the scientific, artistic, and university community that the MSU environment offers,” said López. “The research time in collaboration with the scientists at FRIB, as well as the multitude of resources offered, provide a supportive framework for my project that will surely allow it to develop beyond expectations, finding connections between linguistics and physics in search of the common syntax that makes it possible to formulate a new artistic proposal through relations and forces, atoms and verses, codes that we interpret and that interpret us.”
Korinsky and López will immerse themselves in the FRIB laboratory environment and explore this year’s theme of nuclear astrophysics through their boundary-pushing work.
FRIB is a world-unique rare isotope research facility that enables scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security and industry. Rare isotopes are versions of elements with a combination of protons and neutrons that do not hold together forever. The facility proudly supports a community of about 1,800 scientists from around the world, while also regularly collaborating with artists across disciplines.
“We are eager to share FRIB scientific research and technological innovations with our community through the eyes of world-renowned artists,” said FRIB Laboratory Director Thomas Glasmacher. “Their artistic interpretations will help us connect with the community and showcase in a different way how discoveries at FRIB will transform the world and also inspire the next generation of researchers and innovators.”
The two artists-in-residence will have the unique opportunity to showcase their works in an exhibition coordinated by the MSU Museum CoLab Studio, an experimental division within the MSU Museum that fosters the development of novel programming and community engagement initiatives.
“We are thrilled to welcome Abel Korinsky and Violeta López López as our first artists-in-residence for the MSUFCU Arts Power Up program,” said MSU Museum Director Devon Akmon. “Their unique approaches to blending art, science, and technology align perfectly with our mission at the MSU Museum, and their work at FRIB promises to energize our campus with significant insights into the fusion of artistic vision and scientific innovation.”
The MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency at FRIB program is generously supported by an endowed gift from the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, with contributions from the MSU Museum and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
"We're proud to support the 2024 MSUFCU Arts Power Up program, bringing together artists Abel Korinsky and Violeta López López to explore the fusion of art, science and technology,” said April Clobes, MSUFCU president and CEO. “We believe in the transformative power of this initiative and its potential to inspire both the current and future generations of researchers and innovators."