Deep Field-an intersection of art, music, science and

technology

Introduction
"The greatest scientists are artists as well," said Albert Einstein (Calaprice, 2000, 245). As one of
the greatest physicists of all time and a fine amateur pianist and violinist, he ought to have
known! So what did Einstein mean and what does it tell us about the nature of creative thinking
and how we should stimulate it? For Einstein, insight did not come from logic or mathematics. It
came, as it does for artists, from intuition and inspiration. As he told one friend, "When I
examine myself and my methods of thought, I come close to the conclusion that the gift of
imagination has meant more to me than any talent for absorbing absolute knowledge."
Elaborating, he added, "All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge. I
believe in intuition and inspiration.... At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the
reason." Thus, his famous statement that, for creative work in science, "Imagination is more
important than knowledge"
But how, then, did art differ from science for Einstein? Surprisingly, it wasn't the content
of an idea, or its subject, that determined whether something was art or science, but how the
idea was expressed. "If what is seen and experienced is portrayed in the language of logic, then
it is science. If it is communicated through forms whose constructions are not accessible to the
conscious mind but are recognized intuitively, then it is art" (Calaprice, 2000, 271). Einstein
himself worked intuitively and expressed himself logically. That's why he said that great
scientists were also artists.
Einstein first described his intuitive thought processes at a physics conference. Einstein
explicated this bold idea at length to one scholar of creativity in 1959, telling Max Wertheimer
that he never thought in logical symbols or mathematical equations, but in images, feelings,
and even musical architectures (Wertheimer, 1959, 213-228). (Abstract from Psychology Today
article Einstein On Creative Thinking: Music and the Intuitive Art of Scientific Imagination)
Watch the following clip about the Hubble Telescope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkTiEyW-rC0

1. Describe what the problem was with the Hubble Telescope

2. What was reaction of the public? Do you find that their reaction was founded? Support
your answer.
 3. How did NASA address the problems with the telescope?

Watch the first 6 minutes of Creating Deep Field: Behind the Scenes
https://youtu.be/53gGGw7FD20
4. What is the name of the composer? How did he become interested in space?

5. How does the outline of the Deep Field as described by the composer relate to what
happened with the Hubble Space Telescope?

6. The size of the area of the sky is described as the area “of Lincoln’s eye” on a penny. The
picture taken from that small area showed over 3,000 galaxies. Given that each galaxy
may have 150-200 billion stars, each with their own solar system, how does that make
you feel as an inhabitant of Earth?

Watch Deep Field https://youtu.be/yDiD8F9ItX0

 You may download the deep field app for the full experience. Push play around 15
minutes. Watch for teacher cue

7. What emotions were elicited by the video?

8. Do you agree with Einstein that music increases creative thinking or is it more of a
distraction? Explain your answer in complete sentences.

9. Do you think that music must be played to increase creative thinking, or can you just
listen to it? Explain your answer in complete sentences.

10. Do you think all music genres can increase creativity equally? Why or why not?

11. How do you think science, math, music and art can influence each other? Support your
answer using evidence from this video or life experience. (This is a BIG question, do your
best.)