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Research Proposal for the British Academy Research Readership
"..., spiritual remains an old-fashioned word of vague meaning.
Yet it is this word that Kandinsky seeded into twentieth-century art, and
apart from any individual, it still speaks. It requires a positive response
from us." (Roger Lipsey, An Art of Our Own The Spiritual in Twentieth-Century
Art)
"Physics has now absorbed theology; the divorce between science
and religion, between reason and emotion, is over." (Frank Tipler,
The Physics of Immortality)
Introduction
Art and science in ancient times were not divorced from the spiritual. In
the 20th C however both art and science are activities generally carried
out independent of mainstream religious thought, though the spiritual has
played an important part in the work of some individual artists and scientists.
At the beginning of the century the painter Wassily Kandinsky was prompted
by his interest in Theosophy to write Concerning the Spiritual in Art;
towards the end of the century the physicist Paul Davies has produced a
series of books relating quantum theory to theology, the most recent of
which is titled The Mind of God. The reactions to the spiritual in
art and science vary however: Waldemar Januszczak (commissioning editor
for the arts, Channel Four) found the origins of Modernism in Theosophical
and other occultisms to be 'a skeleton in the art cupboard', while Paul
Davies has received the million-dollar Templeton prize for progress in religion
for his books (remarkable, considering that he claims that 'science offers
a surer path than religion in the search for God'). It is rare however for
an artist or scientist to have received any formal or systematic exposure
to the spiritual, and hence the questions arise: what kind of spiritual
literacies do we find in 20th C artists and scientists, and how do they
differ?
I believe that it is important to investigate the spiritual literacy of
these groups because of the impact that they have on modern culture, and
the impact they will have on the place of spirituality in culture in the
21st C. Artists who have a spiritual interest tend to write on it in a dispersed
fashion, reserving the substance of their interest to appear in their chosen
medium, for example painting or music. Physicists on the other hand, particularly
in the closing years of the 20th C, seem to write copiously on the spiritual.
In both cases it seems vital to build up a picture of the spiritual material
that they draw on, the interpretations that they make, and the differing
way that their respective occupations in art and science influence the choice
of material and interpretations.
Background to the Research
I have a background in the artistic, the scientific, and the spiritual which
I believe places me in a good position to carry out this research. I have
been working formally as a researcher and lecturer in the electronic arts
for some twelve years, which combines my training as a scientist and artist.
More recently I have undertaken an MA in Studies in Mysticism and Religious
Experience at Canterbury in order to give a third recurrent interest, the
spiritual, a formal basis. Out of this has grown a long-term research project
'The Spiritual in Art and Science'. The proposed research will focus on
the question of spiritual literacy in art and science as a way of
pinning down a few well-defined questions within this larger programme.
I have already laid the ground for the proposed research in an 18,000-word
essay 'Concerning the Spiritual in Art and Science' submitted as coursework
for the MA at Canterbury, and in a shorter version called 'Concerning the
Spiritual in 20th C Art and Science' submitted to the arts and technology
journal Leonardo. An important source of material has been Roger
Lipsey's An Art of Our Own - The Spiritual in Twentieth-Century Art,
which is a well-researched overview up to about 1985. I came across this
and much other relevant material at the British Library. In the sciences
I have been looking at works from the offerings by Fritjof Capra and Gary
Zukav in the seventies up to Paul Davies' work and the controversial Physics
of Immortality by Frank Tipler in the nineties.
The long-term project is beginning to take shape, as I am currently supervising
a doctoral student who is examining 'Virtual Reality and Visionary Experience'
(with particular reference to Hildegard of Bingen). I also have two Master's
students on the MA Computer Imaging and Animation who have chosen to look
at the spiritual as subject matter for their imagery; in one case the Ancient
Greeks (Heraclitus, Pythagoras and Plato) and in the other Sufism and its
symbols. I am planning to seek funding for further doctoral students and
to set up a Research Centre for the Spiritual in Art and Science.
The Value of the Research
Artists and scientists often respond warily to the term 'spiritual' (as
Roger Lipsey's quote above implies), yet they are often the very people
whose intense probings and questionings into the fabric of human experience
and the cosmos make them likely to enter the territory traditionally marked
out as 'spiritual'. I believe that an evaluation of how they engage with
the spiritual in relation to their practice has not yet been carried out
in any depth, and is needed for several reasons. First of all, as mentioned
above, these groups have considerable influence on modern culture. Secondly,
such an evaluation is needed in juxtaposition to the better-understood influence
of those traditionally concerned with the spiritual: the theologians and
philosophers. Thirdly, such an evaluation might enable us to make a better
response to visual artists who draw on the spiritual, to better gauge the
claim of a scientist such as Tipler that 'theology is now a branch of physics',
or to put in perspective the anti-religious stance of reductionist scientists
such as Richard Dawkins or Francis Crick.
However, the main value of the research would be to start an informed debate
as to what a 'spiritual literacy' might generally mean in a predominantly
lay culture. If successful in engaging a broader interest in the concept,
the research would lead in the long term to a new pedagogy, one that is
informed but relatively free of cultural and confessional bias. More specifically
it might form a basis for the teaching of spiritual literacies appropriate
to artists and scientists; a making explicit of what is now implicit and
haphazard.
It is intended that the research be as useful to the sceptic as to the initiate,
to the reductionist as to the holist and mystically inclined.
The Research Territory
The proposed research is clearly highly interdisciplinary, and to be of
value the results of it will need to delivered in such a way as to be relevant
to artists and scientists, as well as those more directly involved in the
spiritual. Although some historical basis will be essential the main thrust
of the research will focus on the 20th C. To narrow the field further I
shall explore mainly the visual arts of Modernism and Postmodernism. In
terms of science the most important area is that which is termed the 'new
physics' (mainly quantum theory, relativity, and the concepts around the
'anthropic principle'). Both arts and science will be in a Western context
but the spirituality will have no boundaries in time or place: the spiritual
influences on Western 20th C art and science are broad.
In the arts I will be looking mainly at 20th C fine artists including key
figures such as Kandinsky, Mondrian, Malevich, Brancusi, Rothko, Newman,
and Joseph Beuys, and a host of other. In addition key groupings or movements
forming part of the arts territory will include the Bauhaus, the American
Abstract Expressionists, and the electronic artists of today. There are
also a range of other organisations in which the spiritual and the artistic
are explicitly linked such as the Steiner schools and art colleges, the
Temenos Academy, and 'fringe' groups such as the Gurdjieff-Ouspensky schools
and the School for Economic Science. Some of these have roots in a neoplatonist
tradition, while others are an occult or purely 20th century phenomena.
In the sciences the writings of the 'quantum fathers' such as Schroedinger,
Bohr, and Heisenberg will be important, through the early 'physics as mysticism'
writers in the seventies, to contemporary writers such as Davies, Tipler
and Polkinghorne. Organisations such as the Institute of Noetic Sciences
and the UK-based Scientific and Medical network will also be examined.
Another important source for the spiritual in contemporary science lies
in the emerging field of Studies in Consciousness. The journals, books and
conferences in this area receive contributions from a wide range of scientists
representing the whole spectrum of spiritual interests. This is well-documented,
for example, in papers presented at the 'Tucson II' conference 'Towards
a Science of Consciousness' in April 1996.
The research will involve the examination of texts (including exhibition
catalogues) relating to the territories outlined above, the examination
of relevant organisations through their literature and by interview, and
the attendance at relevant art exhibitions. Any previous surveys (such as
Roger Lipsey's) of the spiritual in art or science will need to be found
and closely analysed.
The establishment and refinement of a spiritual taxonomy appropriate to
the task is an essential and early component of the research, as it will
guide examination of texts and the preparation for interviews. In my research
so far I have established a simple working taxonomy of just three divisions:
the 'religious', the 'occult', and the 'transcendent'. I have used the term
'religious' to denote a conventional spirituality associated with mainstream
religious thought and practice. The term 'occult' is used for an interest
and engagement with non-material spiritual worlds as posited by individuals
like Rudolf Steiner, but also found universally in all cultures and periods
of history. The term 'transcendent' is used to denote such concepts as nirvana,
mystical union or enlightenment. These are clearly crude and overlapping
terms but they have already proved useful: the spiritual influences on Gaudi
are (in these terms) the conventionally religious; on the Bauhaus are clearly
occult; those on the American Abstract Expressionists more transcendent;
and between two contemporary performance artists, the American Fakir Musafar
and the Australian Stelarc, we find the former engaged in the occult and
the latter in the transcendent. In physics we find Capra and Zukav broadly
preoccupied with the transcendent, while Tipler, Davies and Polkinghorne
engaged with the religious (theological). These are early and tentative
findings, but I believe that without any such taxonomy it is hard to order
the material under investigation. The work of Roger Lipsey, though thorough,
lacked any kind of useful distinction between the spiritualities of the
different artists he looked at.
The establishment of what broadly a spiritual literacy might be is
also an early goal. The term 'literacy' has been carefully chosen because
it implies interest, breadth and usefulness. One becomes literate in a given
area out of interest; it is implied that the interest is not partisan, chauvinist,
or (in this case) confessional; and the result is a range of 'competences'
in the area. The delineation of 'spiritual literacy' is interlinked with
the taxonomy: one cannot be literate in an area if ignorant of important
phyla in the structure of the subject. For example, in terms of spiritual
practice it may be that the distinction between devotion and gnosis (Indian
bhakti and jnani) becomes an important part of the taxonomy,
and hence a spiritual literacy requires an understanding of both.
The Research Method
The research will start from individuals in art and science, and
work backwards to the spiritual movements and influences in the 20th century.
The first step will be to identify key figures from art and science whose
life and work has a clear spiritual current. This will be done by cross-referencing
names from surveys and texts already mentioned, and through key-word searches
in various on-line bibliographies. From biographies, autobiographies, notebooks,
letters, memoirs, exhibition catalogues, pamphlets etc., will then be derived
a picture of the spiritual influences on these individuals, and whether
these are from texts (ancient, contemporary, Oriental, Occidental), organisations
(such as the Theosophical Society, the Church, cults, lecture series), individuals
(enthusiastic friends, spiritual teachers or guides of various kinds), or
personal revelation (rare, but important, as in Blake, or Steiner). A knowledge
of the spiritual practices (if any) of these individuals will be derived
from the same sources. In the case where texts have been an influence it
will be important to know the translation or translations that were read,
where the original was not in the reader's own language.
The material so gathered will become the raw data for analysis. Before this
can be carried out the taxonomy of the spiritual will be developed by cross-referencing
those used by scholars of comparative religion and mysticism, including
James, Underhill, Zaehner, and Smith. A more precise notion of 'literacy'
will be obtained by examination of literacy in other contexts, such as science
literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy, and media literacy. The primary
analysis will then comprise:
· a location of each individual's influences
within the spiritual movements of the particular part of the 20th century
in which they were actively seeking exposure to such material
· an overview, for each individual,
of the broader historical spiritual influences on them, such as paganism,
neoplatonism or Christianity
· an assessment of how systematically
they pursued the spiritual
· a location of their primary spiritual
impulses and interests within the taxonomy (here developed) of the spiritual
· an assessment of their general spiritual
literacy in terms of the taxonomy, and also in terms of broad/narrow, Oriental/Occidental,
deep/shallow, sceptical/credulous
· an assessment of how the spiritual
was integrated into the individual's art or science.
A similar analysis will be carried out on organisations, though this
will involve a smaller number. In the case of organisations their mission
statements, publications, and testimonies of members and those who encounter
the organisation in various capacities will be used as raw data. Where these
organisations have a spiritual mission, it will be important to check their
'official' version of events with other testimonies, for example the Steiner
organisation publishes a pamphlet about the involvement of the artist Joseph
Beuys, but his own diaries and non-Steiner sources may reveal a contradictory
picture. By the same token, some organisations, for example involved in
parapsychology, may have a clearly sceptical or even anti-spiritual mission,
and this has to be assessed and taken into account.
From the primary analysis of individuals and organisations it will then
be possible to answer the questions listed below under 'Outcomes of the
Research'.
Sources
Roger Lipsey's An Art of Our Own is a key source with citations for
most of his source material, including his original inspiration, an exhibition
and catalogue by Maurice Tuchman, The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting
1890 - 1985 (Los Angeles, 1986). The British Library is a valuable repository
of material: I have identified at least half a dozen texts which need further
detailed examination. Other London libraries such as the Victoria and Albert
and the Royal College of Art will be useful. The Internet will also be generally
useful, and especially so for the electronic arts.
There does not seem to be any single exhaustive survey of the spiritual
in science to date that might compare with Lipsey's work in the arts (which
suggests that my proposed research is timely). However, Ken Wilber's
Quantum Questions is a useful starting point for examining some of the
writings of the quantum scientists, and there is no shortage of contemporary
material. The spiritual writings of scientists in the last five years alone
warrants a thorough survey (as many of these recent texts have not yet arrived
in the British Library or Science Reference Library they will have to be
purchased, but this is sustainable). The Internet will again be useful in
connection with individuals and organisations concerned with the spiritual
in science. The following texts are indicative:
The Spiritual in Art
Tuchman, Maurice The Spiritual in Art
Regier, Kathleen, The Spiritual Image
Lipsey, Roger, An Art of Our Own
Kandinsky Concerning the Spiritual in Art
Gurdjieff, G.I. Views from the Real World
Steiner, Rudolf The Arts and Their Mission
Besant and Leadbeater, Thought Forms
Coomaraswamy, Ananda, various works
Plato, The Republic
The Spiritual in Science
de Chardin, Teilhard, various works
Wilber, Ken, Quantum Questions
Capra, Fritjof, The Tao of Physics
Zukav, Gary, The Dancing Wu-Li Masters
Davies, Paul, The Mind of God
Tipler, Frank J. The Physics of Immortality
Polkinghorne, Reason and Reality
Consciousness
Journal of Consciousness Studies
Crick, Francis, The Astonishing Hypothesis
Penrose, Roger, various works
Claxton, Guy, Noises from the Darkroom
Spiritual Taxonomies
Smith, Huston The Religions of Man
Armstrong, Karen, A History of God
James, William, The Varieties of Religious Experience
Zaehner, R.C. various works
Literacy
Mount, Joyce IT and Computer Literacy
Zimmer, Anne, Visual Literacy ...
Silverblatt, Art, Media Literacy
OUP, Benchmarks for Science Literacy
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Essays and exhibition catalogue
Essays (two common authors with above)
A thorough overview of the spiritual in art up to 1986
Seminal work, influenced by Theosophy
Contains whole chapter on the arts
Summary of the Steiner position on the arts
Source book for Kandinsky and others
Useful for the religious role of art in history
Useful for a picture of the subordinate role of art in religion
Theology and science from a Jesuit priest
Source book for the writings of the quantum fathers
The parallels between physics and Eastern mysticism
ditto
A physicist's attempt to relate physics to theology
A physicist's attempt to relegate theology to physics
Quantum theory and religion from a scientist/priest
papers from the most sceptical to the most credible
a reductionist approach to consciousness
a scientist/Platonist on consciousness
a sceptical analysis of consciousness studies
An overview of comparative religion
A contemporary account of religion
A seminal work on mysticism and religious experience
The works of an influential Oxford academic
} These texts will be useful for deriving a more precise
} understanding of literacy in a wider context. The
} International Institute for Adult Literacy may also be a
} useful source. |
Outcomes of the Research
The research outcomes should be able to answer the following questions:
· what is a useful taxonomy of the spiritual
for art and science?
· how can we characterise and contrast
spiritual literacies in art and science?
· is science more receptive to the spiritual
than the arts at this juncture?
· what are the antagonisms between the
artistic and the spiritual?
· what are the antagonisms between the
scientific and the spiritual?
· how can the concept of spiritual literacies
be used to critique those visual arts that draw upon the spiritual?
· how can the concept of spiritual literacies
be used to assess the seemingly pro-religious works of scientists like
Tipler and Davies?
· how can the concept of spiritual literacies
be used to assess the seemingly anti-religious works of scientists like
Dawkins and Crick?
· what are the 'competences' that derive
from a broad-based non-confessional spiritual literacy, and how do they
differ in art and science?
· how can the spiritual, the artistic,
and the scientific mutually illuminate each other?
Dissemination of the Outcomes
The main route for dissemination of the outcomes of this proposed research
would be a book, the working title of which would be Spiritual Literacy
in Art and Science. However, it may prove more useful to embody the
work in two books, one aimed at the science reader and one aimed at the
arts reader, but this would become clear later in the research (and would
also depend on the advice of publishers). I would also publish essays and
articles in science and art journals and present findings at national and
international art and science conferences, throughout the period of research.
Conferences will be particularly important, not just for dissemination,
but also to test out and refine working hypothesis.
Timetable for the Research
Year 1, first quarter:
History of the spiritual in art and science (Plato, Longinus, Plotinus,
the neoplatonists, Ficino's Academy, the rise of science, attitudes in
the Renaissance and Enlightenment, the spiritual movements at the end of
the 19th C, early 20th C movements, development of relativity and quantum
theory). Art and science in Islam and the Orient. Attendance at LGU Social
Science Research Methods MA units
Year 1, second quarter:
Taxonomy of the spiritual and refinement of 'spiritual literacy'; middle
and late 20th C spiritual movements, conventional religion and its attitudes
to art and science. (Note that there is a possibility that the first six
months of the research project may be spent at Oxford if successful in
applying for a Visiting Fellowship at either Magdalen or All Souls. This
would be useful in taking the 'intellectual temperature' at Oxford regarding
spiritual literacy, examining the origins and impact of the thinking of
Richard Dawkins, Roger Penrose, Richard Swinburne et al.)
Year 1, third quarter:
Spiritual in Art: reading at the BL and V+A, RCA library etc., and Internet
sites.
Year 1, fourth quarter:
Spiritual in Science: reading at the BL and SRL and Internet sites.
Year 2, first quarter:
Investigations of organisations with explicit interests in both the spiritual
and the artistic: The Temenos Academy, Steiner schools and art colleges,
Gurdjieff-Ouspensky schools, the School for Economic Science, and any others
discovered through reading and contacts.
Year 2, second quarter:
Investigations of organisations with explicit interests in both the spiritual
and the scientific, including the Institute for Noetic Sciences (a visit
will be made to the US to coincide with 'Tucson III' Science of Consciousness
conference in April 1998), the Scientific and Medical Network, and others
discovered up to this point.
Year 2, last six months: Write up research results in book form (one or possibly
two books).
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