Harris Kagan, physics professor, and the Ohio State Holography Club present Spring HoloFest 2014, Friday, April 18, from 5-8 p.m. and Monday, April 21, from 12-5 p.m. in 0006 Smith Laboratory.

Visiting artists Betsy Connors and Sam Moree also will display their holographic art works and give talks. Connors will speak on Friday at 3 p.m. and Moree will speak on Monday at 3 p.m.

The exhibition is the culmination of works created by Kagan’s Art 3201: Holography I class, as well as works created by the Holography Club, which is advised by Kagan. The class, which has been taught by Kagan since 1985, serves as an introduction to three-dimensional laser holography as an artistic and scientific tool. To further this intersection of art and science, Susan Dallas-Swann, Department of Art faculty emerita; and Kagan, began a collaborative effort to teach the Ohio State community holography in 1987.

“I don’t think there is a dichotomy between art and science; the two are more unified than most think,” Kagan said. “Most people say that if you know art you can’t learn science and vice versa, but the processes between creating both of them are not different.”

Because of this interdisciplinary approach to teaching holography, the class includes a mixture of art, science and engineering students. It also is a cross-listed course in art and in physics, and is open to all students as a GE course in the Visual and Performing Arts category. No previous knowledge of holography or physics is required.

“I teach everything from the ground up, so the art students and the science students are all on the same page,” said Kagan. “They all mix and work together and what ends up happening is that some science students get interested in art and some art students get interested in science. What happens when they come together is this exhibit.”

Photo: "Light Rain" by Betsy Connors

By Marissa Pacheco, editorial intern at ASC Communications