The Image and Imagination of the Fourth Dimension in Twentieth-Century Art and Culture

One of the most important stimuli for the imaginations of modern artists in the twentieth century was the concept of a higher, unseen fourth dimension of space. An outgrowth of the n-dimensional geometries developed in the nineteenth century, the concept predated the definition of time as the fourth dimension by Minkowski and Einstein in relativity theory. Only the popularization of relativity theory after 1919 brought an end to the widespread public fascination with the supra-sensible fourth dimension between the 1880s and 1920s. initially popularized by figures such as E. A. Abbott, Charles Howard Hinton, Claude Bragdon, and R D. Ouspensky (as well as science-fiction writers), the fourth dimension was a multivalent term with associations ranging from science, including X-rays and the ether of space, to idealist philosophy and mystical "cosmic consciousness." This essay focuses on the differing approaches to higher spatial dimensions in the cubism of Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris, the suprematism of Kazimir Malevich, and The Large Glass project of Marcel Duchamp in the early twentieth century. It concludes by examining contemporary artist Tony Bobbin's thirty-year engagement with the mathematics of four-dimensional geometry and computer graphics, as well as his current work with knot theorist Scott Carter.Art Histor

Reading the Mind of God

Recently, a revolutionary new theory has shaken the foundations of modern physics, introducing bizarre new concepts such as higher dimensions, parallel universes, and the multiverse into science. Vigorously opposed by the Old Guard in physics, it has since become the leading candidate for a "theory of everything" which will allow us to "read the mind of God," as Einstein hoped. Einstein spent his last 30 years struggling to find a single theory which would unify all physical laws, much like his equation E = mc2 united matter and energy. He failed. But many physicists now believe that they might have it. It is called string theory or M-theory, and postulates that all the particles, atoms, molecules, etc. in the universe are nothing but musical notes on vibrating strings or membranes. If true, it means that physics represents the beautiful harmonies of nature, that chemistry represents the melodies played on these strings, and the universe is a symphony of strings. It would also mean that the "mind of God" is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace. The theory also melds Buddhist and Christian thinking. Buddhists believe in a timeless universe, a 1\irvana with no beginning or end. But Judeo-Christian thinking is based on Genesis, a single moment of Creation. But either the universe had a beginning, or it didn't. There is no middle ground. Until now. In this new theory, universes are constantly being born in an ocean of 11 dimensional hyperspace or Nirvana, like bubbles floating in the air. Hence, we have a beautiful melding of these two theories. In addition, the question now being debated by physicists is: what lies in these other universes? Can we ever reach them? Is there life on these universes? Is there a clone of myself existing in these parallel universes

The Plausibility of a String Quartet Performance in Virtual Reality

We describe an experiment that explores the contribution of auditory and other features to the illusion of plausibility in a virtual environment that depicts the performance of a string quartet. ‘Plausibility’ refers to the component of presence that is the illusion that the perceived events in the virtual environment are really happening. The features studied were: Gaze (the musicians ignored the participant, the musicians sometimes looked towards and followed the participant’s movements), Sound Spatialization (Mono, Stereo, Spatial), Auralization (no sound reflections, reflections corresponding to a room larger than the one perceived, reflections that exactly matched the virtual room), and Environment (no sound from outside of the room, birdsong and wind corresponding to the outside scene). We adopted the methodology based on color matching theory, where 20 participants were first able to assess their feeling of plausibility in the environment with each of the four features at their highest setting. Then five times participants started from a low setting on all features and were able to make transitions from one system configuration to another until they matched their original feeling of plausibility. From these transitions a Markov transition matrix was constructed, and also probabilities of a match conditional on feature configuration. The results show that Environment and Gaze were individually the most important factors influencing the level of plausibility. The highest probability transitions were to improve Environment and Gaze, and then Auralization and Spatialization. We present this work as both a contribution to the methodology of assessing presence without questionnaires, and showing how various aspects of a musical performance can influence plausibility

Constraint, Intelligence, and Control Hierarchy in Virtual Environments

This paper seeks to deal directly with the question of what makes virtual actors and objects that are experienced in virtual environments seem real. (The term virtual reality, while more common in public usage, is an oxymoron; therefore virtual environment is the preferred term in this paper). Reality is difficult topic, treated for centuries in those sub-fields of philosophy called ontology- "of or relating to being or existence" and epistemology- "the study of the method and grounds of knowledge, especially with reference to its limits and validity" (both from Webster s, 1965). Advances in recent decades in the technologies of computers, sensors and graphics software have permitted human users to feel present or experience immersion in computer-generated virtual environments. This has motivated a keen interest in probing this phenomenon of presence and immersion not only philosophically but also psychologically and physiologically in terms of the parameters of the senses and sensory stimulation that correlate with the experience (Ellis, 1991). The pages of the journal Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments have seen much discussion of what makes virtual environments seem real (see, e.g., Slater, 1999; Slater et al. 1994; Sheridan, 1992, 2000). Stephen Ellis, when organizing the meeting that motivated this paper, suggested to invited authors that "We may adopt as an organizing principle for the meeting that the genesis of apparently intelligent interaction arises from an upwelling of constraints determined by a hierarchy of lower levels of behavioral interaction. "My first reaction was "huh?" and my second was "yeah, that seems to make sense." Accordingly the paper seeks to explain from the author s viewpoint, why Ellis s hypothesis makes sense. What is the connection of "presence" or "immersion" of an observer in a virtual environment, to "constraints" and what types of constraints. What of "intelligent interaction," and is it the intelligence of the observer or the intelligence of the environment (whatever the latter may mean) that is salient? And finally, what might be relevant about "upwelling" of constraints as determined by a hierarchy of levels of interaction

The Scientific romances of Charles Howard Hinton : the fourth dimension as hyperspace, hyperrealism and protomodernism

This thesis examines the epistemological, socio-cultural and aesthetic impact of the hyperspace philosophy of Charles Howard Hinton, as expressed within his two-volume collection of Scientific Romances (1884-1896). Hinton's hyperspace philosophy is founded on the belief that the fourth dimension exists as a transcendental yet material space that is accessible to both the mind and the physical senses. Inspired by Immanuel Kant's discussion of space as an a priori intuition, Hinton's project is one of consciousness expansion: he argues that 'a new era of thought' can be attained through the recognition of the fourth dimension. The thesis demonstrates that, in the Scientific Romances, Hinton seeks to engender the 'reality' of the fourth dimension within the reader's imagination through the collaboration of reader and author. Hinton's hyperspace philosophy is thus concerned with mediation, the ways in which the consciousness thinks and creates with and through the aesthetics of space. In addition to providing the most developed analysis of Hinton's writing to date, this thesis examines the work of Hinton's contemporaries exploring the ways in which the discourse of the fourth dimension can offer new readings of familiar literary texts. A recurring explanatory device throughout hyperspace philosophy is the dimensional analogy, and the thesis illustrates how this trope resonates across the work of contemporary writers including Lewis Carroll, H. G. Wells, HenryJames, Friedrich Nietzsche and William James

“Changing Maps: Cyberspace, Global Culture, and the Interconnected Wor(l)ds of Geoff Ryman’s 253”

The article focuses on the increasingly large and interconnected expanse of cyberspace, which is denoted by such a plurality of sites of cultural exchange and sharing between individuals and communities that it eludes mapping. Electronic literature, and in particular hypertext, with its malleability, interactivity, connectedness, indeterminacy, erosion of boundaries between nations, human and machine, public and private, seems best suited to making sense of our technologically textured and globalised reality. In this light, Geoff Ryman’s 253 is analysed as an experimental example of hypertextual and global narrative; a locus where the evolving relationships between information technologies and social spaces, places and practices are staged and tested

Bard Observer, Vol. 102, No. 15 (March 1, 1995)

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