Anchored in alternative thinking that refutes the premise that fine art must be principally visual, this project is, first and foremost, an engagement in an intellectual and artistic exploration of aesthetics for the senses in a non-visual and consequently non-traditional environment. The concept has wide sociological and philosophical implications since artistic creativity has been principally visual since the dawn of our civilization.
Eclipsexpo is far more than an exhibition. It is an academic and theoretical exploration into the limits of art’s capacity to touch the senses and to impact the human organism in diverse ways. It is also an opportunity for thinkers and decision makers the world over to reflect on the true barriers to the reconciliation of culture and handicap and to ponder the social measure of the intiatives that they promote. Yet at its core, this project is purely artistic – it makes the assumption that, presented the challenge to create for the non-visual senses, otherwise noteworthy “visual” artists, will produce a revelatory and little expected oeuvre which will impact the art world and, subsequently, the social fabric of our time.
To this end, intellectuals from broad horizons of thought and culture will contribute their own cognitive exploration and creativity, drawing attention and public support for the endeavor. An academic pilot is being launched to evaluate the latitude of creativity in the absense of the visual point of reference. This academic module will inspire groups of students in leading institutions for secondary education in the arts, mentored by important contemporary artists, to promote the search for aesthetic solutions through the interaction with neuroscientists, researchers and technicians in other, relevant, fields of learning. The sheer complexity of the task, we expect, will produce “collaborative” work at a time when artistic creativity is essentially “individualistic”.