The role of the observer has been a part of quantum theory from the beginning of its founding. A mathematical formalism of the relationships between subjects and objects is essential in science. [1] A theoretical physicist, Karen Barad, discusses the world as a whole rather than as composed of separate natural and social realms. The matter still needs to be fixed [2]. Maurice Merleau-Ponty shows us the status of our bodies as both subject and object. His conception of the body comes forth as a chiasm, or crossing over. When our hand touches something, that is both an experience and something that is felt. Meaning that we are both subjects and objects (the one who perceives is also perceived). [3] Contemporary often has an ideological commonplace with quantum theory, which raises an interesting question: What are the ideas that bind the two together?
When looking at Duchamp´s work, there is the fundamental question of the image´s relationship to its meaning. Many would qualify his works as artistic but not necessarily as aesthetically pleasing. Duchamp’s Fountain is an excellent example of the artist´s reason and motivation for creating such an artwork.
Fountain was first exhibited in 1917 by the Society of Independent Artists in New York. The artwork was a typical urinal that he had turned upside down and signed by a pseudonym. [4] According to Duchamp, his artwork aimed to shock the viewer and dissolve a learned reaction that one has engrained in the mind. The way we usually see things and the way we connect subjects and thoughts was something he wanted to change. According to the artist, he never chose the works out of aesthetic taste. He tried to induce visual indifference, as did many other contemporary artists. They removed objects from their usual environment to change how we perceive reality. [5]
When the art world surrounded Duchamp, he aimed to test beliefs about art and taste. He was earnest about questioning our beliefs and values associated with the concept of art on the one hand and its aesthetic stubbornness on the other hand. We wonder about what art is, and at the same time, we think of what it means for an artwork to be beautiful. These ideas have led to statements about conceptual art that indicate the importance of the concept behind the artwork. According to Duchamp, his readymade is artistic because he (the artist) chose it to convey a message, but it is not aesthetic in the sense of it being something that pleases the senses.
Duchamp and many contemporary artists (especially Dada—ists) commonly share the idea that anything is allowed. Experimentation and new ways of thinking are encouraged in the creation of art. Fountain is one piece that challenges our habitual ways of seeing. This shared belief in the freedom of artistic expression underscores the evolution of art and the role of the artist as a catalyst for change.
There are similarities between interpretations of quantum theory and the idea behind contemporary artworks, such as Duchamp´s Fountain. Common to both is the assertion that consciousness is an integral part of the universe. Also, both play a fundamental role in the “external” reality that we observe. The observer is an essential part of what he observes. The relationship between the subject and what the subject senses or thinks of seems necessary. Quantum theory opened the door to consciousness but did not provide a solution as to what consciousness is. Even if physicists differed on the interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, the spiritual aspect brought out by the importance of the mind was a common ground for all great thinkers of the 20th century, including artists. [7]
Resources:
[1] Menas C. Kafatos and Keun-Hang Yang., „ The quantum universe: philosophical foundations and oriental medicine,“ Integrative Medicine Research 5, no. 4 (2016): 237-243. doi:10.1016/j.imr.2016.08.003, 238.
[2] Karen Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning (N.C., U.S.A.: Duke University Press, 2007).
[3] Maurice Merleau-Ponty, The Visible and the Invisible, þýð. Alphonso Lingis, ritstj. Claude Lefort, (Illinois, U.S.A.: Northwestern University Press, 1968), 145-146.
[4] Anne E. Sejten, „Art fighting its way back to aesthetics: Revisiting Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain,“ Journal of Art Historiography (2016): 2-3.
[5] Dempsey, Amy. Styles, Schools and Movements. (London, England: Thames and Hudson, 2010), 118.
[6] Anne E. Sejten, „Art fighting its way back to aesthetics,“ 4-7.
[7] Kafatos and Yang., „ The quantum universe,“ 238.