The DNA-Photon Project

The painting Several Circles (1926) turned out to be in surprising alignment with the theme of “Reason,”in both the colors and the forms used. We also selected paintings that corresponded to other themes, i.e. Improvisation (1913), Untitled (1915), Red Oval (1920),Blue Circle (1922).We as the directors have sometimes taken absolutely unexpected measures; for example, we decided to use a “realistic” picture by Kandinksy (Moscowl [1916]) because it seemed to parallel the utilitarian and human character of the music when the chorus begins to sing (without words) in the coda of the symphonic poem. This painting was followed by a display of slides from Kandinsky’s late period with their refined , biomorphed images, i.e. KompositionX (1939),Around the Circle (1940) and so on. When accompanied by music, these paintings were perceived as an organic whole, the individual paintings being dissolved in a dazzling radiance during the final poem thanks to the gradually increased lighting of the screen and the entire concert hall. When we executed our last experiment in the performance, we anticipated the possibility that our unexpected interpretation of the Luce might shock the audience, especially those who were believers in “genre purity,” who might not understand that synthetic arts are direction-based arts. (All synthetic arts, i.e. theater, film and lightmusic , require the involvement of a team guided by a director.) Alas, many musicians of the past (including Scriabin himself, to our great pity) and even of the present are of the opinion that the composer-and only the composer -can solve the task of creating synthesis. However, we (the directors of the work) doubt that Leo Tolstoy alone could have created a screen version of War and Peace. At the same time, the screen versions of the novel have provided evidence that several different interpretations can exist, all of them having an equal right to exist. We have produced our own concept in directing Prometheus-a concept including synthesis of two sources of creativity, the collision of two universes, a kind of “earth orbital docking” of two like-minded artists . We note a striking similarity to the thoughts of our compatriot and colleague G. Gidoni, who has written the following in one chapter of his book about using light effects with music: “[There are a] variety of ways of performing Prometheus: Scriabin-Greco, Scriabin-Vrubel, Scriabin-Gidoni“ Fig. 2. Dan Rose,Photon WorkersSupport Module, circa 1945 (detail);halogenlights,plastic , metal,wood; 12 X 12 X 40 i n .From the DNA-PhotonProject, 1996-1997. [3]. We have proposed our own variant, “Prometheus:Scriabin + Kandinsky,” but this does not mean that “each gopher is a specialist in agriculture.” References 1. I. Vanechkina and B. Galeyev, Poem of Fire (Kazan, Russia: KGU Press, 1981). 2 .W. Kandinsky, TlieArfo f Spiritual Harmony, (London : London, Constable and Cornp. Ltd., 1914). 3. G.I. Gidoni, “Forecasts,”in Art o f Light and Color (Leningrad:self-published, 1993) p. 22. THEDNA-PHOTON PROJECT Dan Rose, 419 BerkleyRoad, Haverford, PA 19041,U.S.A. Received 9May 1997.Acceptedfor publication by Rogerl?Malina. The DNA-PhotoProject is a fictitiousinternational Big Science project supposedly built in great secrecy between 1925 and 1995 by defense contractors and government laboratories mainly in Japan, Russia and the U.S. The work consists of 25 maquettes of imaginary full-scale machines that illustrate this most secretive, most highlyclassified and largest international project of the twentieth century. The idea of the DNA-Photon Project is that each of the machines was an engineer’s maquette‘that served as model for a much larger, functioning instrument . These maquettes, so the fiction goes, were rescued from destruction and are displayed in order to reveal the outlines of this century’smost highly classified scientificeffort. Onlynow,with this installation, has the vast scope of the project come into public view. Most of the machines in the installation emit light; this light constructs the narrative of the DNA-Photonhject. I built the 25 sculptural units by hand, partly using mid-level technological materials I found abandoned after the closingof the Philadelphia Naval Yard. I have also written five artist’s books that expand on the project: the mission statement, formulae and...