News from Mark Mitton

One result of translating lessons from magic into terms that scientists can understand (on a good day) is that it brings me great joy to organize discussions between scientists and practitioners with shared interests.

On April 23rd, with my friends Greg Calbi and Nils Norén, we organized a scientifically sound evening at Sterling Sound and Red Rooster Harlem. We invited top scientists with an interest or specialty in sound into the studio where Greg Calbi creates his magic. Greg is a legendary sound mastering engineer; his work is the final step in the recording process. He played one example after another of the kinds of choices that he needs to make each day to make a recording “sound right”. Then we all cabbed up to Harlem for an amazing feast at Red Rooster where Nils Norén served us every single thing on the menu. Nils is Vice President, Restaurant Operations of the Marcus Samuelsson Group.

It was a great evening!

Greg Calbi talked about his work at Sterling Sound.

Nils Norén hosted our incredible dinner at Red Rooster.

The Calder Foundation has asked me to help them with an upcoming project. In October of 1930, artist Alexander Calder visited Piet Mondrian’s studio in Paris. This was the moment when he embraced the abstract, first in painting and then in motorized and non-motorized moving sculpture. In February we are putting together a special event in the Netherlands commemorating this historic visit. While in Texel, I heard about a recreation of Mondrian’s studio in Amersfoort, so last week I went to check it out and also visited the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague to see the work of Mondrian and Calder.

   
[click to enlarge]

Presenting to the students in Marisa Carrasco and Allen Mincer’s freshman seminar at New York University.

[photo by Hallie Cohen]

Just did a benefit last night for the Philoctetes Center on the Upper East Side, a wonderful organization which organizes round-table discussions and film screenings year-round about all sorts of fascinating subjects. I’ve moderated several panels for them in the past, and I’ve also enjoyed attending many amazing discussions there. This coming weekend Deepak Chopra is moderating a panel on ‘The Nature of Reality‘.

Stuart Firestein, Professor of Neurobiology, and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University, kicked off the evening with a very interesting and funny presentation about perception. Stuart’s laboratory investigates the sense of smell, attempting to understand the mechanisms that make the vertebrate nose the best chemical detector on the planet, and providing a model of how to study perception in general. You can see his ideas presented here.

After Stuart’s opening, I did my perception show, including both magic and the science behind magic, with lots of audience interaction.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the center. It was great to have you at the show!

Neuroscientist Joseph Ledoux, a pioneer in the study of the brain mechanisms of emotion and memory (and the lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist of The Amygdaloids - check out their new album!), had me lecture to his Memory in Brain group at New York University this morning.

The video from our panel discussion at the Philoctetes Center last October 4th has been posted on YouTube. Participants in this discussion included George Bisacca – conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Laney Salisbury – author of Provenance, and yours truly.

Pay special attention to the section between minutes 50 and 55, and find out when a ruler is not a ruler…

[If you have trouble viewing this video, click here]

I am in Rome for a few days this week, to attend the opening of the Calder exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (coinciding with ‘Alexander Calder - Monumental Sculpture’ at the Gagosian Gallery in Rome), and to participate in a panel discussion tonight with Sandy Rower (Calder’s grandson and the President of the Calder Foundation) and art historian Elizabeth Hutton Turner on ‘Calder and the Art of Perception‘.

Last night I performed at an after-party hosted by Larry Gagosian at the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, a spectacular Roman palace.

This past Sunday I visited the Brookhaven National Lab on Long Island with a group of artist friends and a journalist from New York Magazine. My friend Peter Steinberg is a nuclear physicist at the lab, and he was kind enough to give us a tour of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Here are some photos from our visit, taken by Evan Morris:

And here’s Peter explaining about the RHIC:

Thanks for a fascinating tour!