The shape of flowing water: an exhibition integrating art and fluid dynamics

An exhibition entitled “Wunderkammer I” is currently on display in Esbjerg Art Museum in Denmark (www.eskum.dk). The exhibition with focus on art and fluid dynamics is the first in a series of three where art and science are integrated. For the exhibition, we have created five interactive setups that should catch the attention and imagination of the lay spectator, allowing her/him to set parameters such as rotation speed and drop size. The setups are: 1. circular and polygonal hydraulic jumps, 2. bathtub vortex in a rotating container, 3. rotating polygons on a free surface, 4. drop-splashes, and 5. surface tension driven interactions of floating objects. We have taken care to make the setups “transparent”, so that the spectators can see all relevant details, and thus reflect on what they see and maybe even repeat it at home. The experiments are to run every day for six months with little maintenance and allow the spectators to interact safely with them. The art was chosen and curated by Inge Merete Kjeldgaard and Christiane M. Finsen (Esbjerg Art Museum) in dialogue with us. In the talk, we shall describe the setups and give examples of the art and of the reaction of the audience.