Sungwook Hong Senior Researcher, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Films released in 2014 [인터스텔라]In, the protagonist and his group set off on a spaceship to find a planet where humans can live. When one of the planets is almost reached, a gigantic black hole called “Gargantua” in the center of the system covers the entire screen of the film. With a thick golden disc and a long line in the center. It was very different from the black hole that people had drawn before. Furthermore, the appearance of the black hole in this film is not a mere imagination, but a computer graphic reproduction of the calculations of a famous theoretical physicist named Kip Thorne. The image of Gargantua was so shocking that until the event horizon telescope (EHT) appeared in 2019, when various media outlets showed black holes, images like Gargantua always appeared.
As Goethe said, reality transcends the imagination. This is true not only for human society, but also for the nature that surrounds us. It is up to scientists like me to find out if humans know nature correctly and if we have misunderstood what it is. Of course, there are many difficulties, but when a scientist discovers a new aspect of nature after so much hard work, he feels joy. However, if you leave the research field a bit, it will often be difficult for you to share this joy with others. Obviously, everyone has different personalities and interests, so they don’t like what I like. Also, since I only have the skills to argue with my fellow researchers, it may be because my words don’t sound interesting to them.
However, the lack of multimedia materials that can show the results of new research to the general public at a glance and in a fun way can also be an important reason. Of course, scientists also make graphs and photos during research, but they are made to understand the phenomenon more conveniently in the field of research. Even if you show such a photo to the public, it will take months to explain what it means and why it matters. Kip Thorne is ahead [인터스텔라]When the Gargantua Black Hole Is Created by Aside from scientists studying black holes, how many people would be amazed at the coldness of such calculations and mathematical data?
It is thanks to the computer graphics team that collaborated with Kip Thorne to transform the Gargantua black hole filled with mathematical formulas and data into a fascinating image. Not only did they have good artistic sense, but they also had the skills to communicate with scientists and effectively manage huge data managed in science and technology. What color would you like to color the many numbers in your data with? From what distance and from what angle? Did the results emerge straight in the eyes of the general public and scientists? If we had overlooked one of these questions, we would not have had the wonderful image we know. One of the so-called liberal arts students and science students will never be able to do that.
Now, Korea is also producing world-class science and technology achievements in many areas. Even in astronomy, where I currently work, there have been several independent computer simulations of our universe on the largest scale in the world. However, aside from these dazzling achievements seen in academia, there are few examples of media capable of capturing the general public. Hence, the media we use to present our research to the general public or the government comes, in many cases, from the United States or Europe. If this continues, in the future our ideas about science, technology and nature will become subordinate to foreign countries, just as Hollywood films have long ago Americanized the thoughts of people around the world.
To solve this problem, the scientific and technological community should start working closely with the world of media and art right now. First, through interdisciplinary exchanges, etc., people from different fields should have frequent opportunities to empathize with one another. In particular, when collaboration takes place, there should be a lot of collaboration where both parties can express their views fairly, rather than having a relationship between a scientist and an artist. In other words, it is necessary to encourage not only the creation of media to effectively promote the research of scientists and engineers, but also the creation of creative works inspired by the scientific and technological research of artists. Definitely, [인터스텔라]Like the computer graphics team of, you need to nurture talents with the skills of both liberal arts and science students.
Sungwook Hong Senior Researcher, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
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