The Uncertainty Principle

by Martin Herbert

Within the realm of science, the uncertainty principle speaks of the fundamental limits of knowledge and measurement vis-à-vis the external world, and how the very act of seeing alters what is seen. Martin Herbert’s The Uncertainty Principle is a collection of essays that reveals layers of unknowing and open-endedness within a diversity of contemporary art practices since the 1970s. If a work of art is always completed by the viewer, as Marcel Duchamp put it, then the works considered here equate completion with construction. In navigating us through a succession of artists’ approaches, Herbert also discloses how constructed experiences of “not knowing” can lead to deep engagements with a range of specific issues and themes: from history to politics, from epistemology to mortality.

184 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2014

About the author

1973-

Reviews

[Samuel Schwindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of many of the artists in this book — and it was a brilliant mix of artist working in different mediums. Some artists I connected to more than others, but overall it was a deft exploration of their practices. I think the best part was the author had done interviews with each artist, which added sooooo much more depth.