Within the framework of the exhibition Martín Chirino. Memoir ofel CírculoCurated by Fernando Castro, this conference proposes a reflection on the profound meaning of the spiral in the work of Martín Chirino, a motif that transcends the sculptural to open up to the territory of science, cosmology and philosophy.

The Chirino spirals conceal something profound that projects us both toward the nearby universe—our Solar System—and toward the more distant one, that of the galaxies, and are, in turn, related to complex physical systems. The most interesting and evolved structures the universe has produced—from planetary nebulae to living beings—are also complex systems, and they are beautiful. This talk will explore how astrophysical structures, including the fantastic nebulae, offer clues about the origin of beauty and the possibility of a truly universal beauty.

Antonio Mampaso Recio and Fernando Castro will participate in the conference. Antonio Mampaso holds a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of La Laguna and was a researcher and research coordinator at the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) until his retirement in 2023. He has led several scientific projects, published numerous articles, and collaborated as a scientific advisor on films such as Ágora (Alejandro Amenábar, 2009) and The laws of thermodynamics (Mateo Gil, 2017). He was also director of the Museum of Science and the Cosmos of Tenerife between 2014 and 2018. For his part, Fernando Castro is an art critic, curator of the exhibition and professor of Aesthetics and Theory of the Arts at the Autonomous University of Madrid, a regular contributor toel Círculo de Bellas Artes and curator of numerous exhibitions dedicated to the intersection between art, thought and contemporaneity.

This conference is part of the City and Science Biennial.

Image credits: Wind, 2013. Lead on paper. 150 x 150 cm. Chirino Legacy Collection.