Science and Art - perfection and imperfection

When we deal with science, everything has to be perfect & stand the test of time. We have to follow the rules strictly here. If we are dealing with a scientific or a technological invention that is not perfect, we won't get the desired results & sometimes we might even have to face risks os even losing lives. Let us take the example of a car that is only 99% perfect. If its steering or brakes don't work properly because they are imperfect, we run a risk while driving such a car. Does anybody want to travel by a plane if he or she is told that the plane he or she wants to travel in is not 100% perfect & therefore is not safe? "No" is the only answer we get here.
Do people take medicines that don't cure the diseases they have properly but can cause severe side effects? No, they don't!
However, in art a person can happily experiment with imperfection. It is practiced & tolerated in the field of art. Picasso had once said: THE WORLD DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. WHY SHOULD I PAINT PICTURES THAT DO? ( But the world makes sense to me! ) And art that is imperfect is open for critics' attack.
These days some artists are dealing with Bioart installations that are shark pickles and dead animals, raw meat and body wastes. One artist even made a dummy of his head, filled it with his own blood and froze it for art's glory! Some perverts make art works that are disgusting and full of imperfections. The work they do reflect the state of mind of these people.

According to an article (ref 1) I read recently -  Cultures around the world have embraced the concept of the perfect imperfect, often introducing deliberate flaws in works of art, either  for religious or aesthetic reasons. Amish quilt makers deliberately leave an imperfection in their quilts because God alone can be perfect! Human beings are designed to have flaws! Turkish  carpet  weavers reportedly do the same to remind themselves that perfection is the sole prerogative of  our Creator! One of the central principles of Islamic art is not to compete with God for perfection. Similarly great sculptures in India always deliberately left a flaw in the statues they carved - controlled imperfection. If a sculpture was making a Nataraja, for example, and it was too near perfection, he would introduce flaw, mostly breaking a toe or introducing a mark that spoilt the perfection a bit. This was true of all arts. In one sense, it is believed that all that the Mother Goddess creates is perfect, but pure perfection can only be She herself! Every Persian carpet included a God's knot to indicate the weaver wasn't attempting perfection. Navajo rug weavers believe that slight imperfection allows route to creativity. The Japanese principle of wabisabi is well known - beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Asymmetry and irregularity are deliberately introduced by the Japanese as a necessary ingredient of art. Zen potters deliberately leave a glaze drips on pots as "controlled" imperfections to reinforce that  "perfect is boring". Nina in Swan Lake, when in complete touch with her dark side and no longer the rigid innocent, gives a sterling performance, after which she says, " I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect".

Have you ever tried painting a sunset that is green? Have you tried to draw figures that are 3D or 4D that looked crooked? Go ahead and do such works and say it is something new. You can also take a hammer & smash everything you see, cause destruction & say you invented a new type of art & a new meaning to creativity! Is there an end to this imperfection? No, you can go on & on till the wild side of your mind is satisfied. And who knows like Picasso your imperfect art one day might be hailed by the world as the best and you might be considered as a genius!


Ref 1 : Article titled " You are Perfectly Imperfect!" by Vinita Dawra Nangia in Times Life March 18, 2012. Page 2.