Magnetic Movie

This video is a project from NASA's artists in residence, Semiconductor. As you may imagine (although it took me a little while to realise) all of the magnetic fields drawn in the picture are computer generated rather than physical streams of particles. Having something of an interest in science myself, I wonder what the aim of this artwork is supposed to be, if indeed it has one. There can be no doubt that these magnetic phenomena are incredibly beautiful in many ways, as is most of physics, but is producing such a movie slightly underselling the real science behind these pretty images? Perhaps not. I must admit being a cynic of the first water, but in my mind, this reminded me very much of videos I'd been shown at school in physics lessons or perhaps on BBC2 as part of Open University programmes. There's no doubt that this film is diverting, but in this light, it seems slightly odd for Semiconductor to have been elevated to the status of 'artist'. But then I'm a cynic.