Ted Hiebert
Between Magnets
The space between magnets is strange. Magnets attract and repel but we can't really see the difference one way or another. Two magnets held apart when they want to attract; two magnets forced together when they want to repel -- the distance between the two is the same but the space between the two is totally different. What is that difference, and how strongly might we be able to articulate it?
Scientists at MIT have found that a strong magnetic field can temporarily suspend a person's moral judgment. Researchers at the University of Auckland have found that magnets can impede a bird's ability to navigate while flying. The Canadian neuropsychologist Michael Persinger has even suggested that high-powered magnets attached to the brain can stimulate a spiritual -- even God-like -- experience.
It was enough to make the artist Ted Hiebert wonder how many magnets it would take to stick through a human head.
Magnets are mysterious. Who knows what they really do and why. What we do know is that magnets sometimes seem to effect things -- even when the reasons for the effects are unclear. Perhaps the only way to know for sure is to put oneself in the path of the magnets and wait to see what happens.
