Echoes of Opposition

The Power of Dualities in Art. I. Music

Authors

  • Vuk Uskokovic San Diego State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56991/a.20.1462

Keywords:

artistic expression, classical music, dialectics, jazz, pop rock

Abstract

A work of art aspiring to satisfy Gustav Mahler’s ideal of resembling the world by means of “embracing everything… as if the whole universe began to ring and resound” must reflect the dialectical order intrinsic to physical systems, constructing itself upon ambiguities and opposing forces. In the first part of this paper, this principle is explored exclusively through the lens of music, encompassing classical, pop rock, and jazz genres. The impact of the thesis that the most profound works of art emerge from the interplay of contrasting opposites is examined in relation to the creative process and artistic expression. Beyond conveying the ontology of dialectics, such works also implicitly guide their audiences toward the spiritual benefits of embracing diametrically disparate perspectives rather than adhering to rigid, singular ideologies, ultimately fostering an expanded awareness attuned to the infinite breadth of experiential reality.

Author Biography

Vuk Uskokovic, San Diego State University

Vuk Uskoković, PhD, MSc, MS, BSc, is a Serbian-Slovenian-American scientist, educator and multimedia artist, currently the Cofounder and Chief Scientific Officer at TardigradeNano LLC, a zero-profit biotech startup, think tank and educational and social advocacy powerhouse, all under one hat, located in Irvine, California; an adjunct professor of chemistry at Fullerton College; a lecturer in engineering at San Diego State University; and a visiting professor of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies at University of Montenegro. Dr. Uskoković holds degrees in chemical physics (BSc & MS), materials science and engineering (MSc), and nanoscience and nanotechnologies (PhD), and has completed postdoctoral trainings in colloid chemistry, fine particle synthesis, biomimetics, tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery. Prior to his current appointments, he was a professor in the schools of engineering, pharmacy and medicine at the University of California in Irvine, Chapman University and University of Illinois in Chicago, respectively, where he ran research labs and taught a variety of subjects, including biomaterials, nanophysics, medical devices, biologics, bio-optics, and other. He was also a principal investigator and a research scientist at University of California in San Francisco (UCSF), Clarkson University in New York, Jožef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Dr. Uskoković’s research, which resulted in over 240 authored publications, provided major contributions to the scientific understanding of a number of critical phenomena from physical and biological sciences. Many of Dr. Uskoković’s discoveries have originated from the enthusiasm to address the pressing medical needs of humanity, particularly in the domains of targeted drug delivery, hard tissue engineering, and next-generation antimicrobial and anticancer therapies. Dr. Uskoković is the recipient of the prestigious Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health and has been a prolific author of research papers, reviews and essays throughout his decades-long scientific career. An ardent advocate of academic and social justice, he was the president of the UCSF postdoctoral association, the largest in America, and of the UC Council of Postdoctoral Scholars, representing around 10,000 postdocs from all Californian universities. In 2010s, he established himself as America’s number one expert in science of hydroxyapatite and other calcium phosphates. He is the founder of the field of astromimetics and the first person to have created a nanoparticle modeled after a celestial body. A true renaissance scientist, Dr. Uskoković has also been a lifelong supporter of the union between natural sciences, arts and humanities. A quintessential contribution to this interdisciplinary venture came through his pioneering work on treating scientific paper as a medium for combined displays of analytical rigor, scientific novelty, humanistic values and artistic expression.

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Published

2025-10-10

How to Cite

Uskokovic, V. (2025). Echoes of Opposition: The Power of Dualities in Art. I. Music. AURA. Revista De Historia Y Teoría Del Arte, (20). https://doi.org/10.56991/a.20.1462

Issue

No. 20 (2024): Insumisiones

Section

Studies

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Vuk Uskokovic

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.