|
Welcome to Econnect Communication’s October-November 2003 newsletter.
The theme for this newsletter is "Science meets Arts”. The interface between science and arts is something we’re particularly interested in here at Econnect. We believe that science should be seen as part of our culture rather than separate to it.
We’d love to hear from you if you have any thoughts or ideas to share on this topic.
Due to our various commitments (see next paragraph), this newsletter is a joint October-November one. Our next newsletter will be sent out during early to mid December for some light Xmas reading.
Towards the end of next month, Jenni is off to the Philippines for a few weeks assisting Filipinos and Australians involved in an ACIAR project to write a book about Landcare over there. Early December, Terri is getting married and is off to New Zealand for her honeymoon. Michelle is full steam ahead finishing her PhD on communication in multi-organisational networks such as CRCs – with lots of really good stuff already emerging from her data (watch this space for updates in the new year).
Regards, Econnect Communication Jenni Metcalfe, Michelle Riedlinger, Terri Westacott
This month – October 2003 Science meets Arts 1. Science and art collaboration over time2. The fine line between science and art3. Lost in sci-art space4. Art for science’s sake5. Reflections whilst writing a PhD6. Check out science-art exhibition7. Subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletter8. Contact Us
1. Science and art collaboration over timeBy Terri Westacott Early attempts at integration of art and science appear in Paleolithic cave paintings - perhaps the first illustrations of scientific observation.
Later on, the Greeks defined art as techne. According to Aristotle, techne was "a capacity to do or make something with a correct understanding of the principle involved". Art was considered to be a form of practical science. And, later still, Leonardo da Vinci began his career as a consummate integrator of art and science.
Since then there have been many modern and post-modern attempts at integration, the most obvious example being the Futurists and Constructivists of the early 20th century. These days there are many programs aimed at facilitating collaborations between artists and scientists, some of which are outlined in this newsletter. 2. The fine line between science and artBy Jenni Metcalfe What do we mean by science? What do we mean by arts? Can science be art, and can art be scientific?
I guess most of us would see science as a rationale and rigorous process of investigation while we’d see art in all its various forms – literature, painting, music, theatre, etc – as being a more creative lateral-thinking endeavour. However, I believe that scientists are creative in the way they think and do things. Without this creativity how would we get new inventions and ideas, and solutions to problems?
I found it interesting to talk to Professor Stan Catts from the University of Queensland earlier this month in relation to a session he was involved with at the Science Writers’ Festival: The Science of Magic, Madness and Mysticism. His work on schizophrenia and other mental health problems indicates that creative people – those with an artistic, literary or scientific ability- are likely to have a propensity towards madness.
“Many people have a genetic pre-disposition towards two kinds of thinking styles which can lead to schizophrenia,” he said. “On the one hand there are those with unfocussed or ‘scatty’ thinking, which is very common among visual artists but also those with a literary bent. And on the flipside there are those people who are too focused and narrow in their thinking and who become obsessive about their work and scientists can fall into this group.”
Stan said the genetic line between the normal, creative and the mentally ill is a very gray one and that it’s really a matter of luck what side of the line we all fall.
Author Sue Woolfe, also a speaker on The Science of Magic, Madness and Mysticism, said she is fascinated by “mis-fits”, no matter who they were.
I'm not sure what normal means,” Sue says “ But I'm really fascinated with people on the edge, who are doing their heroic best to pretend to be normal in a society that doesn't quite make sense to them."
These are some of the themes woven through Sue’s latest book, The Secret Cure, which looks at people who don’t quite fit into society and the relationships they develop within a genetics research laboratory seeking a cancer breakthrough.
Sue said her writing of The Secret Cure was helped by a book, An Imaginary World written by a journalist who followed a scientist around for several years in the 1970s. “She followed this scientist around for a few years and watched her think and muse and it was so exciting“, Sue said. The whole creativity of science is also what you go through to write a novel.”
More recently I was involved in producing some posters for the launch of the Environmental Biotechnology CRC. Some of their photographs of fluorescing bacteria under a microscope were very beautiful, very artistic. And while this was all about scientists using the latest research tools to do their work, their research also resulted in works of art. 3. Lost in sci-art spaceCompiled by Terri Westacott Interested in finding out more about the nexus of art and science? Many online resources exist, and below you will find a small selection of available information. Certainly enough to get lost in sci-art space… Amorphoscapes by Stanza - examines the audio-visual relationships between art and science. Art & Science Collaborations, Inc. - eclectic group of individuals who are interested in the intersection of art and science. Arts Catalyst: The Science-Art Agency - working to extend, promote, and activate a fundamental shift in the dialogue between art and science and its perception by the public. Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) - activates creative connections and collaborations, nationally and internationally, amongst a diverse network of people and organisations working at the forefront of the art and culture, science and technology nexus. CUNY Graduate Center New Media Lab: Science and the Arts - produces events and projects that bridge the two worlds of art and science. Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science and Technology - working to further artistic and scientific knowledge by fostering the meeting of art and science in the field of technologies. Gene(sis) - exhibition of powerful new artwork reflecting recent developments in genomics. L'Oreal Art And Science Foundation - awards an annual colour prize on the theme of the meeting of science and art in colour. Projects for a New Millennium - nonprofit organisation that creates collaborative events that foster the fusing of art and science as a means of discovery and appreciation of the natural world. sciart - experimental initiative, funding projects that combine insights and excitement from science and art. SciCult - specialist science-related contemporary art gallery and science-art agency promoting established and emerging artists work at the cutting edge of the two cultures. Science and the Artist's Book - Smithsonian exhibition that explores links between scientific and artistic creativity through book format. Classic volumes in the history of science are the starting point for works by participating book artists. Signatures of the Invisible - unique collaboration between visual artists at the London Institute and scientists from CERN to make original pieces of art which respond to (rather than illustrate) the preoccupations of theoretical physics. Sky Art Conference - endeavours to foster deeper awareness of our environment and of imaginative ways to support it and to inspire peaceful and creative use of sky and space. SymbioticA - a University of Western Australia research laboratory dedicated to the artistic exploration of scientific knowledge, particularly biological technologies. Synapse - the Synapse database is an Australian online resource promoting the nexus of art and science. Tate in Space - research and development program looking into the feasibility and practicalities of housing future collections in space. 4. Art for science’s sakeBy Terri Westacott Companies are capitalising on the collaborative relationships among artists and scientists to increase the public’s awareness and understanding of science.
In the US, Caltech’s National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting the NEURO project. The project has connected six contemporary artists with Caltech’s Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering (CNSE).
The ultimate goal of CNSE researchers is to enable the machines of the future to interact with, learn from, and adapt to their environment with a flexibility equivalent to that of living creatures.
Two artists working at the centre, Malcolm MacIver and Simon Penny, have produced an artwork called Body Electric (2003). To produce the artwork, they studied how animal sensing occurs and took a particular interest in fish that hunt at night in muddy rivers where vision is useless. Thousands of sensors covering the fish become stimulated by nearby objects, and their nervous system decodes this to analyse the type and position of the object. Body Electric combines active sensing in interactive cultural experience with the study of such systems in neuroscience. The electrosensory system of the fish is simulated through a custom multimodal real-time sensing and display system. In simple terms, the “spectator” can interact with the artwork to explore what the fish experience.
This is an example of how artists can help to make science accessible to everyone - people who may be intimidated by scientific lingo can be reached through artworks exploring complex scientific concepts. Further, artists can help scientists to look at their work through new eyes and provide fresh insight into the meaning of the science. 5. Reflections whilst writing a PhDBy Michelle Riedlinger As a break from writing for my PhD, I did a web search for science and art and came across David Harris' homepage on Science and Literature - he is writing haiku http://blogs.salon.com/0001092/. I felt rather
exhausted by his energy....but I did manage to make up a haiku poem
dedicated to my PhD: 6. Check out science-art exhibition Last year’s Science Writers’ Festival (SWF) held a very successful science-art exhibition, INCEPTA. You can see one of the exhibition pieces on the front page of the SWF website, http://www.swfaus.org/ (the rest of the site is currently under construction/revision).
Jenni Metcalfe included some of her Alaskan pieces in this exhibition, and you can see these on Econnect’s website: http://www.econnect.com.au/gall_rimfire.htm 7. Subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletterSubscribe/unsubscribe: send email to admin@econnect.com.au with “subscribe” or “unsubscribe” in subject line. View past newsletters: http://www.econnect.com.au/news_newsletter.htm 8. Contact UsEconnect Communication works with science, environment, ecotourism and natural resource management agencies to:
Contact us: phone 07 3846 7111; email admin@econnect.com.au Website: http://www.econnect.com.au New tips: http://www.econnect.com.au/news_qt.htm
© Econnect Communication Pty Ltd, 2003 Articles in this newsletter can be reproduced if Econnect Communication Pty Ltd is acknowledged as the source
|
