Science Is not Art…but we sure need some help..

Or why a Scientist is now in a School of Arts and Humanities

Roger F MalinaDistinguished Chair of Arts and Technology

And Professor of PhysicsUniversity of Texas at Dallas

the burgeoning art-science scene• Sociologist Samuel

Bordreuil, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies:

• «  New social practices are emerging..IMERA will provide an environnement where they can be encouraged and studied »

• <<< Drew Hemment:

• Bio-Tagging

From….. Astrophysics• Physics• Space Astrophysics• PI NASA Extreme

Ultraviolet Astronomy Satellite at UC Berkeley

• Director Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, France

• Director Marseille Observatory

To….scientific transdisciplinarity:Institut Pytheas in Aix Marseille

University• Brings together four « observational disciplines »

– Astronomy– Ecology and Biodiversity– GeoSciences/Environmental Sciences– Oceanography

• It is really really difficult: – Data, IP, Methods, Societal Contexts, Funding Cultures– Big Data transitions, Curricula

• There are good reasons why we have disciplines• Science is in-homogeneous, Must be problem driven

Why should astronomers work with ecologists ?

• 03HP Climate Change Observatory

• Installed at Observatoire de Haute Provence

• Long term monitoring of ecological drift

• Controlled experiment on reduced rain fall

• Spectrometer for foliage monitoring

• H Vasselin artist in residence

Why should Astronomers work with Ecologists

• ANTARES under sea neutrino observatory

• Bioluminescence proved to be dominant source of noise in physics signal

• Underwater marine ecology observatory established using same infrastructure

• COSMOPHONE sound art project at CPPM

Why Should Astronomers work with Ecologists ?

• Detection of Vegetation in the Spectrum of Earthshine off the moon

• Measurements of total earth albedo for climate models

• Education outreach projects at Observatory drawing on public interest in astronomy and ecology

• International Year of Astronomy

• International Year of Biodiversity

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To Art-Science-Technology The Leonardo Organisations

• Journal Founded 1967 Paris• Founded ISAST San Francisco• Founded OLATS Paris

• For Scientists deeply engaged in the arts and humanities

• For Artists Seeking to appropriate science and technology for cultural purposes

• Burning Issues of our Times: When

artists and scientists must work together

– Victoria Vesna, Jim Gimzewski, Blue Morph

Leonardo Organisations :44 years, 6000 authors , MIT Press

Arts & New Technologies………&Sciences…..Leonardo Book Series, Journals, e-zines

• 1967 – 1995 the central issues were art and technology• 1995- Art-Science as a burgeoning nexus• Humanities, Social Sciences, Design “nubs”

Evolution of the Leonardo Knowledge Network over >40 years

cf Leydesdorff and Salah• Maps on the basis of the

Arts & Humanities Citation Index: The journals Leonardo and Art Journal, and ‘Digital Humanities’ as a topic,”

• • (Journal of the American Society for

Information Science and

Technology 61(4) (2010) 787-801

Intellectual Community Mapping

• http://www.leydesdorff.net/journals/leonardo/cited/index.htm

• Texts cited by Leonardo Articles

• http://www.leydesdorff.net/journals/leonardo/citing

• Texts citing Leonardo Articles

Why Now• Cf Goldberg and Davidsen: Future of Learning

Institutions in the Digital Age– Computers and Humanities to….Digital Humanities

to….Networked Knowledge – Citizen Science Movements, Intimate Science– Transformative nature of on line practice

• Critical Mass of Art-Science Practice– Innovation/Creativity industries– NRC Mitchell report « Beyond Productivity »– Art-Science vs Art-Technology– …… Beyond Creativity ? The economic/environmental

crises are foregrounding

• Societal Urgency: Art-Science as a Hard Humanity « Translational » Humanities cf Translational Medecine

Is Science in Trouble ?• 1945 « Science the Endless

Frontier » report, Vannevar Bush

• "New frontiers of the mind are before us,

• and if they are pioneered with the same vision, boldness, and drive with which we have wagedthis war

• we can create a fuller and more fruitful employment and a fuller and more fruitful life."--

 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT November 17, 1944.

Common Science does not Make Common Sense ?

• .• 2012: Alan Leshner, President of

the American Association for the Advancement of Science:

• « The link between science and the rest of society is a little fragile these days »….

• « ..must engage with the public on the issues and seek common ground »

• - Encroaching on values• - Integrity of the scientific

enterprise• - Need for ‘public engagement » in

the setting of priorities

Towards « socially robust science « ?  

• Helga Nowotny, President European Research Council:

• « ..Society is moving into a position where it is increasingly able to communicate its wishes, desires and fears to Science »

• Harold Vasselin artist in residence at the Provence Climate Change Observatory

• .

The Basic Linear Model of Research Innovation circa 1970

Basic Research Applied Research

CommercialDevelopment

1

1This “works” just often enough to say “it works”

The “triple helix” of academy/governt/industry

Patent Services

Patent Licensing

But what about the Arts and Humanities in all of this ?

Coupling to Culture and Society ?

« Beyond the Triple Helix of Innovation Theory »

cf Gerald Barnett : 3rd Gen Innovation Theory• Innovation theory traditionally

seeks to cross link:– Universities, Corporations, Government–

• Missing Strands– Cultural Imaginary drivers

• Artists and designers as Inventors and Researchers

– Social Innovation– Philanthropy 2.0– New Locii of Innovation– Non Profit , Non Governmental Sector

• Temporary Autonomous Zones• Learning Institutions in Digital Age

R1

IP

G2NationalInternat

C1

NGO

G1Local

NPO

R3R4

R2

C2 C3

ATEC ?

C4

NPO

L’IMéRA : Institut MÉditerranéen de Recherches Avancées

• The Human Condition of the Sciences

• International Residency program for scientists, engineers, artists, humanities scholars

• Bridge Physical/Social Sciences/Arts/Humanities

• Pôle Méditerranée• Pôle Arts-Sciences-

Instrumentation-Languages

IMERA• 5 year endowment Ministry of

Research/Education• Network of 4 French Social

Science and Humanities

Institutes of Advanced Study• Operated by CNRS and Aix Marseille University• Arts-Sciences-Instrumentation-Language (ASIL)

– Artists in Residence, Scientists in Residence– Group Residencies, Humanities/Social/Physical Science– 5 month, 10 month and 3 month/year for 3 years

• Overcoming asymmetries of discourse and practice

An artist working with astronomers working

with ecologists • Climate Change

Observatory • Observatoire de Haute

Provence• Monitoring of ecological

drift• Controlled experiment

on reduced rain fall• H Vasselin:

– Artist in Residence– IR and Motion Detectors

IMERA resident: artist Rachel Mayeri

• « Cinéma for Primates », ..retirement home for primates…• Work with Primatology and Neurobiology labs,• Work with President University Ethics Committee• Human/non human cognition• Understanding Animal models for medical research• Now has Wellcome Trust Funding through ArtsCatalyst UK

Ciro Cattuto and team (Turin)• Modeling complex

network phenomena in systems that entangle technological and social factors

• Hospitals, Schools..• Mixed team of scientists,

designer , multi media artist

• Social to Physical Sciences

• Show their work both in art and in science venues

Jim Gimzewski: “interfacial intelligence”

• Nano Scientist, DARPA Physical Intelligence Project

• Rethinking intelligence without relying on the brain or computer as models

• Pierre Alain Hubert • Fireworks Artist• Nano Fireworks

Exploding Molecules

Bruno Giorgini (Physicist)Maria Theresa Sartori (Artist)

• Physics of the City– Statistical Modelling

• Modeling transportation and human mobility

• Venise, Rome…• “Atlas of Agoras the

Marseille”• Artist and Scientist

jointly collecting data• Visualisation and

Sonication of data• “Theories of the City”

Marseille 2013 Hiking Trail Project• From Arles to Toulon to Marseille

to Aix (300 km)• 10 day hike• Urban, Industrial, Forests,

Agricultural, Coastal• Making the varied ecologies

sensual– Location specific Art Science projects

• Climate ChangeEnvironmental and Social Change

• Peter Richards (invisible dynamics/sense of place)

• Bryan Connell Exploratorium• Keiko Courdy: sonification of

underwater movements

Scot Gresham Lancaster

• IMERA resident 2011

• Sonification Artist

• Member HUB group• Sonifying Plasma data• Sonifying Terrains• Big Data flows

– Astronomical data

Rethinking Art-Science as a Translation Problem

• Art and Science are epistemologically differing terrains (Science is not Art)– “Sensory” Independent vs “Sensory” Dependent

• Can Translation Studies provide some ideas for hard problems in “Art-Science collaboration” ?– Translation between Media (Re-Mediation)– Inter-Lingual, Cultural Translation– Inter-Disciplinary Translation

• Systems of Representation, Borders/Frontiers/Networks• Metaphors, Analogies, Models, Methods, Tools

Methodologies/Road BlocksLACK OF PLATFORMS FOR SUSTAINED                             ART SCIENCE RESIDENCIES Proliferation of art-science labs and platforms

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION >                       ENABLE SCIENCE AGENCY STUDIES   NSF Workshops Space Agencies have commission several studies Leonardo Rockefeller Report Need for “Beyond Productivity 2”  PROFESSIONAL INTERFACES>         ACTIVATING PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES                       ITACCUS (Astronatics Federation) Leonardo DASER with US National Academy of Science

US NSF, NSF-NEA Art-Science Workshops

Articulating the Science Case for Art- Science     Creativity, Innovation, Invention arguments    Cultural Appropriation of Science         cf Helga Nowotny, "Socially Robust Science"         President European Research Council

STEM to STEAM (@ Rhode Island School of Design)    Arts and Culture as attractors for STEM careers

Founding of NSEAD: Network for Science, Engineering, Arts and Design ( Carol Lafayette, Texas A and M PI)

XSEAD Platform for art-science documentation & dissemination ( PI T Rikakis, Univ Arizona)

International Astronautical FederationITACCUS CommitteeIAF Technical Activities Committee for the Cultural Utilisation of Space

Chaired Roger Malina and Nicola Triscott (Arts Catalyst )

Facilitate Use of Space Systems, Data, Technologies

Committee of cultural professionals, space professionals

Space and the Arts Sessions at International Astronautical Congress since 1987

eg Republic of the Moon Exhibit at FACT, Liverpool, 2012

Emerging« Types » of Art-Science Practice

• Type I: Mutual Influence, Dual Outputs– Teams– Dual Career Scientist-Artists. Engineer-Artists

• Type II: Artistic Creativity as a domain for Scientific Inquiry• Type III: Culturally transformative technological developments Artists as Inventors, Entrepreneurs• Type IV: Cultural Appropriation• Type V: converting STEM to STEAM

The Scientific Method as a Territory for Artistic Experimentation:

Data and Models as Sources• Forming intuition on mediated sensory data• Sonification, Cross Modal transfers• Designing/Interacting with simulated systems• Making sense of dense data, petabyte era

• Making Science Intimate• Peoples Science• Micro Science

• New Ontologies, New Intuitions,New Sensuality• Can Art-Science practice lead to new scientific practices ?

Sonification of soil core samples

• Scientific and Sonic Perceptions of Environmental Change in the African Sahel

• W. Paul Adderley and Michael Young

• Pollens, Dust, Soil, Chemistry….artefacts..

• Climate and Human Presence over 10,000 years

The values question:Ethos of Scientific Curiositycf Bunge 2006, Morton

• Intellectual Honesty

• Integrity

• Epistemic Communism

• Organized skepticism

• Dis-interestedness

• Impersonality

• Universality

Towards an Ethics of Curiositycf Sundar Sarukkai: Science and the Ethics of Curiosity 2009

• Curiosity is embodied• Curiosity is enacted• Curiosity is cultural• Curiosity is social• Curiosity is collective

• The claimed distinction between “pure” and “applied” science is not sustainable

• In some cultures, eg some Indian traditions, doubt rather than curiosity is a dominant driver ( cf Descartes)

• “Beware of binary oppositions” !

• An example of Leshner’s Values Conflict

Hard Humanities ?Translational Humanities ?

• Anthropogenic impact driving global change on time scale commensurate with generations.

• RaPID Global economic restructuring

• Culture has always in the past adapted after the fact to changing conditions– Winners and losers

Is Culture is now a design problem ?

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The University of Texas at Dallas Arts & Technology

ATEC• ATEC resides in the chaotic space

between Arts, Science and Technology, a space where art, science, technology, business, and society merge and opportunity is found.

•

• In School of Arts and Humanities

• A and H has no departmental structures

• Curriculum cross registration with Computer Science and Engineering

• My Art-Science appointment seeks to cross link with Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• BA in Arts and Technology (ATEC), BA in Emerging Media and Communication

• MA and MFA in ATEC, MA in EMAC, Ph.D. in ATEC

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• The fastest growing program at UTD in the past five years.

0 to 900 majors in six years with a target for 2,000 majors.

•Cluster Hire of 9 positions •3 Endowed Chairs

• Visualisation/Simulation/• Animation/Gaming

•6 Faculty•Emerging Media, New Media Arts, •Gaming, Animation,•History/Phil Technology

• The program receives major gifts from major donors and graduates

• Gates Foundation, US Army, Commercial customers,

• Technology driven educational processes (Blended Learning)

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U. T. DallasArts & Technology

• Experimental Publishing and Curating Initiative: Emerging Media and Communication Faculty Transverse issues between Arts

Humanities/Science and Engineering Testbedding, Trans-disciplinary documentation

and dissemination Collaborative filtering, peer review experiments Leonardo Initiatives with MIT Press

– XSEAD project ( NSF, Univ Arizona PI)– Augmented/Dynamic ebooks/Blended Learning

Innovative cultural and public engagement– Dallas Museum of Art, Nature and Science Museum,

Hospitals initiative41

• Leonardo Day 2012 June 19 2012

• Arts, Humanities, Complex Networks

• @ Network Science Conference NETSCI

• http://artshumanities.netsci2012.net/

• 2012 Northwestern DEADLINE MARCH

• 2010 Boston, 2011 Budapest, 2013 Copenhangen

• Trans-disciplinary issues: data structures as networks, big data, data representation/visualisation/sonification

• MIT Press/Leonardo Augmented e-book42

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