Two institutions that I came across while researching that demonstrate SciArt is an exciting emerging field.

The Ligo Project

Based in New York City, The Ligo Proiect aim to communicate scientific research to a wide public audience in creative and relatable ways. They linking scientists with artists to create exhibitions and event. Through this, they aim to foster scientific research and innovation by demonstrating the real world applications and positive social impacts. The idea is that this will build public trust, and help direct more funding towards research.

One event The Ligo project put on to realise these ambitions is titled ‘Science (as) Culture’. Using the format of ‘The Long Table’, created by notable artist Lois Weaver, members of the audience are invited to take a seat at the table and join in the discussion with the experts at any time, in a conversational way. When someone at the table takes a break from speaking, they move to a seat away from the table to free up a seat for someone else. This format is participatory and non-hierarchical, suggesting that anyone can bring vital knowledge or insight into a conversation. From these themed discussions, The Ligo Project intend to create documents and/or write-ups that can be published in journals, newspapers, blogs and other media to disseminate widely.

BOM (Birmingham Open Media)

BOM say they are:

“…Forging a new model of radical practice at the intersection of art, technology and science with measurable social impact”

With a strong focus on participation and audience engagement, BOM seek to address barriers to culture by creating programmes designed at specific groups of people. They invest in a hand-picked community of Fellows, who are practitioners from a range of backgrounds, giving them support to develop and contribute to their programme, and also run residency programmes. They have a gallery space and host events to promote and explore the “transformative value of the arts across education, health and society”.

One of BOM’s current fellows is artist Laurie Ramsell, who has created an exhibition titled ‘Novo Sapiens’ that takes the question of ‘what is a human?’ at it’s core. He dismantles the idea of ‘human’ by looking at genetic material, bacteria, and moral codes.

References:

BOM (2014) ABOUT. [Online] Available at: http://www.bom.org.uk/about-bom/ [Accessed: 16 December 2016].

BOM (2014) Laurie Ramsell. [Online] Available at: http://www.bom.org.uk/bom-fellows/laurie-ramsell/ [Accessed: 16 December 2016].

Ligo Project (2017) Science (as) culture. [Online] Available at: http://ligoproject.org/science-as-culture/ [Accessed: 16 December 2016].

Ramsell, L. (no date) Novo sapiens. [Online] Available at: http://www.laurieramsell.co.uk/index.php?/works/novo-sapiens/ [Accessed: 16 December 2016].