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Slide 2 The Art-Science Collaboration. Can These Two Different Species Unite? Gary Cass Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Slide 3 SymbioticA University of Western Australia Exploration from an artistic perspective of scientific knowledge Science and Art both explain the world in ways that are different, but can be complementary to each other. Artists engage in wet biology practices in a biological science department Slide 4 SymbioticA Research The Tissue Culture & Art Project Oron Catts & Ionat Zurr Semi-Living Food: Disembodied Cuisine MEART Guy Ben-Ary, Phil Gamblin, Iain Sweetmen & SymbioticA Group The Semi Living Artist The Pig Wings Project Slide 5 How did I get involved? The F.N.A.S student laboratories at U.W.A deals with: ScienceArt Soil science Spatial imagery Plant scienceTissue sculpture MicrobiologyPigment dyes Molecular biologyDNA musik Animal ScienceSomething funky We had the G.F.P.Painting Slide 6 How did I get involved? 'What do you consider to be the benefits of art-science collaboration, what are the pitfalls and how can we avoid them?' Dr Elizabeth Bullen Centre for Studies in Literacy, Policy and Learning Cultures University of South Australia Slide 7 Benefits Artists can delve into areas of science that Scientists no longer have the time to. Science can benefit from the higher profile that art, through exhibitions, can give. The general public can get a better understanding of science, through these exhibitions. Increase the scope and funding of laboratories and add to the duties, skills and experiences of technicians. Raising the ethical issues and creating discussions. Slide 8 Benefits to Gary Having something to share at Techtrain 2004 Art of the Biotech Era Workshop, presented at the Experimental Arts Foundation as part of the Adelaide Festival 2004 Bioart Workshop, to be presented in central London March 2005 Slide 9 Pitfalls Will Artists recognise what they discover, or just stumble on by? Do both comprehend the complexity of what they are exhibiting? Should living organisms(tissue) be used as subjects of visual pleasure? Ethical issues and over exaggerations eg. GFP bunny. Laboratory health and safety. Slide 10 Laboratory Hazard With no formal training of laboratory safety, the lab can be a dangerous place. Extra pressure and stress on already over worked technicians. Teaching an artist even the basics in science can be an ordeal and time consuming. Slide 11 Slide 12 Slide 13 How can we achieve the meeting of these two different beings? We have to appreciate each others; Way of thinking Approach (lateral or logical) Expression Language Appearance Way of life (concept of time) Slide 14 Gary the Scientist, Art Collaborations DNart DNA Musik Plant Tissue Culture Sculpture Fungal textile dyeing Living robots Art & Life Manipulation Unit 2004 Slide 15 DNart Andr Brodyk A jellyfish gene that expresses a green fluorescent protein has been incorporated into the E. coli bacterial genome. This fluorescent bacteria was used as a drawing art media on an 'agar canvas'. Slide 16 Slide 17 Fungal Textile Dyeing Donna Franklin Extracted fungal pigments are used to dye various materials as an natural colouring process. Slide 18 Slide 19 Living Robot The Mother Project Guy Ben-Ary, Gary Cass & Phil Gamblen Mother demonstrates a symbiotic relationship between biological and mechanical. The cybernetic life form will cover its own body with a biological substance. Slide 20 Slide 21 Art & Life Manipulation (252.249/252.349) 2004 A class of students from the Arts and Sciences completed practical sessions including DNA extraction, genetic transformation of bacteria and plant & animal tissue culture. My sincere thanks must go to the units fantastic teachers and whoever it was that enabled such an interesting and contemporary topic to be an accredited field of study at U.W.A. bioart is at the cutting edge of art theory and production, and part of a revolutionary period of scientific and aesthetic exploration. that uwa (traditionally cautious and conservative) has elected to support this avant-garde is an encouraging sign for the future direction of the university. Slide 22 Slide 23 The combination of artists and scientists can be dangerous, but also has a potential to be very powerful.