Waag Society, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Virtual Knowledge Studio and The Arts & Genomics Centre of Leiden University have organised the conference 'Utopian Practices: Science, Art & Design REunited'

Art, science and design were once closely tied to one another, but in the modern age technological specialisation and other divisions brought about a fragmentation of these fields. Increasingly, however, we have begun noticing a number of cross-pollinations between fine arts, applied arts and the sciences. During the conference 'Utopian Practices: Science, Art & Design REunited', a number of pioneers in this issue will present some surprising connections between the various disciplines like Susan Kennard, Executive Director of the new media institute BANFF in Canada will talk about the unique way that BANFF brings together researchers, artists and designers. Professor Emeritus Martin Kemp from Oxford University will discuss the similarities between artists and scientists based on what he calls ‘structural intuition’. And artist Beatriz da Costa will tell us how difficult it is to break down the barriers between art and science based on the question ‘when does Art become Science?’

Utopian Practices is the official opening for a programme dealing with the daily practice of art, science and design organised by Waag Society, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Virtual Knowledge Studio and The Arts & Genomics Centre at Leiden University. 

Sprekers en presentatoren zijn:

Robert Zwijnenberg, The Arts & Genomics Centre; Susan Kennard, Banff New Media Intitute; Beatriz da Costa, University of California; Caroline Nevejan, Free University of Amsterdam ; Paul Wouters, Virtual Knowledge Studio (KNAW); Marleen Stikker, Waag Society; Sabine Wildevuur, Waag Society; Martin Kemp, Oxford University; Nicoline van Harskamp; Robbert Dijkgraaf, Knaw; Janwillem Schrofer, Rijksakademie; Adam Zaretsky, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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Programme
9.00 - 9.30 Registration, coffee and tea.

9.30 - 9.45 Rob Zwijnenberg, professor in the relationship between art and science, University of Leiden and Center for Arts & Genomics. Opening and introduction. The importance of cross-links between the arts and sciences and humanities.

9.45 - 10.15 Susan Kennard, Executive Producer of Banff New Media Institute (BNMI), Canada will talk about the unique way that BANFF media centre brings together researchers, artists and designers.

10.15 - 10.45 Beatriz da Costa, artist and scientist. Associate Professor of Arts, Computation, Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, will tell us how difficult it is to break down the barriers between art and science based on the question ‘when does Art become Science?’

11.15 - 11.45 Coffee and tea break

 11.45 - 12.35 CYSWIK (Can You See What I Know?) - Session led by Caroline Nevejan and Paul Wouters. How could a profound intellectual infrastructure be build for collaboration between artists, scientists and designers? Can we learn from the best practices presented at the conference?

 12.35 - 13.25 Lunch break

13.25 - 13.28 Introduction Marleen Stikker, Director Waag Society.

± 13.28 - ± 13.45 Launch of the book ‘Invisible Vision; Could Science learn from the Arts’ by Sabine E. Wildevuur, head of Programme Care at medialab Waag Society. During the project Invisible Vision she was a visiting fellow at the Center for Visual Studies, Oxford University and the University Maastricht. What can scientists and artists learn from each other? What is the outcome of bringing scientist, artists and designers together? Sabine E. Wildevuur hands over Invisible Vision to Martin Kemp, Rob Zwijnenberg and Robbert Dijkgraaf

± 13.45 - ± 14.15 Martin Kemp, emeritus professor of History of Art, Oxford University on The New History of the Visual, which embraces the wide range of artefacts from science, technology, and the fine, applied and popular arts that have been devised to create models of nature and to articulate human relationships with the physical world. A scientific diagram or computer graphic model of a molecule is as relevant to this new history as a painting by Michelangelo.

± 14.15 - ± 15.00 Dutch artist Nicoline Harskamp, an experiment in listening, memory, collective consciousness and politics - work in development for the Prix de Rome 2009.

± 15.00 - ± 15.30 Robbert Dijkgraaf (President Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences KNAW) in conversation with Janwillem Schrofer (Rijksakademie Amsterdam) on how to Reunite science, art and design.

± 15.30 - ± 16.00 Audiovisual presentation of the American bio-artist Adam Zaretsky, who presents his genetically modified Orange Pheasant to Prince Willem-Alexander.

± 16.00 -  16.40 Discussion, agenda setting and closure.

17:05 - One REPLAY of the whole day conference on the livestreams