Working on ideas at the intersection of art and science would by some be considered the equivalent of going to UCLA and USC in the same lifetime. Lucky for us the ability to combine these ideas is a little simpler than a trip down the freeways.
Founded in 2005, the Art | Sci Center, an interdisciplinary, collaborative set of mirrored spaces and converging ideas, is breaking down walls right now and letting us play in each other’s backyards, even if they’re only as wide as an LCD monitor.
“It is difficult to connect artists and scientists because of cultural or geographic distances (or) differences in jargon and rhetoric,” said Edward Shanken, Senior Researcher at the Art | Sci Lab.
The lab was created to bridge the gap between the arts and sciences and foster communication. It is located both at the Broad Art Center and California Nanosystems Institute.
The center is new, and students are welcome to collaborate across North and South Campus and propose ideas for projects.
This all would not be possible without media. The organizers are able to collaborate, combining ideas about microscopes and media art through the ability to call, e-mail and video conference. Their hope is that eventually the distance, though geographically equal to what it is now, will conceptually become shorter and shorter.
The Learning through Interacting project, or L@I, looks to bridge the gap even more, allowing media to bring the spaces closer together so that they become aware of each other like next door neighbors, or even roommates.
The first initiation of this project is going to be video-streaming content from public spaces such as the sculpture garden to the CNSI plaza, and vice versa.
They hope to apply this project to the UCLA Center for Community Partnerships, providing high school and middle school students in South Central Los Angeles with a chance to look at nanotechnology and art.
Students would be able to look remotely through microscopes at UCLA and talk with people from both science and art disciplines. They are already collaborating with UC Irvine and eventually the program will go worldwide.
But what about the media ““ doesn’t it get in the way at some point?
“I think it’s a myth that these technology become invisible,” Shanken said. “In my experience they’re always there; you’re always going to see some sort of glare on your computer screen.”
But that is immaterial.
“It’s not “˜we want to use this technology’ ““ we need to,” said Professor and Art | Sci Center Director Victoria Vesna.
On a campus where the distances are far geographically, and could be considered even further academically, it is important to close the gap.
“The assumption that they all will want to come here (to north campus) is not necessarily true. I think a lot of us will want to go there,” Vesna said.
The center hosts social events where people from both sides of campus can learn about each other and come meet each other. The quarterly social event alternates from north to south campus. This quarter it will be held at CNSI patio on Nov. 29.
And for those of you that can’t make it, there’s going to be some media connecting the north and south divide soon enough.
E-mail Rood at drood@media.ucla.edu.