Media Arts@Science continued

before I was a frequent visitor to his lab and he to my studio," Vesna says.

It was from these visits that she realized the importance of making the work of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) (http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu) at UCLA accessible to the general public.

Through their collaboration, Vesna and Gimzewski found parallels between media arts and nanoscience. "We have very similar concepts of breaking down traditional academic boxes," says Gimzewski. And Vesna adds, "both are emerging disciplines, both promote unusual connections and are outside the established systems of thought, and both are experiencing growing pains and constant redefinition." Working closely together to pose questions that neither would have considered alone while conceptualizing and developing the CNSI website and "Zero@wavefunction," their project combines rigorous scientific thought with the critical approach of visual culture to create a rich alternative narrative that elucidates the complex behavior of molecules, while creating a completely new interactive world.

Gimzewski and Vesna's encounter under the auspices of SINAPSE is but one example of the synergy currently at play on campus between the arts and science. SINAPSE, established last year with the strong support of then dean, now executive vice chancellor Daniel Neuman, is co-directed by media artist Vesna, scientist Gimzewski, and humanist Katherine Hayles. Hayles, a professor in the departments of English and Design | Media Arts, proposes a paradigm for the research and educational environment of the


An overview of the installation entitled "database," an electronic reading device
by Adriana de Souza e Silva and Fabian Winkler

A demonstration of "Zero@wavefunction: nano dreams and nightmares," showing how human shadows interact with virtual objects, photo by Pete Connolly '98

future that reflects the fundamental changes in society spurred by information technology. Founded to foster an emerging culture that encourages exploration and relationships beyond traditional disciplines, SINAPSE's visionary mission emphasizes collaboration and communication as a way to spark advances in yet unknown directions.

"The new technology lends itself very well to collaboration," says Hayles. "Since it is capable of accepting input in many different forms—text, graphics, sound, animation, etc.—it is ideal for collaboration between artists and scholars coming from different traditions."

Fully embracing digital media to bring the perspectives of disparate disciplines together, SINAPSE proposes deeper and more radical links than the "interdisciplinary" approach: "Exposure and experimentation by faculty, staff, and students about living in an information age," says the mandate, "encourage a culture of digital adventure."

This new synergy builds an infrastructure powered by advanced communications technologies and institutes programs that include internal fellowships for faculty and

graduate students, along with coordinating grants. SINAPSE also serves as a communications center for issues relating to cross-discipline collaborations and research. The enterprise addresses head-on the asymmetry on campus between the arts and humanities on the one hand, and the sciences on the other—striving to nurture the potential for growth and opportunity in the collaborative process.

"Coming from a textually-based discipline, the collaborative process is extremely important in breaking new ground," says Hayles. "The result is often surprising and more sophisticated because the teamwork pushes each partner in new directions." When Hayles and Bill Seaman, a former professor in D|MA, taught a graduate seminar last winter that combined students from both the D|MA and literary departments, they saw first-hand the synergy that is possible among teams of students. One project from that seminar—entitled "database"— was presented at an international art conference in Brazil, and was awarded first prize by the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) at their annual conference in October.

 

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