Science
Levehulme Trust Funded Residency
Artist Seran Kubisa and Curator Saskia Delman reflect on eight months of work achieved during the 2001 -2002 Levehulme Trust funded Golden Jubilee Residency at SouthamptonUniversity based in the School of Biological Sciences.
The Golden Jubilee Residency came about through a chance meeting between Dr Matt Cuttle from the School of Biological Sciences and painter and installation artist Seran Kubisa. Dr Cuttle had the opportunity to view Kubisa’s work in an informal context and noted parallels between the astronomy inspired images and microscopic studies of neurons. Excited by this apparent commonality they began discussing the potential for micro-macro links between the disciplines.
The artist’s ambition was to act as a catalyst and observer during the processes of scientific research and to actively engage with and respond to the complexities of science in a visual form. This could only be realized in a context where active debate and a pioneering approach to research methodology were embraced.
A Leverhulme Trust funded residency at the University presented a wonderful opportunity to achieve this and to create a visual identity for Neuroscience within the local and regional communities, raising awareness of the forefront of scientific research.
Both artist and scientist are dedicated to education and have been keen to share their knowledge and experiences, hoping to inspire future generations to understand and take an interest in both art and the sciences. Throughout the residency Cuttle and Kubisa have designed educational material in support of their findings and have begun by running a series of school’s workshops (reviewed in the Times Ed January 2002).
Commenting on the project at Southampton University to date, Seran Kubisa reflects that the artist’s residency has proved to be a fascinating learning curve and stimulating research base from which to create a new body of paintings and installation works.
“My aim from the beginning of the project has been to capture and distil the essence of a series of scientific concepts into a new visual language. As an artist I want to move beyond an illustrative interpretation of scientific work as I recognize the limitations of this approach. It strikes me that the historic relationship between the disciplines is also worthy of study as it offers many models of collaborative practice between art and science in terms of both commonality of vision and extreme differences. The work of Leonardo Da Vinci epitomizes the approach I admire to both art and science; with one area of study naturally informing the other. To me there is a natural relationship between art and science beyond the practicalities and particulars of each discipline. The commonality between the arts and sciences is to be found in the spirit of enquiry driving both artist and scientist on their quest for discovery. Through the realization of ideas, exploring of hunches and experimenting with the application of theoretical or philosophical beliefs new work is born. The benefits to be gained from a research partnership are numerous. We have discovered through the collaborative process that scientists value the lateral thinking and questioning approach of an artist.”
In practical terms the residency has provided a framework for pursuing new lines of enquiry and embarking on a genuinely collaborative process. Building good working relationships within the University has been central to the many successes achieved and has often, through inter-departmental contact, opened lines of communication for scientists who do not normally meet. The first phase of the residency involved working with Neuroscience with Dr Matt Cuttle. The creation of a body of painting and installation works followed linking with works made during a ten year investigation into astronomy and an interest in quantum physics.
The resultant works were exhibited in November at The Dashwood Gallery, Bexley in Greater London. The venue provided a focus for the early phase of the residency giving a tangible element to the research. The exhibition venue Hall Place and Gardens receives in the region of 80,000 visitors per year, and is frequented by a broad representation of the general public. It was with great pleasure that The Dashwood Gallery hosted the first Oscillation’s exhibition to mark the Year of Science. The exhibition received much acclaim and brought a number of scientists and retired scientists living in the borough to light. A most interesting feature of the project took the form of the Oscillations Sci/Art workshops aimed at A’ Level Science and Art pupils from local schools. The students engaged fully with the concepts and thoroughly enjoyed the exploration and experimentation process. The scientists in particular felt that they had achieved a way to express their thoughts and ideas visually and to understand the concepts they were learning through a process of visual notation and 3-D construction.
The value of this residency has been in establishing whether through the process of collaboration between the art and science disciplines a new informative and common language can evolve. The intention of the research underpinning the residency is also to expedite the production of quality art that animates the science and brings it into the public realm. To this end the residency must be defined in terms of the production of quality ideas, and subsequently evolving into quality art and quality scientific research. Maturity of practice is required from the artist in order that they are able to comprehend and relay complex scientific concepts. It is essential that an artist is literate and skilled in the use of their medium to ensure quality of practice. Beyond the immediate concerns of the residency the work can then be independently evaluated and judged within a wider critical framework. This kind of collaboration is the genesis for mapping the interplay between art and science and will hopefully mature and be allowed to grow and inform the way in which we educate others and relate to both disciplines.
Kubisa explains the next phases of the residency:
“I am currently engaged with using confocal technology to conduct my own experiments, in order to capture and record neurons communicating data with each other. This will subsequently be incorporated into video and sound productions. I am presently working with sound artist Ron Geesin to achieve this.
Additionally I am utilising the confocul imaging suite to reinvestigate my own sitting room on a microscopic level. This is achieved by using a confocal microscope to show my house as it appears beyond the naked eye, as the microscope slices through layers of matter it reveals intricate details of its sample. I wish to show the intensity of this detail by taking comparative samples from each room in my house, which will be analysed in turn. This phase is intended to link science into the domestic sphere. Collecting samples that are concerned with my own identity in the world i.e. book/thesaurus/art book, 20 year old plant from Grandmother, painting from artist, dust from under seventeen year settee, fibres from settee and record from collection. The data from these samples after being analysed will be printed and enlarged engaging a very different view on artist’s sitting room and prompting the question what is the nature of the world we live in.
Once this phase of the work is accomplished a project is planned with Oceanography, involving participation in research cruises, watch this space! In addition there is ongoing research with liquid crystals with Physicists and Chemists.
The products of the residency will hopefully be shown at an exhibition in 2004 taking the theme of past, present and future. The Dashwood Gallery, greater London has offered to host this show.”