So my explorations are taking me on a very interesting journey so far - not one I predicted but a great one. My last blog started to on a conversation of Science vs Art or in some cases Science AND Art. An exhibition has opened in the beautiful Iron Bank which is a collaboration project between The Busy Nice and the University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research. Have a look at both - they are fantastic! The collaboration resulted in new up-and-coming NZ artists being match made with researchers at the centre, all working within the field of brain research. I'd like to mention at this stage how fricking amazing this is for me - not just for the purpose of this blog although it is particularly convenient timing - I have many passions in life but 2 of the really vital ones are Art (History) and Neuropsychology - to the point where I am still trying to figure out which one to do my post-grad studies in! So this exhibition rocks my socks!
The Do You Mind exhibition merged these two seemingly (stereotypically) seperate and divergent individuals and their fields together with some beautiful results. The artists spent some quality time with the researchers in their labs, lab coats and all (and a nice break for said researchers, whose ambitions to be 'mad scientists' has lead them to some what solitary jobs, bordering on the anti-social.....a fair amount of people within this field are what I like to call 'weirdies') to gain a more intricate understanding of what these researchers are trying to find and achieve with their research. Now this is where I found the most beauty in the process. The work that resulted and the relationships between these seemingly different people are great things for several reasons. It brings forward the research from this centre and its ambitions to understand the human condition and its degeneration (the reason I love Neuro so much), but conveys it into a language that is not so clinical and stringent. I think the artists (for the most part - some of the pieces captured a more analytical perspective e.g. Alexander Hoyles electronic work that allows the 'viewer' to experience the 'sound of autism', based on the research methods his partner Veema Lodhia) found and convey the researchers and the research's innate drive to further an understanding of humanity and their passion to create opportunities and pathways to improve and help those that deviate or degenerate from this.
The work not only conveys the purpose of the research but also captures the persona of the researcher, particularly in the case of Estella Castle and Sarina Iwabuchi (someone whose research I have read and studied!!). Castle takes a very different approach to that of her fellow artists, this showing quite distinctly how the artists used their own personal language (and style) to tell the stories. She provides a 3/4 portrait of Iwabuchi, a gorgeous watercolour image (to my recollection.....but I am now thinking I could be remembering wrong.....must start taking notes) of the researcher 'personale'. Her portrait seeks to capture the personality of the researcher within a 'pop-culture' context, addressing (and challenging) the constructs we are exposed to of 'scientist' in particular 'female scientist' (think CSI and all the movies you have seen with scientists....geeks, crazies, recluses etc). The image is a beautiful one that personalises the researcher (her research focus is cerebral asymmetries and laterality - meaning the fact that our left hemisphere does certain things and our right does other things, for the most part).
The diversity of the stories told (and the mediums used) within the exhibition are what make it so exciting as well as the obvious, a connection (and bridge) between creative (remember that creative isn't limited to art now!) fields that through history have been dichotomised and categorised as mutually exclusive from each other (the industries and the people in them). Also it draws attention to a wonderful science that has, does and will provide so much information about how we experience the world. Provide understandings of the vast variety and diversity of that which is 'normal' and provide more understanding, information and less judgement for those that have some 'dysfunction'. It does this with a new syntax, a artistic language that breaks down the archaic seperation between the scientist and the layman.
I believe that this collaboration is important for all of these reasons and creates a positive direction and example of how collaboration (in a local, personal sense with the artists/researchers and in global, larger world impacting sense) between apparently different realms of creativity and industry can foster a better understanding of each other for everyone.
So go! The exhibition is open from now till the 7th of August, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm in a pop up style gallery (a brilliant and contemporary concept in gallery space making this even more exciting), Suite 106, Iron Bank, K-road, Auckland NZ. Or at least visit the sites above!
No comments:
Post a Comment