This Synapse residency has given me the chance to reflect a little more on art/ science collaborations. I have completed art/science residencies in the past, but this is the first one I have done since formally studying science. Having a background in science has helped enormously with this project. Of course, being able to understand the science of the field you are investigating makes a huge difference to the kind of work you can produce. Perhaps this is the way forward for Sci Art as a discipline. That is, as collaborations between science and art develop, both artists and scientists may find it beneficial to become better versed in the other field, rather than having a passing interest. While this takes more dedication to a subject, this could result in more discoveries being made by both artists and scientists which affect both fields. Rather than calling ourselves ‘artists’ or ‘scientists’, we could do better if we were a little of both.

The link below is an excellent paper on art and science as creative catalysts:

http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/LEON_a_01065#.V51-55N96L8