Many artists are now developing rewarding collaborations with scientists in various fields, a tendency that is sometimes described as the Art + Science movement. In this course, each student will (in consultation with a SCM faculty, i.e. the Course Leader) select (at least) one scientist and one topic of research, and then spend the semester working independently with that scientist, in order to make first-hand discoveries about the nature of the relation between art and science.

The scientist will in many instances be a member of the City University faculty, for instance, a biologist, chemist, physicist, mathematician or engineer. The SCM Course Leader will help students to identify and approach potential scientists to work with, and the student will then develop a proposal for collaboration.

During the semester, the student will learn some of the fundamental concepts and methods used by those scientists in their research and then produce an artwork that expresses, utilizes, or responds to those concepts/methods. The emphasis will be on an informed dialogue with science. The student will be expected to achieve at least an introductory understanding of the scientific/mathematical aspects of the work, and to become familiar with methods of data collection, modelling, etc. The student will finally produce an artwork in a medium of her/his choice, such as video documentary, animation, game, interactive installation, sculpture, print(s), photograph(s), etc.  The student’s work must show an accurate understanding of the science and an in-depth artistic engagement with it. The student will in many instances identify science students to collaborate with.

Since this course stresses independent work, there will be no regular lectures. Students will meet at least once every three weeks with the Course Tutor. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the nature of the art/science collaboration and theorize its implications for the future of new media art.