04 Thematic Residency: Analogous Fields: Art and Science

In the West there has been a convergence and divergence between the fields of arts and science since the Renaissance.  More recently much has been said and written about the need for a sustained engagement between these fields of inquiry whose structures and origins, though quite similar, function differently culturally and aesthetically. Though there has been a great amount of borrowing between the two fields in recent years, this has been restricted to the area of technology. The arts and sciences’ respective relationship to qualitative and quantitative knowledge has traditionally created a distance between the two fields, inhibiting a sustained interaction. The intent of The Banff Centre’s Analogous Fields residency is to bring together scientists, researchers, and artists in order to explore, in theory and practice, the collaborative potential between the arts and sciences.

By framing this residency in terms of the analogous relationship between art and science, the program will foster an interaction that is suited to generating shared outcomes. Through collaborative projects, presentations, demonstrations, round-tables discussions, social events, and an array of workshops, participants will engage in the common concerns that inform and constitute research, production, and the presentation of new knowledge in their respective fields.  The goal is to share perspectives and provide an understanding of what is gained by expanding theoretical and practical collaborations between artists and scientists in their exploration for new forms of creative expression.  Individual artists, researchers, and scientists, as well as collaborative teams are encouraged to apply.