Press Release - Think Art - Act Science
San Francisco, CA - Aug 29, 2011 - The San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) and swissnex San Francisco are pleased to present Think Art – Act Science, a group exhibition featuring works and collaborative processes by artists who have engaged in long-term creative dialogues with scientists. Free and open to the public (Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 am to 6 pm), the exhibition will be on view from September 22 to November 12, 2011, at SFAI’s Walter and McBean Galleries. The opening reception will be held on Wednesday, September 21 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
Transforming the Walter and McBean Galleries into a working lab, this exhibition is composed of works from eight artists who took part in the Swiss artists-in-labs program (Zurich University of the Arts/ZHdK), completing an immersive nine-month residency in a scientific research institute or a university science department. During these residencies, the artists were exposed to discourses within the scientific community and gained deep insights into the methodologies and processes of scientific research in areas ranging from biology and biodiversity to cognitive neuroscience and psychology to nanotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence, and physics. The resulting exhibition is arranged around three main themes addressed by the artistic investigations: ecology and environment, spatial awareness and emotions, and explorations of new technologies.
Think Art – Act Science is a part of the New Models of Production section of SFAI’s Exhibitions and Public Programs structure, which manifests new modes of production—both in terms of artistic creation and economic, industrial, and technical productions—in the process of globalization. For more information about the Think Art – Act Science project, visit http://thinkartactscience.com.
Date & Time
September 22 – November 12, 2011, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 am to 6 pm
Location
Walter and McBean Galleries, San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI)
800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Artists
Monika Codourey, Christian Gonzenbach, Alexandre Joly, Roman Keller, Pe Lang, Wenfeng Liao, Alina Mnatsakanian, and Nicole Ottiger
Event Schedule
In addition to the exhibition, there will be multiple workshops (student and public), performances, and conferences held both in the Walter and McBean Galleries and at swissnex San Francisco (730 Montgomery Street), including events taking place as part of the Bay Area Science Festival, which runs from October 29 to November 6, 2011.
Events at SFAI
Visiting Artists and Scholars Lecture
September 21, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, SFAI galleries
Opening reception
September 21, 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm, lecture hall
Panel discussion led by Hou Hanru with curator Irène Hediger and artists Alexandre Joly, Pe Lang, and Alina Mnatsakanian.
Artist-in-Labs Presentations
September 22, noon, SFAI galleries
Exhibition walk-through with curator and artists-in-labs co-director Irène Hediger
October 28, 6 pm, SFAI galleries: New Ways of Documenting Art and Science Projects, Jill Scott (Zurich University of the Arts/ZHdK; artists-in-labs co-director)
Public Workshops
September 24, 2 pm, SFAI galleries: Simple Mechanisms – Strange Behavior with Pe Lang
October 22, 2 pm, SFAI galleries: Landscape of Identity with Monika Codourey and Alina Mnatsakanian
Bay Area Science Festival
November 3, 6 pm, lecture hall: Remaking the Universe Using Particle Physics and Art
Lecture Performance with Christian Gonzenbach and Martin Pohl (CERN, University of Geneva)
and live artistic experiment in interaction with the public
Conference
November 10, 6 pm, lecture hall: When Artists and Scientists Work Together: Self-portraits, Consciousness, and the Brain. Discussion with Nicole Ottiger and Olaf Blanke (Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain & Mind Institute, EPFL)
Events at swissnex San Francisco
Conferences
September 23, 6:30 pm: How Artists and Scientists Collaborate
Presentations by: Irène Hediger and Pe Lang, Susan Schwartzenberg (Exploratorium), Joel Slayton (ZER01 – 01SJ Biennial) with a sound performance by Pe Lang, Untitled II
October 20, 6:30 pm: Smarter Air Travel: Design Approaches for Global Travelers
Discussion with Monika Codourey and Hou Hanru
Bay Area Science Festival
November 2, 6 pm: Best of LASER (Leonardo, International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology) with QUARC - Quantum art crystal by Christian Gonzenbach and Martin Pohl (CERN, University of Geneva)
The Swiss artists-in-labs program
Initiated in 2003, the Swiss artists-in-labs program provides a framework for artists to investigate relations between contemporary art practice, science, and society through long-term interaction with scientific research. In the form of a nationally and internationally functioning exchange program, it enables artists and scientists to detect the thematic correlations and differences between their fields of work and to benefit from the constructive dynamics of mutual inspiration. The intention of the program is to generate a free flow of ideas and expertise that is based on an equal partnership, the inspiring nature of curiosity, and the shared goal of learning from each other’s field of knowledge and point of view.
Thirty-six artists in total have participated in the Swiss artists-in-labs program. The program is a collaboration between the ZHdK Zurich University of the Arts, Institute for Cultural Studies in the Arts (ICS), and the Federal Office of Culture (FOC). http://artistsinlabs.ch/lang/en/
swissnex San Francisco
swissnex connects the dots between Switzerland and North America in science, education, art, and innovation. swissnex is a network of knowledge outposts located in the world’s most innovative hubs, where the future is being shaped. The network takes an active role in maintaining Switzerland’s leadership as a world-class location for science, education, and technology. Each location sparks the sharing of ideas and nurtures global collaboration.
Bay Area Science Festival
Running October 29 to November 6, the first-ever Bay Area Science Festival will celebrate the unique science and technology of the Bay Area with over 100 interactive science and technology events throughout the region. Led by the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF), this ambitious initiative will rely on a collaboration of the Bay Area’s leading academic, scientific, corporate, and nonprofit institutions to engage our community in the wonders of science and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
www.bayareascience.org/festival
San Francisco Art Institute
Founded in 1871, SFAI is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of higher education in contemporary art in the U.S. Focusing on the interdependence of thinking, making, and learning, SFAI’s academic and public programs are dedicated to excellence and diversity. For more information, visit www.sfai.edu or call 415-771-7020. For more information about the Walter and McBean Galleries, visit www.waltermcbean.com.
SFAI’s exhibitions and public programs are made possible in part by the Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund. Think Art – Act Science is generously supported by swissnex San Francisco and the Swiss Arts Council, Pro Helvetia and is a project of the U.S.-wide program ThinkSwiss-Brainstorm the Future.
Press Contacts: Anne Shulock, 415-749-4507,
Florencia Prada, 415-912-5901 x118,
Megan Williams, 415-912-5901 x110,
