SARC (Scientists/Artists Research Collaborations

This is the story of a pilot project that was aimed to enable creative collaboration between five internationally chosen artists and New Mexico scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratories and Sandia National Laboratories. The SARC (Scientists/Artists Research Collaborations) project was part of the well established, international electronic festival called ISEA, which occurred throughout the state of New Mexico in Fall of  2012. The project was also given major  support on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque by CARC (the Center for Advanced Research Collaboration). The SARC Summer 2012 pilot initiative accomplished some intended objective outcomes, garnered partners that could serve as the impetus for the program's next phase development. There is currently no pragmatic reality to SARC’s ongoing programmatic life and works, though. This White Paper, therefore, lays out SARC resources, structural considerations and intentions. At this point, SARC reality and creative potential is being dedicatedly developed, but uncertain. It is from the grounded reality of SARC development that we will form some action points.

What lessons have been learned from this pilot program? Jack Ox will discuss the problems we encountered and what is necessary to move forward. These issues will be discussed in context with the arti-sci world as it develops at break neck speed. What are the dangers art-sci collaborations will be likely to confront in the cycle of art world attention and what that means. What is the best mix of art and science; should one domain dominate the other? A most important question is how do we judge the collaboration; are some collaborations between an artist and a scientist not art/science?

 Supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.1142510