417.6
A Case Study in IP Arising in Art/Science Performance Research and Transdisciplinary Collaboration
Transdisciplinarity is examined through the history of two projects, Sink and Hunter/Symbiosis, as examples of work conceived by Davis and developed for the exchange between members from U.S. and Argentina and as part of a six-week art/science design residency at the Helen Riaboff Whiteley Center, University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, highlighting the expertise of project members in audio and media production, performance and critical studies, publishing, concept and visual design, and on the application of these shared practices toward art/science research.
Issues arising from creative practices including divergent views on the role of performance as documentation, media authorship, process versus product, ethics and professional discourse, and transparency are examined and, specifically, methods of production, communication, administration, and IP leading to the dissemination of the Davis & Strathmann collective. In particular, this study examines unresolved IP challenges after the residency including the abuse of online administrative permissions, exploitation, irresponsive behavior toward the collective identity, threats of legal action and IP misconduct with regard to the exhibition of future work, subversive efforts to deface fundraising platforms, and the withholding of media by collective members for personal gain.
This study examines contributions of members to the above issues, how these actions may have been avoided, and steps taken in preventing the recurrence of IP conflict. In closing, it offers suggested actions and recommendations for resolving complex performance, creative, and strategic agendas addressed by individuals and organizations seeking to avoid IP conflict and to improve communication standards in their field. Supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1142510.