Glass Microbiology

website

sculptures were created to contemplate the global impact each disease and to consider how the artificial colouring of scientific imagery affects our understanding of phenomena. Jerram is exploring the tension between the artworks' beauty and what they represent, their impact on humanity.

Mark these dates!

.
2009- 2010

Sat 12 December 2009:
Book presentation 'Confronting Mortality with Art and Science' in boekhandel Liber Mundi, Antwerpsestraat 132, 2500 Lier. With exhibition and live performance.

Sun 13 December 2009 - starts at 10:00 AM
POSTPONED TO FEBRUARY 2010:
Dissection of the Human Body, part 2
Location: Anatomy Room, UA, Campus Groenenborger

IMPORTANT: Further details will follow on this site and by mail to all attendees in the near future.

For pictures and reactions of Dissection of the Human Body, part 1:
click here

15 - 20 March 2010:
- antARTik
- Exhibition and evening symposium
'ART Researches SCIENCE - Artistiek Onderzoek in de Wetenschappen'
in the Foyer, UA, Campus Drie Eiken.
The exhibited works will be created during and inspired by the Dissection Day in February.

Sat 20 March 2010:
Open Campusdag UA

All these dates will be confirmed in November 2009!

The Wellcome Trust

Science becomes art at exhibitions:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8308672.stm


Fusion of science and art:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8305899.stm


The art of science:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8308217.stm

Experimentele kunst

als onderzoek in de kunst

Onderzoek in de kunst is natuurlijk niet hetzelfde als onderzoek over kunst. Dit laatste immers, is het domein van de kunstwetenschap, ook al kan die in haar aanspraken op wetenschappelijkheid worden betwist op grond van het artefaktische van haar studieobjekt. Die betwistingsgrond nadert het evidente wanneer kunstenaars –vooropgesteld dat ze daartoe enige kompetentie zouden hebben- kunstwetenschap zouden gaan beoefenen. Het subjekt-objekt onderscheid wordt dan dermate vaag, dat de onderzoeksresultaten louter egotisch kunnen worden.

Onderzoek impliceert automatisch dat er iets is wat wordt onderzocht en ook, dat er omtrent dat iets een vraag, een probleem bestaat. Kunst nu, die niet problematisch is, kunst die dus niet iets onderzoekt, kan mijns inziens node kunst worden genoemd, omdat ze zich dan tot louter reproduktieve, hooguit wat interpretatieve, ambachtelijkheid zou beperken. Ze is dan zoiets als een laborant die geheel volgens de recepten, regels en rituelen, kolven, weegschalen en reagentia hanteert, maar dat zou doen zonder vraagstelling, zonder enig doel. Of, zoals een musicus die zo goed als mogelijk via zijn motoriek, al dan niet bemiddeld via een speeltuig, een gegeven partituur poogt te verklanken ter verstrooing van zijn medemens. Relevante kunst, kunst met een relevante probleemstelling, is dan ook, in de lijn van deze redenering, van nature uit experimenteel. Het probleem, de vraag, is haar belangrijkste drijfveer. Wat dit betreft is er dan ook geen enkel fundamenteel verschil tussen kunst en wetenschap. Het grote verschil zit enerzijds in de rigiditeit van de onderzoeksmetode en anderzijds in de aard van de problemen die in kunst worden onderzocht. Wat dit laatste betreft, hebben die problemen in allereerste plaats te maken met wat ik –ruim opgevat- expressie zou willen noemen. Experimentele kunst zoekt naar en ontwikkelt expressiemiddelen. Worden de resultaten belangwekkend genoeg bevonden, dan wordt het gewoonweg kunst. De loutere hantering van expressiemiddelen volstaat hier geenszins. Deze expressiemiddelen kunnen erg individueel en specifiek zijn, maar, evenzeer algemeen bruikbaar en relevant voor vele anderen die met gelijkaardige expressieproblemen te maken hebben. De ontwikkeling van expressiemiddelen gebeurt inderdaad in allereerste plaats binnen de kunst zelf. Tenminste, wanneer het om experimentele kunst gaat.

Wie nu in deze kontekst expressie te eng opvat, begrijpt ons niet goed: expressie is geenszins het unieke terrein van de kunst! Ook een wetenschappelijk onderzoeker moet uiteindelijk expressiebekwaam zijn, zoniet kan hij niet eens zijn onderzoeksresultaten naar voor brengen. Voor de ‘leesbaarheid’ van zijn expressie is uiteraard kommunikatiebekwaamheid noodzakelijk. In het geval van wetenschap is daarbij een zo groot mogelijke eenduidigheid wenselijk. Wanneer het echter gaat om expressie van affekten en/of koncepten, dan is in eerste plaats vereist dat die expressie bij diegenen tot wie zij gebeurlijk is gericht, ook affekten en/of koncepten weet op te roepen. Eenduidigheid is hier niet noodzakelijk een vereiste, hoewel er een hoge mate van gelijklopendheid kan bestaan. Dat die bestaat blijkt overigens uit het simpele feit dat heel wat kunstuitingen door grote groepen mensen op een gelijkaardige wijze worden geduid. Een requiem is geen lustige dansmuziek.

Kunst is als het ware voor-talig omdat zij de konventionele semantiek vooraf gaat of minstens verlegt. Daarom kan haar syntax ook niet in een systeem van vaste regels worden vastgelegd, laat staan voorgeschreven. De voortaligheid van artistieke expressie maakt dat zij als kunst per definitie begaan moet zijn met een zoeken naar een adekwate syntax en daarin alleen al experimenteel moet zijn. Die adekwate syntax komt in eerste plaats tot uiting in de samenhang van de vorm: de architektuur van het kunstwerk. Welkdanige vorm ook, kan slechts worden getoond en gegeven, door realisatie in een materieel of energetisch substraat. De produktie van vorm in dit substraat vergt van dit laatste opnieuw een zekere geschiktheid die niet a priori is gegeven. Onderzoek in de kunst is dan ook in de eerste plaats begaan met de ontwikkeling van substraten of middelen, waarin en waarmee de syntax zo optimaal mogelijk realiseerbaar is. Uiteraard behoort ook het experimenteel onderzoek naar bewerkingsmogelijkheden van die substraten, tot dit onderzoek in de kunst.

Het grote verschil tussen wetenschappelijk onderzoek en onderzoek in de kunst, schuilt hierin dat dit laatste onderzoek geen samenhangende theorie bouwt waarbinnen en in funktie waarvan aanvankelijke hypotezen als stellingen worden bewezen. Het onderzoek in de kunst, of, de experimentele kunst, hoeft niets te bewijzen. Het moet aantonen, demonstreren, mogelijkheden verruimen en, zo mogelijk, overtuigen. Wil men ruimte scheppen voor echt onderzoek in de kunst, dan is de eerste voorwaarde daartoe het scheppen van een permanent kunstlaboratorium: een vrijplaats vanwaaruit experimentele kunst aansluiting kan vinden bij haar eigentijdse omgeving en de middelen die zowel door wetenschap als technologie binnen die omgeving worden aangereikt. Het belang van die bruggen en de interdisciplinariteit die ervoor noodzakelijk is kan niet genoeg worden beklemtoond: het is toch ziekelijk en aberant dat het gros van alle kanonieke expressiemiddelen waarvan de hantering in onze onderwijsinstellingen nog ambachtelijk wordt onderwezen, stammen uit historische tijdvakken die minstens een tot vijf eeuwen achter ons liggen. Alsof die eigen tijd geen middelen en inzichten zou voortbrengen die als basis kunnen dienen voor heel wat adekwater expressiemiddelen...

Utopisch denkend, geloof ik dat het integrale hoger kunstonderwijs zou moeten samenvallen met een konceptie van dergelijk laboratorium. Nu bestaat zo'n labo in eerste aanzet en beperkt tot het domein van de muzikale expressiemiddelen, en bovendien vrijwel zonder materiele ondersteuning, in de schoot van Stichting Logos. Voorlopig echter, wil ik alleen pleiten voor zulk laboratorium als akademisch eiland, als vertrekpunt van onderzoek in de kunst, die daarbij uitsluitend als experimentele kunst is verstaan.

PS: de term kunst in deze tekst dekt zowel de muziek, de literatuur, de dans, architektuur en het geheel van de beeldende kunst.

dr.Godfried-Willem Raes

Barcelona, okt.2003

bijdrage voor ‘Reflexief’, tijdschrift van de Hogeschool Gent.

de auteur is licentiaat in de wijsbegeerte en doctor in de muziekwetenschap. Hij bouwde tot op heden een twintigtal musicerende interaktieve robots en is docent kompositie en akoestiek aan het departement muziek & drama van de Hogeschool Gent.

PS: (2007) de hier verdedigde opvatting over onderzoek in de kunsten sluit nauw aan bij een traditie die terzake in de progressief hedendaagse muziekwereld sedert de tweede helft van de twintigste eeuw gangbaar is geworden. Denken we maar alleen al aan de vele varianten van de 'Centre de Recherches Musicales' in franstalige regios, 'Untersuchszentrum fuer Tonuntersuchung', 'Studio for Electronic Music','Artistic Research Center'... waarvan de naamgeving alleen al toch symptomatisch is. We konstateren dat vandaag enkele mentale zonderlingen het begrip rekupererend en reaktionair proberen te misbruiken voor zuiver reproduktieve en historizerende doeleinden, een beetje zoals de operawereld in het laatste kwart van de 20e eeuw de hippe term 'muziekteater' is gaan inlijven, een term die nochtans precies door de avant-garde (Kagel, Cage, Stockhausen...) werd bedacht als tegengif tegen die aftandse opera. We konstateren met grote pijn in het hart dat in bepaalde instellingen nu zelfs fondsen worden vrijgemaakt voor de 'ontginning' van partituren van oude, terecht vergeten en totaal onbenullige konservatoriumdirekteuren onder het mom van 'onderzoek in de kunsten'...

Art as Research

Stephen Wilson, Professor Conceptual Design, San Francisco State University. swilson@sfsu.edu. Copyright, 1996

Cultural Importance of Scientific Research & Technology Development
The arts are perplexed about what to do in response to the growing importance of scientific and technological research in shaping culture. One response positions artists as consumers of the new tools, using them to create new images, sounds, and video; another response sees artists emphasizing the critical functions of art to comment on the developments from the distance; a final approach urges artists to enter into the heart of research as core participants. See my paper "Dark & Light Visions" ( SIGGRAPH Visual Proceedings, Art Show Catalog, ACM, Chicago, 1993. Also available at http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~swilson) for a more detailed analysis.

It is a critical error to conceive of contemporary research as merely a technical enterprise; it has profound practical and philosophical implications for the culture. The shaping of research and development agendas could benefit from the involvement of a wider range of participants including artists.

Scientific and technological research is not as "objective" as many of its practitioners would like to believe. While some of its practices strive toward objectivity, the whole enterprise is subject to larger political, economic, and social forces. Historians of science and technology have documented the winds that determine what research ends up getting supported, promoted, and accepted and what products win in the marketplace. Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (University of Chicago Press, 1970) shows how paradigms dominate thought and scientific practice until new paradigms develop. Many possibly significant theories and technologies are ignored.

As research increases in general cultural importance, it becomes more dangerous to accept this triage as inevitable. Valuable lines of inquiry die from lack of support because they are not within favor of particular scientific disciplines. New technologies with fascinating potential are abandoned because they are judged not marketable. Our culture must develop methods to avoid the premature snuffing of valuable lines of inquiry and development. I believe the arts can fill a critical role as an independent zone of research. Everyday life is increasingly dominated by the objects and cultural forms created by technology research. For example, telephones, computers, entertainment systems, medical equipment, transportation systems, governmental and policing systems, and product distribution technologies shape the ways people in the developed world spend their days, interact with others, and conceptualize the present and the future. The output of technology research is not confined to small technical niches. Theorists such as Baudrillard and Virilio, for example, expose the hidden assumptions, shaping of categories and pervasive consequences of technology.

Scientific research similarly reaches beyond narrow academic questions. Astronomers attempt to understand the origins and shape of the universe. Breaking with all prior human history, they can look at the universe using radio wave, ultraviolet, and infrared "eyes" and see a universe quite different than what has been known. Biologists increasingly unravel mysteries of life and invent methods for manipulating the genetic heart of life. Scientific research will have profound practical and philosophical implications.

Survey of areas of emerging research of interest to artists


What is an Appropriate Role for the Arts?
Throughout the last centuries (after Leonardo) during which science and technology have been increasing in importance, the arts have failed to develop a viable role. Often they have tried to ignore these developments and treat them as peripheral to the core of culture. Even when artists did attend to these developments, they did so as distant commentators, sniping from the audience, often without deep understanding of the world views and processes of scientific research. I believe there is a much stronger role for the arts in which artists integrate critical commentary with high level knowledge and participation in the science and technology worlds.

For the last sixteen years I have been exploring this approach of artist as researcher. I have incorporated the monitoring of research developments into my artistic discipline. I monitor science and technology journals, participate in on-line forums, and attend technology trade shows and academic meetings. I engage the developers in discussion about their products. I have been appointed as beta tester and developer for several technology companies and acted as artist in residence in corporate research centers. I have functioned as an inventor and won a patent for a method I developed to integrate interactive electronics with print.

Emerging technologies are my medium. I seek them out before they become widely known. I focus on them to understand where they come from, where they might go, and what might be their cultural implications. I experiment with them to see if they have unexplored potentials.

These years as a shadow researcher have been illuminating. I have read in the literature of intriguing developments that never saw the light of day. I have seen many inventions and emerging technologies killed because marketing departments judged that no money could be made. I have seen entire R&D departments and their years of research blown away by the winds of corporate politics. Government and corporate support for basic research has almost disappeared and the concern with the bottom line has shortened the payback horizon to the point that few risks are taken. I have encountered debates in the scientific community that devalue approaches that do not fit the paradigms currently in favor.

I am worried that the invisible hand of the marketplace might not be so wise as many would like to believe. The judgments that make short term sense for stockholders do not make sense for the culture. The peer review referees of scientific journals cannot always see beyond their disciplinary blinders. Many good ideas are orphaned, unheeded in the wilderness. Scientific and technological research are so critical that we cannot afford the premature elimination of these ideas and efforts that do not find favor through traditional channels.

The arts can function as an independent zone of research. They could become the place where abandoned, discredited, and unorthodox inquires could be pursued. They might very well value research according to criteria quite different from those of the commercial and scientific worlds. The roles of artists could incorporate other roles such as researcher, inventor, hacker, and entrepreneur. Even within research labs artist participation in research teams could add a perspective that could help drive the research process. (See my editorial, "Industrial Research Artist" Leonardo, vol 17:no.2 - 1984). Several traditions of the arts uniquely equip them for this function:



Artistic traditions of iconoclasm mean that artists are likely to take up lines of inquiry devalued by others.
The valuing of social commentary means that artists are likely to integrate widely ranging cultural issues in their research.
Artists are more likely to incorporate criteria such as celebration and wonder than commercial enterprizes.
The art's interest in communication means that artists could bring the scientific and technological possibilities to a wider public better than peers in other fields.
Artistic valuing of creativity and innovation meant that new perspectives might be applied to inquiries.
The recent history of the personal computer illustrates the need for this independent research function and the role the arts might serve. Early developers such as Apple Computer founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs found little support for their ideas about the personal computer from the companies they worked for. Supervisors signed waivers on the ideas because they could not imagine any market for a desktop computer used by individuals. Similarly, the discipline of computer science was mostly uninterested in software and hardware issues related to these computers. Advances often came from individuals who worked outside traditional academic and business channels. Teenagers became world experts and artists made significant contributions in the development of interface design and image/ sound processing.

Similarly demonstrating the value of art-research cross fertilization , the SIGGRAPH (ACM international organization for computer graphics research) annual meetings have included an art show since their beginnings. These shows have been influential in several ways. Artists have been able to learn about emerging computer graphics research and technologies long before they became products to the extent that they could start experimenting with them. In parallel fashion, researchers have become acquainted with artistic work that pushed the technology in unanticipated directions and offered ideas for new research directions.

If the culture had to rely only on traditional lines of research, we might have had to wait much longer for the developments that have profoundly shaped the last decades. This story potentially could be repeated many times in many other fields of inquiry if alternative venues for research are developed. The arts could well serve this function if artists are prepared to learn the knowledge, language, work styles, self discipline, and information networks that are instrumental in their fields of interest.


Preparing Artist/ Researchers
What must artists do differently than they always have done to prepare to participate in the world of research. They must broaden their definitions of art materials and contexts. They must become curious about scientific and technological research and acquire the skills and knowledge that will allow them to significantly participate in these worlds. (See my article "Research and Development as Source of Ideas and Inspiration for Artists" - Leonardo vol 24:no. 3 1991- for examples of research that could be of interest for artists.) They must expand conventional notions of what constitutes an artistic education. The parameters of the science and technology education required is not yet clear. Can artists find the right mix of objective and subjective processes? Can artists learn enough to engage in research at a non-dilettante level? Scientists and technology researchers who have devoted their entire professional lives to educating themselves about topics being investigated might be sceptical.

At the same time artists must keep alive artistic traditions of iconoclasm, critical perspectives, play, and sensual communication with audiences. They must be willing to undertake art explorations that do not neatly fit in historically validated media and offer their work in new contexts. Here are some concrete steps artists can take to prepare:



Pay attention to discourse about technical and scientific topics in popular and professional media. Develop the ability to penetrate beneath the surface presentation to think about unexplored research directions and unanticipated implications.
Acquire background knowledge and skills related to technological topics either through formal and informal means
Learn about the information sources used by scientists and engineers to learn about emerging fields including academic and professional journals, trade shows, academic meetings, and equipment supply sources Many of the trade magazines are free for validated research practitioners. (Artists can acquire this validation by self-identifying their art investigations as research.)
Learn about relevant on-line information resources such as mailing lists, newsgroups, and Web sites that have become so crucial in scientific communication. (Luckily the growth of the Internet and World Wide Web have made it easier than ever for artists in enter into these information networks.)
Develop new kinds of mutually beneficial collaborations with companies, universities, and other organizations involved in research.
What is a Viable Role for Artists in Research Settings?
The viability of this kind of collaboration is so critical to the future of both art and research that it is worth thinking about in more detail. What can researchers contribute to art and what can artists contribute to research? Why can high tech companies gain from artists being involved?

Much of the most well known collaborations between artists and scientists/engineers do not provide good models. For example, the EAT (Experiments in Art and Technology) in the 60's and the LA County Museum collaborations in Art & Technology produced some interesting art but did not profoundly address the role of artists in research. Often the engineers functioned as technical assistants to the artists or the artists dabbled with new technologies.

Better models would provide more mutual benefit. Early examples, include Bell Labs involvement of artists in sound research that was instrumental to telephony, electronic sound, and electronic voice research and electronic music. Also, artist Sonia Sheridan's artist in residency at the 3M research center in the 70's helped influence the development of color copier technology as well as shaping her development of the Generative Systems program at the Art Institute of Chicago that influenced so many artists. More contemporary examples include the artist-in-residency programs initiated by the Xerox PARC research center and Interval research company. These collaborations experimented with mutual definitions of research agendas. The Xerox PARC experience will be described more fully in a book to be published by MIT Press.

Skeptics sometimes wonder what possible contribution artists can make to serious research and development. Artists can augment the research process in several ways. They can define new kinds of research questions, provide unorthodox interpretations of results, point out missed opportunities for development, explore and articulate wide ranging implications of the research, represent potential user perspectives, and help communicate research findings in effective and provocative ways. They can bring centuries of artistic experience to bear on the technological future. They often approach problems in ways quite different than those of scientists and engineers. The critical role of designers and artists in computer human interface research over the last years demonstrates this new model of interdisciplinary research.


Computer Art is Not the Future - New Challenges
Many "high tech" artists believe they have already addressed the future by becoming computer artists who work with digital image, sound, and interactive multimedia. They have made a critical error. They have misunderstood the real significance of artists' work with computers during the last decade and a half. The new media are interesting, but more important is the fact that artists were experimenting with microcomputers at almost the same time that other kinds of developers and researchers were. Artists were not merely using the results of research conducted by others but were actually participating as researchers themselves.

Many new technologies such as genetic microbiology promise to have similar or even greater impact on life and thought. Artists need to actively patrol the frontiers of scientific and technological research to identify future trends that could benefit from the artist/research inquiry. Knowledge of computers and the Internet will be valuable assets because they will be required tools in most areas of research. Artists who think, however, they are in the vanguard because they work will computers may soon find themselves in the backguard. Below I list some areas of scientific inquiry and technological development that I believe may have cultural impact and will be fruitful areas for artistic inquiry. This diverse idiosyncratic list is by no means exhaustive and identification of other areas of interest should be considered an important artistic activity of our era:


New biology
Extra-sensory phenomena
Animal Consciousness
Brain physiology
Medical technology
Touch, Taste, and Smell research
Biosensors
Artificial life
Alternative Energy
Materials science
Cosmology
Non visual astronomy
Space science
Artificial Intelligence
Hypermedia Robotics
Gesture recognition
Speech recognition & synthesis
Wearable computing
Information visualization
Groupware
Computer-Telephone Integration
Inspectable movies
Virtual Reality
Ubiquitous Computing
Surveillance & remote sensing
Bar codes and auto ID
GPS (geographic locating systems)
Intelligent home
Intelligent hi-way


The Integration of Research and Art
Research is shaping the future in profound ways beyond the utilitarian confines of the technology produced. Our culture desperately needs wide involvement in the definition of research agendas, the actual investigation processes, and in the exploration of the implications of what is discovered. Artists can contribute significantly to this discourse by developing a new kind of artist/researcher role.

The appropriate contours of this involvement are not yet defined. Much experimentation is required. How can research settings learn to be open enough to benefit from the unorthodox contributions artists might make? How can artists learn to involve themselves in the ways and byways of researchers without losing touch with their artistic roots. (Many of the best young artists I had as students who became involved as researchers ultimately ended up being seduced by the recognition and economic rewards of research that they quit functioning as artists.) Also scientific inquiry and technology development are not identical processes; what kind of involvement in each might artists fashion for themselves

I am not claiming that artists should act exactly like researchers. If they did, they would be unlikely to make any unique contribution. Contemporary art often includes elements of commentary, irony and critique missing from "serious" research. Similarly scientists and technologists strive toward objectivity; artists cultivate their idiosyncratic subjectivity as a major feature of what they do. The "research" that artists created will most likely look different than that produced by traditional researchers. It would work like art always does - provoking and moving audiences through its communicative power and unique perspectives. Still it might simultaneously work as research - using systematic investigative processes to develop new technological possibilities or to discover useful new knowledge or perspectives.

Maybe the segmented categorization of artist and researcher will itself prove to be a historical anachronism; maybe new kinds of integrated roles will develop. Signs of this happening already appear. Some of the hackers who pioneered microcomputer developments may one day be seen as artists because of their intensity and their culturally revolutionary views and work. Similarly some art shows such as Ars Electronica now define research ideas as core themes (for example, artificial life) and invite researchers along with artists as key presenters. Research has radically altered our culture and will continue to do so. Art must be an essential part of this process.

Artistic Research

Nowadays, advanced art education is in the process of developing research programs throughout Europe. The project 'Artistic Research' will delve into the question of that research and also investigate related subject matters. After all, research as such is often understood as a method stemming from the alpha, beta, and gamma sciences directed towards knowledge production and the development of a certain scientific domain. How is artistic research connected with those types of scientific research, taking into account that the artistic domain so far has tended to continually exceed the modernistic parameters of knowledge management? One could claim that the artistic field comprises the hermeneutic questions of the humanities,the experimental method of the sciences, and the societal commitment of the social sciences. Will that knowledge influence the domain, the methodology, and the outcome of 'artistic research'? Another main topic concerns not only the specificity of the object of knowledge of 'artistic research' but above all whether and how 'artistic research' and its institutional programs will influence
topical visual art, its artworks and its exhibitions.

Bridging the Gap

between Art and Science

Notes by cognitive scientist, poet and historian Piero Scaruffi
for a round table moderated by Leonard Shlain at Swissnex in San Francisco on 19/9/2007
Art Science

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is art? This is a question that depends on the country and the age in which you live. Art for the Romans was simply praise of the state via engineering. Art for the Greeks was the science of abstract harmony, i.e. a form of geometry and mathematics. Art for the Chinese was the practice of harmony with nature. Art in all religions tend to be a manifestation and reenaction of legends. What they all have in common is a) the aspiration to inspire, b) the aim for a higher truth, c) the use of some technology. The psychological effect can be quite different though, ranging from sheer awe to tender melancholy. The psychological state does not define art, per se. The fact that art creates a psychological state may define art, though. To some extent, every human activity is a form of art. Then we have to decide to what degree it is "artistic". Every human action can be viewed as a divine act of creation: with every action the human mind tries to recreate the world in her/his image. Art is the recreation of the world in human image. Each mind does it differently because each mind is different. Needless to say, the existence of millions of different views of the world would make life very difficult. So society has actually evolved away from the arts and towards a uniform view of the world. Children have a very hard time abandoning their egocentric view of the world. Society forces them, and keeps forcing daily every adult, to accept a universal view of the world that we can share and use. No wonder that we have separated the arts from the sciences: the arts are an obstacle to that process of coexistence. Art is the process of creating a very personal view of the world. Science is the process of creating a very impersonal view of the world. The latter has helped create more and more complex forms of society. The price it had to pay was to marginalize and imprison the arts.
Is art a uniquely human activity? The question is misleading. Art is ubiquitous in nature, whether an alpine lake or a spider web. The real question is: do other animals perceive what they do as art? We assume that an alpine lake or the mountain ridges that create it do nto perceive themselves, therefore they are not "artists". Can a spider appreciate the quality of the web it has just woven? Can a beaver appreciate the quality of the "dam" that it has just built across a creek? To us they often look like great art. The main difference between human art and animal art is the intention: hmans meant to create art, whether practical or not, whereas presumably other animals simply do what is practical to do. Whether animals can perceive beauty or not, their activities are "artistic" too, to some extent. Thus in the end art is simply a different name for... life.
Why do humans engage in artistic activities? If ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, or if the development of the individual from childhood to adulthood mirrors the progression of the human species through ancestral stages, then children hold the answer. Children play. Most adults stop playing because they have to work in order to feed their families. Art might be a way to keep playing while you are working. Children are genetically programmed to play, and playing might be a way to learn the environment and to be creative about it. Humans may just be genetically programmed to be creative. Art might just be a way to map the environment in a creative way. being creative about interacting with the environment yields several evolutionary advantages: 1. you learn more about the environment, 2. you simulate a variety of strategies, 3. you are better prepared to cope with frequently changing conditions. Mapping the territory is a precondition for surviving its challenges, but it wouldn't be enough to yield solutions to unpredictable problems. To deal with the unpredictable, we need more than just a map. over the centuries this continuous training in creativity has led to the creation of entire civilizations (science, technology, engineering). And to the history of art.
What is the impact on society of art? Art educates people to be creative. A lack of creativity is a handicap for science. Science creates new paradigms of thought. Resistance to new paradigms of thought is a handicap for art. Every new generation is more similar to specialized robots than to sentient beings.
What is the relationship between art and science? If every human activity is, to some extent, "artistic", then any scientific discipline is an art. The fictitious separation of art and technology/engineering/science is a recent phenomenon. It was not obvious to the Sumerians that the ziggurat was only art, or to the Egyptians that the pyramid was only art, or to the Romans that the equestrian statue was only art. They had, first and foremost, a practical purpose. Given that purpose, a technology was employed to achieve it. Art and science are so distant in the 21st century because we live in the age of specialization. Specialization started in the Middle Ages and picked up speed with the Industrial Revolution. Specialization is, quite simply, a very efficient way to organize society. Therefore specializations multiplied. Today we are not only keeping art and science separated: we are maintaining countless specializations within the arts and within the sciences.
What are the benefits for science of an integration with the arts? Art can help usher in a paradigm shift. Major scientific revolutions have usually coincided with major artistic periods. Today science is evolution, not revolution, perhaps because it has been decoupled from the arts.
What is the impediment to art/science integration today? Dogmas rule. If we don't comply with the ruling dogmas, we are not accepted. A history of jazz music written by a rock historian is accepted neither by the rock establishment nor by the jazz establishment. It doesn't exist. We don't exist. Furthermore, the 20th century disliked multifaceted ("renaissance") artists/scientists. In Italy, the homeland of art and science integration, ordinary people dismiss artists-scientists as "tuttologhi". Also, the language of science has become more and more difficult.
What are the consequences of the separation of art and science? They are subtle but widespread. For example, environmental fundamentalists oppose any alteration of Nature. Implicitly, they assume that humans cannot improve over Nature. This idea would have been considered ridiculous in ancient times, when human alterations of Nature were almost always considered as positive improvements to the landscape. Even the staunchest environmentalists would probably refrain from destroying the pyramids or the ziggurats or the Acropolis of Athens to restore the stones to the mountains where they were taken, and would probably refrain from demolishing Michelangelo's statues to return the marble to Carrara's mountain. However, the environmental fundamentalist of the 21st century assumes that Nature is the supreme artist, and humans should not alter whatever Nature has produced. If Michelangelo and Leonardo were reborn today and submitted a plan to build a fantastic freeway through a national park, they would be impaled. (Ironically, the same environmental fundamentalists who oppose bridges and tunnels take pictures precisely of bridges and tunnels when they travel to Switzerland). This was clearly not the case centuries ago, when great minds were asked specifically to alter the environment. What has changed is the view that human work is beautiful. The demise of this view is a consequence of having decoupled art and science. The 21st century does not perceive a product of science/technology/engineering as beautiful. It perceives it as a threat to (natural) beauty.
What is the relationship between creativity and progress? It should be obvious: technology does not exist in a vacuum. A system that does not encourage poetry, music, painting, sculpture and so forth does not encourage discovery and invention.
What caused the separation of art and science? It was part of a broader trend away from unification and towards specialization. Not only did science and art progressively move apart, but disciplines within each kept moving apart from each other (for example, each scientific discipline became more and more specialized). A continuum of knowledge and of human activity was broken down into a set of discrete units, each neatly separated from its neighbors. This happened for a simple reason: it worked. Humans were able to build large-scale societies thanks to the partitioning of labor and of knowledge. As knowledge grew, it would have been impossible to maintain the same continuum of knowledge. It was feasible, on the other hand, to muster the increasing amount of knowledge once it was broken down into discrete units and handed down to "specialists". The gap between art and science, and the gaps between all artistic and scientific disciplines, kept increasing for the simple reason that the discrete space of specialized disciplines was more manageable than the old continuum of total knowledge. The digital age is providing us with an opportunity to rebuild the continuum: the world-wide web, digital media, tramsportation have enabled an unprecedented degree of exchange, interaction, integration, convergence and blending. After so many centuries, we are finally able again to see the continuum and not just the discrete space. The new continuum, though, bears little resemblance to the old one, in that its context is a knowledge-intensive society that is the exact opposite of the knowledge-deprived society of the ancient continuum.
What can we do to raise a generation of Leonardos? As far as the Western world is concerned, I am pessimistic. It would require a fundamental change in the structure of society, which is unlikely to come from the very Western society that invented (and prospered thanks to) the society of specializations. The societies of the developing world, who are not burdened with the bureaucracy, stereotypes, habits and prejudices that permeate the Western mind, may have a chance to invent the foundations for a wide-spread integration of the arts and the sciences. In the West the only successful programs are the ones that can be identified with a "career path" (whether in the industry or the academia). In the digital age some such career paths are emerging (for example, in the graphic-design industry) and may eventually create the need for interdisciplinary "polytechnics" that teach both art and science. Today the problem is not only that the Academia does not encourage such interdisciplinary programs, but that it discourages it tout court. Very few Departments of Physics, for example, would hire an artist. There is literally no motivation to try that avenue (as opposed to study climate change, for which there are abundant funds and plenty of media attention). One way to reverse this trend would be for a patron of the arts and/or sciences to institute the equivalent of the Nobel prize to reward creative minds that operate in both the arts and the sciences. As far as developing countries go, they should realize that they can overtake the West only if they manage to introduce a paradigm shift, not if they simply replicate the Western model. And a paradigm shift requires precisely the kind of imagination and creativity that is penalized by the Western society of specialization. That paradigm shift requires a hyper-interdisciplinary approach. After all, the paradigm shift that turned Europe from a continent of plagues, starvation and endemic warfare into the rulers of the world started precisely during the Rinascimento.

“Dynamic Equilibrium”

explores the intersection of art and science.

Mandeville Gallery’s newest exhibit

http://www.union.edu/N/DS/s.php?s=8310

Autumn Congress

Belgian Hand Group & Belgian Hand Therapists

Welcome
We would like to welcome all of you to our autumn meeting in Antwerp on the 14th of November 2009. Focus will be on nerve injuries in the upper extremity, a challenge for everyone involved in the treatment of upper limb injuries. State of the art didactic lectures by national and international experts will highlight diagnosis and treatment options. Novel techniques, such as nerve transfer and nerve conduits will be proposed and there will be ample time for case-based discussions. We hope you will join us.

Date: Saturday, 14 November 2009
Venue: Aula Bank J.Van Breda & C°, Ledeganckkaai 7, 2000 Antwerp
Free parking available.
Route description: www.mappy.be
Administrative Organization: King Conventions, Semico Group, Korte Meer 18, 9000 Gent
Tel: +32 (0)9 235 22 95
Fax: +32 (0)9 233 85 97
congres@hand.be
www.hand.be

Final Programme

08h55-09h00 Welcome
Frederik Verstreken

09h00 – 10h45 Diagnosis
Moderators: Chantal Robert and Geoffroy Van de Putte
09h00 Nerve repair: essential pathophysiologic data
Wim Vanhove, Ghent
09h15 Clinical examination
Luc De Smet, Leuven
09h30 Imaging of nerve injuries
Jan Gielen, Antwerp
09h45 Utility of electrophysiological studies in assessing
peripheral nerve involvement after trauma in the
upper limb
Michel Goossens, Brussels
10h00 Difficulties in diagnosis of closed lesions
Rolfe Birch, London, UK
10h30 Questions and discussion

10h45 Coffee Break

11h15 – 13h00 Treatment
Moderators: Tom Lattré and Olivier Barbier

11h15 Primary nerve repair: indications, techniques, results …
Jeroen Van Haecke, Kortrijk
11h30 Fractures associated with nerve palsy: current concepts
Roger van Riet, Antwerp
11h45 My experience and philosophy on nerve repair
Hanno Millesi, Vienna, Austria
12h15 Neurolysis
Alain Carlier, Liège
12h30 Rehabilitation following nerve repair
Katleen Meeus, Heist op den Berg
12h45 Questions and discussion

13h00 Lunch

14h00 – 15h30 Reconstruction
Moderators: Marie Pételet and Peter Dreessen

14h00 Artificial nerve guides
Marcel Meek, Groningen, The Netherlands
14h30 Nerve grafting or neurotisation?
Jörg Bahm, Aachen, Germany
14h45 Tendon transfers
Danny Vandenberghe, Antwerp
15h00 Final Station: the pain clinic
Guy Hans, Antwerp
15h15 Questions and discussion

15h30 Coffee Break

16h00 – 17h00 Selected Free Papers
Moderators: Karel Verhaeghe and Frederik Verstreken

16h00 Nerve transfer for deltoid paralysis: case report
N. Van Meir, I. Degreef, P. Debeer, and L. De Smet,
Leuven
16h10 3D computerized model for measuring strain and
displacement of the brachial plexus following placement
of reverse shoulder prosthesis
T. Van Hoof, G.T. Gomes, E. Audenaert, K. Verstraete,
I. Kerckaert and K. D’Herde, Ghent
16h20 Sensory dysfunctions of the hand after repair of a
complete median nerve section
X. Libouton, O. Barbier, L. Plaghki and J.-L. Thonnard,
Brussels
16h30 Autonomic dysfunctions of the hand following
median or ulnar nerve lesions
A.C.J. Ruijs and O. Barbier, Brussels
16h40 Questions and discussion

17h00 Closing

Registration Fees
Early registration
Late registration from 7/11/2009

o Member Belgian Hand Group 70 euro 95 euro
o Member Belgian Hand Therapists 40 euro 65 euro
o Medical doctor 80 euro 105 euro
o Physiotherapists 50 euro 75 euro
o Students and residents 35 euro 60 euro

Registration by the enclosed form or on-line at www.hand.be

Early registration is advised, as access to the auditorium is
limited to 80 persons.

Accreditation is being sought.

Wetenschap en verwondering

01.10.2009

http://www.klara.be/cm/klara/1.104-searcharticle?directarticle=1.85091&article=1.85091

Romantiek en wetenschap lijken twee onverzoenbare tegenpolen. Het ideaal van de subjectiviteit radicaal tegengesteld aan de objectiviteit van de wetenschap. In zijn meeslepende studie 'De tijd van verwondering' laat Richard Holmes zien hoe fout dat idee wel is. Hij beschrijft hoe poëzie en wetenschap tussen 1770 en 1830 samenwerkten, waarbij vonken ontstonden die tot vandaag voelbaar zijn.

Geerdt Magiels las het boek en vertelt er meer over in Mezzo.

['De tijd van verwondering', Richard Holmes. Uitgegeven bij Contact 2009]

Caótica

La poética de los sistemas complejos



"Caótica" es un proyecto de investigación y creación multidisciplinar en torno a los sistemas complejos y sus repercusiones en la tecnología, el pensamiento y la expresión artística.
Propone una herramienta lúdica para la generación de nuevas aproximaciones al conocimiento y a la producción artística utilizando uno de los recursos más increíbles que ha puesto la naturaleza a nuestra disposición: la poética de los sistemas complejos.
Organizado por mad [Moviment d'Alliberament Digital] en Barcelona.
www.mad-actions.com

IAA 24th Annual Conference

November 12-15 2009, Paris, France


http://www.anaplastology.org/

International Anaplastology Association

The 24th Annual IAA Conference
November 12-15, 2009, Paris, France

Location: Espace Saint-Martin Centre de Congres, 199 bis, rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris, France

Medical Illustration Source Book

Reservation Deadline Sept. 28

We are now accepting reservations for the 23rd edition of the Medical Illustration Source Book.

This is our most comprehensive web + print package ever. We are very excited to include:

• PRINT DISTRIBUTION TO 6,500 MEDICAL ART BUYERS
Through 23 years of research and networking we have built a highly targeted list that is unparalleled in the medical and scientific art world. In addition, our annual reader survey shows that each Source Book recipient shares their copy with 3-4 other art directors.

• GLOBAL MARKETING
We now include selected print distribution to the top agencies with medical accounts in Canada and Europe PLUS regular E-blasts that promote medillsb.com to a wider audience of qualified medical art buyers in the U.S. and abroad.

• 50-IMAGES ON MEDILLSB.COM
Upload your portfolio images or animations as soon as you make your reservation. Your marketing dollars start working for you right away and your on-line term lasts up to 2 years (through September 1, 2011). Thousands of qualified art buyers from all over the world visit our website every month.

• QUANTITATIVE WEB DATA
Source Book No.23 advertisers get password-protected access to real-time traffic statistics on your medillsb.com portfolio.
"I have been told by numerous clients that this is the "go to" site for medical art, because they can find what they want quickly. I have been a Source Book contributor for many years and am pleased with the new pharmaceutical clients I have been able to reach. The online portfolio service has been a big bonus."
Laurie O'Keefe, Medical/Biological Illustrations
Source Book advertiser since 2000

Other components of our program include free personal website design, 500 high-quality reprints, and mailing list discounts from Agency Access.

Many preeminent medical and scientific artists have built their careers with the help of the Source Book and they continue to advertise with us today. Why do they come back year after year? Because the program continues to work for them, and has evolved to meet their growing marketing needs.

Don't miss the opportunity to be included in our 23rd edition. September 28 is our reservation deadline but artwork is not due until February 8 (giving you plenty of time to design your ad). A $225 good-faith deposit allows you to begin uploading images to medillsb.com right away.

Please feel free to contact me with your questions. And dont forget to ask me about our new 7-payment option to help you budget for your ad.

I look forward to hearing from you.

All my best,

Beth Pierson
Marketing Associate
Toll-free (800) 876-6425, ext. 228 (e-mail: bethp@serbin.com)

Serbin Communications, Inc.
813 Reddick Street Santa Barbara CA 93101 805-963-0439
www.serbin.com

Open Studio

29 August - 6 September in West Lancashire

I would like to invite you all to an open studio event that features over 30 artists across West Lancashire and surrounding areas. Events are free and it takes place between the 29th August and the 6th September. I will be open from 10.00am till 21.00pm, and will be featuring live sculpture portrait demos through the week. The photograph is of my studio whilst working on a mould and jacket of 'Genius of Evil' based on the work of Robert Stewart Shearer(1882 to 1914,photograph Jan Rogerson) you can log on to my website on www.sculptureschool.org

Hope you can make it

Regards

Philip Garrett

22nth AEIMS Congress

Visualizing the world of science

Milan, 5-7 November 2009

Dear Colleagues,

With this announcement I would like to invite you on behalf of the Organising Committees of the AEIMS to come to the exciting 22° AEIMS Congress, which will be held in Milan from November 5–7, 2009. After the great success in Maastricht and the joining of both Italian and American Associations we expect an even more successful interaction of all scientific illustrators under the motto: Visualizing the World of Science.

The Scientific Programme Committee has worked out an outstanding scientific programme covering the most recent developments in scientific visualization. The overall programme consists of abstracts and a workshops which are designed to cover both medical, scientific and naturalistic visualization. In addition, this meeting has an educational objective in exposing young illustrators to an international rather than a national audience. The aim is to present an overview of fundamental and applied aspects of scientific visualization.

We invite you to use this unique opportunity to present original artwork and exchange your experiences in the field. The top ranking abstracts will be presented orally. You may find all relevant information and instructions for electronic submission at this website.

Finally, the workshop (thursday the 5th of November) will also be open for the public.

The exciting vivid city of Milan is expecting you to show you not only its science, but also the treasures of its museums, monuments, and its vibrant nightlife. The city is a perfect place to experience a few enriching and enjoyable days with this congress.

We count on your presence to make this congress a great event. We look forward to welcoming you at the Museum of Natural History of Milan in November 2009.

Claus Larsen, President of AEIMS

How to Sculpt the Face?

This videos demonstrates one way to think about sculpting by starting from the basic human building blocks, the skeleton, and adding muscles, then later skin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZEs5x9jL8E

Wax Moulages

WAX MOULAGES AS CULTURAL ARTEFACTS
INVESTIGATION, CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

International Conference, 24 - 26 September 2009
Dresden (DE)

Supported within KUR Programme to preserve and restore mobile cultural assets

The international conference is devoted to interdisciplinary communication on the aesthetic, historical and physical properties of moulages, and will permit an exchange on the use, study, conservation and restoration of the moulage collections still extant throughout the world.

Moulages, once a medium of medical documentation and education, are increasingly drawing the attention of international specialists. Through reinterpretation and reappraisal moulages have sometimes found their way into museums. Meanwhile, forgotten moulage collections continue to come to light.

Many of these moulages are in a poor state of conservation. In many institutions the preservation of moulages is endangered. Conservation and restoration are necessary to combat this urgent problem. The collections concerned must first be closely examined, however.

The conference will close this gap by presenting the first projects concerned with cataloguing and investigating the world's moulage collections, and with their use, restoration and conservation. The project Wax Moulages: Precious Craftsmanship In Danger of Extinction, funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Cultural Foundation of the German States, is among those presented. As part of that project, specialized restoration and conservation concepts will be developed on the moulages in the collection of the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum. The results will help to establish the first general standards and guidelines for the future conservation of moulages.

The conference aims to bring together custodians of moulage collections, medical scientists and medical historians, furthermore conservators/restorers, conservation scientists and museologists as well as cultural scientists and curators.



SEPTEMBER 24, 2009, THURSDAY

17:30
Opening
Welcome: Prof. Klaus Vogel, Direktor Deutsches Hygiene-Museum
Introduction: Susanne Roeßiger, Leiterin Sammlung Deutsches Hygiene-Museum

18:00
The Wax Moulage: Art Object and/or Teaching Aid in Medical Education?
Chair: Prof. Dr. Thomas Schnalke, Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité

Presentations:

Moulages in the Museum: An Approach in Layers
Prof. Dr. Marion Maria Ruisinger, Deutsches Medizinhistorisches Museum Ingolstadt

The Model from Zürich: Wax Moulages in Medical Education
Dr. Michael Geiges, Moulagenmuseum der Universität Zürich

Principles of Restoration
Ute Hack, Restaurierungsabteilung des Bayerischen Nationalmuseums München

Panel Discussion

20:00
Reception


SEPTEMBER 25, 2009, FRIDAY

9:00
Entrée
Chair: Dr. Sandra Mühlenberend

Wax Imprinting and Wax Casting in Contemporary Arts
Dr. Jessica Ullrich, Universität der Künste, Berlin

9:45-12:30
Revision of the Collections of Wax Moulages
Chair: Prof. Dr. Albrecht Scholz, ehem. Direktor des Medizinhistorischen Instituts der Technischen Universität Dresden

9:45
The Wax Project: The Locating and Recording of Moulage Collections in European Institutes, Clinics and Museums
Prof. Dr. Thomas Schnalke, Navena Widulin, Isabel Atzl, Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité

10:30
Coffee Break

11:00
The Moulage Collection at the Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas/USA
Adrian Winters, Scott & White Memorial Hospital, Temple, Texas

11:30
On the Presentation and Storage Situation of the Moulage Collection at the University of Medicine in Kaunas/Lithuania
Prof. Dr. Skaidra Valiukeviciene, University of Medicine, Kaunas/Litauen

12:00
Between Sciences and Exhibition: The Wax Moulages at the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum
Dr. Sandra Mühlenberend, Deutsches Hygiene-Museum

12:30
Lunch Break

13:30-17:30
The Conservation/Restoration of Wax Objects
Chair: Ute Hack

13:30
On the Conservation of Wax Moulages of the Musée du Service de Santé des Armées au Val de Grâce in Paris and on the Conservation Treatment on the Collection at the Université de Montpellier
Laurence Chicoineau, freie Restauratorin, Ris-Orangis/ Frankreich

14:30
Restoring Shapes: On the Conservation of Wax Moulages at the Medical Museum of the University of Copenhagen/Denmark
Ion Meyer, Medical Museion Copenhagen

15:00
Recommendations for Transport, Exhibition and Storage of Wax Moulages
Marcus Herdin, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum München

15:30
Coffee Break

16:00
The Wax Moulages of the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum: Damage Analysis, Treatment Catalogue and Conservation
Johanna Lang, Deutsches Hygiene-Museum

16:45
Further Education via Internet: E-Learning as a Contribution to the Conservation of Art Collections
Barbara Hentschel, Dr. Angela Weyer, Hornemann Institut Hildesheim

18:00
Guided Museum-Tours


SEPTEMBER 26, 2009, SATURDAY

9:00 -11:00
The Techniques and Nature of Wax Moulages
Chair: Dr. Michael Geiges

9:00
The Moulages of Richard Hoffman at the Wax Collection of Dermatology "Coriolan Tataru" in Cluj Napoca/Romania
Prof. Dr. Alexandru Tataru, Universität der Medizin und Pharmazie Cluj-Napoca

9:30
The Moulages of Alfons Kroener and Paul Berliner at the Institute for Dermatology of the University of Wroclaw/Poland
Dr. Rafal Bialynicki-Birula, Medical University Wroclaw

10:00
Scientific Analysis of Wax Moulages: Composition and Damages
Dr. Patrick Dietemann, Ursula Baumer, Doerner Institut, München, Prof. Dr. Christoph Herm, Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Dresden

11:00
Coffee Break

11:30-13:30
The Custody and Utilization of Wax Moulages
Chair: Johanna Lang

11:30
On the Exhibition and Storage Situation of the Moulage Collection in the Andreas Sygros Hospital in Athens/Greece
Dr. Panagiota Emmanouil, Pedeli's Children Hospital, Athen

12:00
Custody and Utilization: The Moulage Collection at the National Museum for Pathology and Anatomy in Vienna/Austria
Dr. Beatrix Patzak, Pathologisch-Anatomisches Bundesmuseum Wien

12:30
Snacks/Refreshments

13:00
The Moulage Collection of the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) -The Challenge of Transition from the Clinic to the Medical Historical Museum
Prof. Dr. Heinz-Peter Schmiedebach, Antje Zare, Institut für Geschichte und Ethik der Medizin, UKE

Comments
Prof. Dr. Thomas Schnalke und Susanne Roeßiger




CONCEPT AND ORGANISATION
Johanna Lang, Dr. Sandra Mühlenberend, Susanne Roeßiger


CONFERENCE LANGUAGES
English/German (simultaneous translation)


REGISTRATION
until 10. September 2009
Stiftung Deutsches Hygiene-Museum
Tel.: +49 (0)351 4846-311, Fax: +49 (0)351 4846-312
E-Mail: tagungszentrum@dhmd.de
www.dhmd.de/tagungen

Beside a fee of 15 € for snacks and refreshments, no extra conference fee will be charged. The participants of the conference can visit all exhibitions of the museum for free. The Deutsches Hygiene-Museum is equipped for disabled people.

Website: click here

Event on Medical Imaging

10/09/2009

International Partnering Event on Medical Imaging
Date: 10.9.2009
Location: Brussels
Speaker(s): Main Event organisers: IWT and UWE
Agenda

International Partnering Event on Medical Imaging

Biomedical imaging refers to medical imaging techniques used in biology, including molecular imaging and cellular imaging. Medical imaging refers to the techniques and processes used to create images of the human body (or parts thereof) for clinical purposes or medical science. Biological noninvasive imaging methods can play an important role in translational research bringing scientific discoveries into the clinic and clinical findings. To achieve such results international collaborative research is needed.

Several European programmes offer opportunities to fund collaborative projects on the topic: Framework Programme 7 (Cooperation theme Health, Cooperation theme NMP, Research for the Benefit of SMEs), EUREKA, Eurostars, and the Joint Technology Initiative Innovative Medicines (IMI).

This partnering event will offer you the opportunity to expose/meet project ideas and build consortia in view of responding to the calls of these programmes.

The event will be opened to 8-10 European regions. FlandersBio supports this event by representing the Flemish region. IWT, the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders and UWE, the National Contact Point of Wallonie, are the main organizers of this event.

Registration is free but mandatory. To register, please use the registration form which can be found below this invitation. If you encounter problems or have additional questions, please contact Hilde Van Raemdonck (hilde.vanraemdonck@flandersbio.be; 09 241 80 45). Please note that participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.


Agenda

Topic

Speaker



Welcome
Maarten Sileghem, IWT
10:00
Organization & agenda
Véronique Graff, UWE
10:10
European Funding for Biological Imaging
Alain Deleener, IWT
10:20
Presentation of proposal ideas
different speakers
10:50
Networking lunch
all
11:50
Session 1 of parallel brainstormings
all
13:00
Break
14:25
Session 2 of parallel brainstormings
all
14:35
Groups’ results, summary, next steps

16:00
Closure

16:10
End

16:15



Route description
IWT, Bischoffsheimlaan 25, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
How to reach the IWT

Tissue Engineering in Flanders

01.
01/10/2009

Opportunities for Tissue Engineering in Flanders

Location: Brussels

Agenda:
Novel opportunities for Tissue Engineering in Flanders"Novel opportunities for Tissue Engineering in Flanders’ focuses on specific scientific expertise and business & regulatory experience on cell-therapy medicinal products, tissue-engineered products and related medical devices.
The seminar has a transdisciplinary approach covering talks from materials science and chemistry to biology and medicine. The programme includes presentations by experts from research institutes (Prof. Verfaillie, Stem Cell Institute, Leuven) and by company representatives. You will also be introduced to Anethon, a novel K.U.Leuven spinoff with expertise in implants and tissue engineering.
Additionally, speakers will be part of a panel discussion, providing an important opportunity to ask questions and to discuss about current topics and needs.
With this event, FlandersBio wants to highlight the current relevant expertise in Flanders and to initiate convergence and cross-sector networking & collaboration. By proactively stimulating this expertise, FlandersBio strives to keep Flanders in pole position in the field of tissue engineering and cell-therapy medicinal products.
Programme: to be disclosed soon
If you would like to be kept informed about the seminar and/or if you would like to receive the brochure, please contact Mrs. Hilde Van Raemdonck (hilde.vanraemdonck@flandersbio.be; 09 241 80 45).
Registration is possible by using the electronic registration form below
The seminar fee is€ 60 for university staff, € 100 for FlandersBio members, € 160 for all others

Route description
FEB-VBO buildingRue Ravenstein 4BrusselsTel: +32 2 515 09 11http://www.feb.be/
Parking facilities:http://www.interparking.com/



Registration: Click here

Human Dissection, I

For Students in Art and Medicine

Dissection of an arm and a leg, fresh frozen

- University of Antwerp - 20 May 2009

IMPORTANT
These images are for educational purposes only.
No reproduction is allowed without contacting the authors of this website Pascale Pollier-Green and Ann Van de Velde.

"The skeleton is a superstructure whose integrity is maintained by a dynamic process of osteoclast-initiated bone remodelling."

- E. Romas (Melbourne, Australia) in Internal Medicine Journal 39 (2009) 110-116

Anatomist: Francis Van Glabbeek
Filming: Een Andere Wereld Films

Copyright images BIOMAB

Reactions of attendants:

.

Walter: "Ik vond het wel heel bijzonder om mee te maken."

.

Judith: "Bedankt voor het organiseren van deze avond, ik heb er veel aan gehad!"

.

Anke: "Ik heb veel bijgeleerd op de dissectie. Het was heel interessant om dat allemaal eens in het echt te zien. Ik hoop dat er in de toekomst nog kansen zullen zijn voor kunststudenten om zo'n dissectie te mogen bijwonen. Het was een unieke leerrijke ervaring die me nog lang zal bijblijven. En nu maar hopen op die goede punten voor het examen anatomie..."

.

Niel: "Ik was aanwezig op de dissecties. Hoe zal die documentaire noemen die toen gefilmd werd?"

.

Oleg: "De avond staat mij bij als zeer positief en enthousiasmerend. Heerlijk. Ook het sociale moment na afloop beviel me zeer. Bedankt voor de uitnodiging nogmaals!"

.

Larissa: "Toch nog even laten weten dat de indrukken van eergisteren nog steeds vers in mijn geheugen zitten! Ik zou graag beginnen tekenen, maar nu zijn het eerst examens. (Ik zie mijn examen fysiologie nu wel helemaal zitten. En eigelijk wil ik nu ook terug arts studeren...) Daarna ga ik met mijn foto's en met wat boeken aan de slag! Het was een indrukwekkende ervaring, zowel als anatomische informatiebron als als psychologische ervaring. Ik verbaas me erover dat het maar heel even duurde vooraleer ik de lichaamsdelen (die de eigenaar ervan zichtbaar wellicht veel psychisch leed hebben berokkend) kon objectiveren! Het is evidentie voor hoe een context enorm belangrijk kan zijn voor hoe je een ervaring percipieert (want in een andere context zouden zo'n beelden mij psychisch helemaal onderuit halen). Ik ben dan ook blij dat er achteraf ook nog uitgebreid over gepraat werd. En Prof. Van Glabbeek was niet alleen als handige chirurg maar ook als persoon bewonderenswaardig! Nog eens bedankt, veel succes met de documentaire, de zomercursus en al de andere plannen!"

.

Jan: "Het was een geweldige avond, zeker voor herhaling vatbaar. Ik ben bijzonder enthousiast! Enige opmerking die ik had: misschien een uurtje expliciet uittrekken om te tekenen, zonder dat er aan de specimens veel hoeft gemanipuleerd te worden. Laat maar iets horen als er weer moet gemobiliseerd worden!"

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Florian: "Nogmaals bedankt voor de ervaring en hopelijk kan ik volgende keer weer deelnemen. Veel succes en tot ziens."

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Wietske: "Een klein nadeel vond ik de cameramannen, specifiek één ervan. Ik snap natuurlijk dat ze een mooie/goede film willen maken, maar soms stonden ze flink in de weg of gingen recht voor je staan. Verder vond ik het helemaal geweldig! Nooit gedacht dat ik zoiets zou mogen meemaken :D"

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Abigail: "Ik vond het zeker een geslaagde avond, ik heb wat kennis kunnen opfrissen en de gesprekken met de kunststudenten waren heel boeiend."

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Oleg: "Ik heb echt genoten van de avond. (Hoewel het woord genieten toch een beetje misplaatst lijkt.) Het delen van kennis, kunde en enthousiasme met mensen van buiten de geneeskunde vond ik echt geweldig. De volgende keer ben ik er graag weer bij!"

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Martin: "Ik vond het een zeer bijzondere avond. Het zo geconfronteerd worden met een ontleding van een been en een arm door een professor met studenten anatomie en kunstenaars er bij was voor mij een emotionele gebeurtenis. Emotioneel in de betekenis van gevoelig in tegenstelling tot de wetenschappelijke, medische benadering er van. Voor een kunstenaar kunnen zijn gedachten, gevoelens, vragen alle kanten op schieten, wat het bij mij dan ook deed. Dit was zo bijzonder omdat het voor mij een eerste ervaring met het ontleden van lichaamsdelen was. Het totale gebeuren heeft bij zo veel kanten dat ik het in mijn geheugen opgeslagen heb en er vele malen uit zal putten. Het heeft namelijk een emotionele/gevoelige kant wat ik al zei, maar tegelijk een esthetische, een ethische, een juridische, een medische, een maatschappelijke, een filosofische enz. Een kunstenaar zal op onverwachte momenten al deze informatie een keer gebruiken, maar wanneer en hoe dat blijft een mysterie. Ik wil dan ook jullie en de andere medewerkers en de mensen die hun lichaam voor de wetenschap ter beschikking hebben gesteld dan ook zeer hartelijk danken."

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Els: "Ik vond het een zeer leerrijke en toffe avond. Ik hoop dat ik er een volgende keer weer bij kan zijn!"

BRAI2N

19 June 2009

BRAI2N is the Brain Research center Antwerp for Innovative and Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation. Its philosophy can be summarized by a quote from Albert Einstein: ‘The grand aim of all science is to cover the greatest number of empirical facts by logical deduction from the smallest number of hypotheses or axioms’.

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BRAI2N’s mission is therefore to perform neuroscientific research and translate the results into novel neuromodulation treatments by investigating the common neurophysiological mechanisms clustering groups of pathologies, such as the thalamocortical dysrhythmias and obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders. Another line of research will aim at the development of new neuromodulation techniques for the study and treatment of disorders of consciousness, self-perception and social interactions.

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We welcome you to the opening of BRAI2N.
Prof. Dirk De Ridder, Prof. Paul Van de Heyning & the BRAI2N group

PROGRAMME, Friday, June 19th, 2009

Opening session

09.00 Why Brai2n?

Prof. D. De Ridder, UZA

09.10 Why Brai2n in UZA?

Mr. J. Van der Straeten, CEO UZA

09.20 Brai2n filling the academic gap

Prof. P. Van de Heyning, UA/UZA

09.30 Applied neuroscience: the public health care perspective

Dr. Y. Avontroodt, RIZIV

Science

09.45 University and innovation: a never ending problematic relationship

Prof. H. De Ridder-Symoens, UG
10.05 Ethics in brain modulation

Prof. J. Braeckman, UG
10.25 Law, morality and the brain

Prof. J. Verplaetse, UG

Coffee break 10.45-11.15

11.15 A heuristic model of the brain

Prof. D. De Ridder, UZA
11.35 A cinematographic vision of the brain

Prof. W. Freeman, UC Berkeley
11.55 The failing Brain

Prof. C. Van Broeckhoven, VIB
12.15 A brain with a view: MRI & spectroscopy

Prof. P. ParizeI, UZA
12.35 Highways in the brain: DTI/DSI

Prof. W. Vanhecke, UA
12.55 Snapshots of the brain in action: fMRI

Prof. S. Sunaert, KUL

Lunch break 13.00-14.15

14.15 Brain shut, eyes open: PET imaging

Prof. S. Laureys, ULG
14.35 Connecting hotspots in the brain: LORETA EEG

Prof. R. Pascual-Marqui, University Zurich
15.00 The brain at rest: ICA EEG

Dr. M. Congedo, CNRS Grenoble
15.20 Endophenotypes of event-related potentials in diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders

Prof. Y. Kropotov, lnstitute of the Human Brain of Russian Academy of Sciences

Coffee break 15.40-16.00

16.00 Brain conditioning: neurofeedback

Dr. E. Verstraeten, UZA
16.20 Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a new old tool for modulating brain activity

Prof. Y. Kropotov, lnstitute of the Human Brain of Russian Academy of Sciences
16.40 Magnetic control of the mind: TMS

Prof. V. Walsh, University College London
17.00 Our posthuman Nietzschean future: Brain implants

Prof. D. De Ridder, UZA

Closing session

17.20 Closing word Prof. D. De Ridder / Prof. P. Van de Heyning

The official language of the symposium will be English.

REGISTRATION FORM
Opening Brai2n and lunch, June 19th, 2009
Registration is free, but required.

Name....................................................................................... Specialisation....................................................................... Address.................................................................................. ....................................................................................................

Tel.............................................................................................

E-mail ......................................................................................

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Please return this registration form toTRI/Brai2n before June 10th, 2009. You can register also by:
E-mail

marina.pieters@uza.be
Phone +32 (0)3 821 45 38
Fax +32 (0)3 825 24 28

Further information? www.brai2n.com

Gallery as Wunderkammer

Exhibition in New Orleans, USA
May 9 - June 6, 2009

Human Dissection - Intro

20/05/2009

DISSECTION OF ONE ARM AND ONE LEG
fresh frozen



Wednesday 20 May 2009
Time: 18:00 - 22:00
Location: University of Antwerp (UA), Campus Groenenborger, T135 Dissection Room
Groenenborgerlaan 171
Antwerp, Belgium
Map

Route

For: scientists, artists, biomedical artists

To bring with you: dissection material, drawing material, ...

Information:

Francis Van Glabbeek, MD, PhD
Professor of Functional Anatomy and Orthopedics
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
University Hospital Antwerp
Wilrijkstraat, 10
2650 Edegem
Belgium
francis.van.glabbeek@uza.be
Tel: +3238213247Fax:+3238215491

Registration is closed (max 30 attendants).

The art of medicine

16-21 March 2009

British institute of radiology (BIR)

By creating an exhibition which brings together professionals involved in the business

of radiology, with artists drawing inspiration from radiological techniques and images,

our intention is to provoke people to think about the link between science and art,

and contribute to the ongoing exchange of ideas between two worlds.

Art and Medicine have been influencing each-other for centuries. The “Art of

Medicine” continues this theme and brings modern medical images into the exhibition

to contrast and complement artwork.

More than an exhibition...

The British Institute of Radiology

36, Portland Place

London W1B 1AT

Tel: 020 7307 1400

Fax: 020 7307 1414

E-mail: artofmedicine@bir.org.uk

Website www. b i r. o r g . u k