Laser beams and superstrings, generative systems and AI, X-rays and MRIs. From the macro to the micro, from the everyday to the exceptional, the legacy of Albert Einstein permeates this century through the tools we use, the research being conducted in numerous fields, and the continuing search for our place in the cosmos. Alongside scientists, technologists and humanists, artists have probed and responded to the post-Einsteinian landscape for nearly a century. From installations that seem to react to the pull of invisible forces to the altered landscapes and mindscapes of VR, artists continue to push the limits of available technology, stretching and questioning our notions of perception, dimension, and time.

How are artists and scientists exploring this legacy, not as individuals, but through art-sci collaborative projects? In 1998, Art & Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI), took a leap of faith that artists and scientists were ready to come together in a public symposium to present their projects, share their thoughts on collaboration and dispel misconceptions about the Îtwo culturesâ of C.P. Snow. By ArtSci2001, new collaborative models had evolved and we found scientists presenting alongside their artist partners. This emergent cultural paradigm that is developing around the world, has raised new questions on issues surrounding artscience practice.

In this 4th international art-sci symposium, organized by ASCI, we continue to build a visible context for the nascent field of artscience practice by publicly sharing and documenting exemplary models of art-sci collaborations while providing a valuable information hub, collaborative tools, and an open forum for dialogue about current artscience practice and interdisciplinary collaboration in general.

ArtSci2002 begins with an exciting Friday planned at the American Museum of Natural History. This includes a group viewing of the museum's up-coming major exhibition, EINSTEIN , followed by a rare opportunity to meet the museum's research scientists at an Art-Sci Social Mixer/Reception [private only for symposium attendees], capping the evening off with a Keynote Address introduced by Brian Greene, physicist and author of the best-selling book, The Elegant Universe. He will briefly talk about Einstein's unique ability to see with his "mind's-eye" and about a couple of his current art-science collaborative projects. Then acclaimed choreographer, Sandra Kaufmann and rising-star playwright/videographer, Michael Bassett, will present the fascinating story of the development of their recently commissioned multi-media play called Superstrings!

On Saturday and Sunday, seven artist-scientist teams from around the world will give audio-visual presentations on their intriguing recent collaborations. Their work also reflects the influence of Einstein's legacy, which was a pre-requisite for this year's Open Call for Presentation Proposals. Their work includes, among others: a public sculpture that registers muons (subatomic particles) and translates them into light; human movement experiments on a zero-gravity parabolic flight; an interactive installation based on the way a nanoscientist manipulates an individual molecule; and a project that utilizes hypnosis and genetic algorithms to create new innovations in architecture. By clicking on the Program Schedule [left navigation bar], you can preview images, project descriptions, bios, and contact information.

However, the majority of the weekend program will be interactive: attendees will participate in small groups with a total of 28 Breakout, Workshop, and Product Demo leaders. The discussion-based Breakout Sessions will cover: best practices; professional development; new models of art-sci curriculum [from high-school to Masters degree programs, plus informal art-sci educational models]; new global initiatives in art-sci practice; art-sci humanitarian projects; and funding models for this new field. Workshops & Product Demos will be about practical skills such as: how to create PowerPoint and/or a multimedia CD for giving public presentations; and one on the importance of contracts in collaborative work. Sessions are geared to those both experienced and novices to collaboration [See left-navigation bar]

Our audience & other event details: ArtSci2002 will, as always, be an open forum for people from many disciplines: artists, scientists, technologists, humanists, educators, philosophers, theorists, and anyone interested in the creative possibilities when professional discipline barriers are removed. During pre-registration, we will be creating an online listing of all attendees with links to URLs documenting their work. [See "Attendees" in left navigation bar] This listing will assist individuals who want to contact potential future collaborators prior to the event and will function to demonstrate the talent and diversity of event participants. Full proceedings will be documented on a CD-Rom for the benefit of the global community working in or interested in artscience practice.

*The American Museum of Natural History in New York will open a major, six-month exhibition, EINSTEIN, November 15, 2002-August 2003.

The Full Program from last year's ArtSci Symposium is being webcast: www.asci.org/ArtSci2001

This year, nine prominent collaborating institutions working in the field of artscience practice have helped produce the event as a future model for self-sustainability: [For details click on "Collaborators" at left]

Arts Council of England [Collaborative Arts Unit]
Arts Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Australian Network for Art & Technology [ANAT]
Banff New Media Institute (BNMI), Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada
Design | Media Arts at UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture
Leonardo/ISAST (International Society for Art, Science, & Technology)
Radical Project/The SMARTlab Centre, The London Institute
School of Art & Design, University of Michigan
Science and the Arts Program, CUNY Graduate Center

ArtSci2002 is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts/USA, a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, and our media sponsors: NATURE magazine and Leonardo Journal. [Sponsorship open: contact ASCI Director, Cynthia Pannucci at 718 816-9796]