92
Amanda McDonald Crowley
One of the programmes we ran during my time at ANAT was a series we called Deep Immersion. It was essentially a residency programme, but as we didn’t have our own venue, and were committed to supporting collaborative work, we partnered with other organisations to realise the programme. For Deep Immersion: Scientific Serendipity ANAT worked with artists to identify residency opportunities in science labs or science research partners. Traditionally, residencies for artists provide them with a discrete and usually solitary studio environment in which to work. We recognised that artists who work in a media or technological space rarely do their best work alone. A lab environment, where they can work with people with diverse skill sets in a space where they have ready access to technological tools is a more appropriate and rewarding work environment. ANAT documented the research in a publication and went on to develop online resources. All of this was the groundwork to continue to grow this kind of opportunity. However, the work developed required space that neither the labs nor ANAT had. When I left ANAT I went to work with the Adelaide Festival 2002, where I co-curated the exhibition conVerge: where art and science meet. The exhibition was presented in the Art Gallery of South Australia, a State art museum. The challenge was to present work produced in an interdisciplinary environment in an art context, and in an exhibition format. Linda Cooper, one of the co-curators, came from a science museum background, and project-managed the project and its installation. Showing work that required interaction in a gallery space where this was generally not the case was at times confusing for audiences. Gallery attendants usually tell audiences not to touch the exhibits, but interaction was required for many of the works in this show. Still, the gallery attendants were excited by the works and really enjoyed their interactivity, though maintenance was indeed an issue for a show with a long duration. For me collaborating – even at a curatorial level – was a key success.
BEYOND DATA
INTERVIEW
AP/MS: What was the approach to sharing lab work and research at Eyebeam?
AMC: Eyebeam Art + Technology Center, based in New York, where I worked from 2005 to 2011, offers non-residential residencies, which are approximately five months long (the model is flexible to accommodate artists’ needs), and fellowships, which are eleven months long. During my tenure, Eyebeam also offered senior fellowships or fellowship extensions to ensure continuity among the creative practitioners in the house. The programmes are intended for artists and creative technologists working in a wide range of media. At any given time, there are up to 20 resident artists, fellows, and student residents (a wonderful teen mentoring programme) working in lab environments at Eyebeam’s Chelsea facility. ‘Lab environment’ in this context means that everyone works in a collaborative open-plan workspace with shared access to resources such as editing suites, electronics benches, laser cutters, a 3D printer, and a