The blog, “State of the Planet”, recently reviewed the Earth Institute and PostiveFeedback’s event, Art/Science Speed-Dating, where artists and scientists were brought together for quick conversations, and the hope of igniting “sparks” of inspiration for future collaborations.
The night began with a panel discussion, after which:
the crowd of approximately 25 artists and 25 scientists commenced speed-dating each other. After five minutes was up, it was time to switch seats to date another participant. Each dater met approximately a dozen counterparts.
During the dates, participants shared with one another work they had done on cell phones and tablets, and exchanged information, making plans to talk in the future. Daters everywhere were rapt in conversation, and you could see an occasional wild hand gesturing in excitement.
(Annea)Lockwood (a musician and composer) said she was struck by the generosity of the scientific community.
“Several of the people I met in the round robin offered information about infra- and ultrasound sources for my current project, from caterpillars to bioluminescent animals, or said they would talk with colleagues — I can’t wait to track down the data and listen.” It is clear that the event set the stage for future conversations among the artists and scientists.
At the end of the night, daters felt gratified and enlightened by the experience, but a little exhausted.
“Twelve five-minute dates back to back is a lot of socializing, but everyone said that the experience was more than worth it,” (Eli) Kintisch (writer, Science Magazine) said. During the final talk back, many even wished that they had more time.
Read more about the “fantastic” night at State of the Planet, and to learn more about the Earth Institute and PostiveFeedback check out their profile page.