ArtScience

Instructor: Keith D. Waddington
3 credits
Fall 2010

Goal of course:
Illuminate process in art and science, compare and contrast these processes, and then use these processes in tandem to create novel ideas and products.

Composition of course:
The course has 11 students majoring in Architecture, Biology, Marine Science, Studio Arts, and Biomedical Engineering. They work in groups or 2 or 3 to create!

Techniques used in the course:
• Limit time – students must develop and reject ideas quickly – this puts the focus on a forward moving process through idea space
• Use prescribed, unexpected topics, and prescribed, unexpected materials – both limit options but maximize creativity and discussion

A Biology major, a Marine Science major and an Art major carried out process in art with the topic “sand” and could use the materials: toothpicks, paper, ink and fastening materials. The class also carried out process in science with “sand” as a start point.

An Architecture major and two Biology students sample and quantify species diversity in a community (of Legos) that will be the data used to create an art-science piece.