Venice Ecologies at the Intersection of Art & Science

The relationship between art and science is a complex interplay. Although seemingly distinct disciplines, art and science are more interconnected than one might initially perceive. Art, often associated with creativity, imagination, and aesthetic expression can play an interesting role in elaborating and revealing, among other things, the complexity of science, thus becoming a science communication medium.

On the occasion of the arrival of TBA21–Academy's Artists in Residence to Venice, Venice International University (VIU) and TBA21 are organizing a public lecture as part of the ‘VIU Lecture series’, with the artists Nandita Kumar and Adelita Husni-Bey, delving into the interconnections of art and science in their respective practices.

The artists will present their residency projects, commissioned in the context of the S+T+ARTS4Water II "Ports in Transformation", an initiative by the European Commission calling for artists to respond to regional challenges of water sustainability. They will also discuss their previous work at the intersections of art, science, and technology to showcase how art can support science communication and foster the development of sustainable approaches.

This event is organized by TBA21–Academy and Venice International University within the framework of the VIU Globalization Program and S+T+ARTS 4Water II residency program with the support of Konsortium Deutsche Meeresforschung (KDM) and the collaboration of Ca' Foscari, CNR-ISMAR, ETT, Venice International University, and the S+T+ARTS program of the European Union.

Nandita Kumar creates at the intersection of art, sound, environmental science, technology, and community engagement. As a system designer, she explores the process through which human beings construct meaning from their experiences by creating sensory narratives using data, sound, video/animation, performance, and technology. Her process envisions a future for human societies in which living conditions and resource use continue to meet human needs without undermining the "integrity, stability and beauty" of natural biotic systems. As part of her TBA21–Academy residency, she is creating an interactive graphical and sound installation, based on an experimental archive that collates information on Phytoremediation plants and the varied pollutants broken down by these plants in water bodies.

Adelita Husni-Bey is an artist and pedagogue invested in anarcho-collectivism, theater, and legal anthropology. She organizes workshops, publications, broadcasts, and exhibition work using non-competitive pedagogical models through the framework of contemporary art. Involving activists, architects, jurists, schoolchildren, spoken-word poets, actors, urbanists, physical therapists, students, and teachers, her work consists of making sites in which to practice collectively. Her residency project is set to explore the connection between Marghera Port, the global flow of capital, and Venice with its residents and more-than-human inhabitants. The project uses Boal’s Legislative Theatre as a form of participatory theater to give rise to ‘legislation from below’, along with a video installation engaging the process and themes of the work.

TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary is a leading international art and advocacy foundation. Established in 2002 by philanthropist and art patron Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Foundation stewards the TBA21 Collection and its outreach activities, which include exhibitions as well as educational and public programming. TBA21 is based in Madrid, working in association with the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and has other important poles of action in Venice (Italy) and Portland (Jamaica). TBA21–Academy is the foundation’s research arm, fostering a deeper relationship with the Ocean and wider ecologies by working as an incubator for transdisciplinary inquiry, artistic production, and environmental advocacy. All activity at TBA21 is collaborative and fundamentally driven by artists and the belief in art and culture as a carrier of social and environmental transformation, ultimately in the service of peace.

Venice International University (VIU) is a consortium of 23 institutions, representing 14 countries throughout the world. The mission of VIU is to foster cooperation among VIU member institutions while facilitating the exchange of knowledge and ideas, through joint academic, research and capacity-building programs. VIU programs are distinguished by a markedly interdisciplinary, multicultural approach to the topics, and by the international perspectives that the participants contribute to the discussions. Among those, the Globalization Program brings together students and professors from the VIU member universities to study the today’s global challenges. Since 2018, the VIU Science Communication Unit of the TEN program on Sustainability promotes research and cooperation to support the communication of science and research to the wide public, among which is the nexus between art and science.

S+T+ARTS is an initiative of the European Commission conceived to foster alliances between science, technology, and the arts in order to cultivate technological innovation through a holistic approach. As part of this initiative, the S+T+ARTS4Water project calls for artists to respond to regional challenges of water sustainability. In its second edition, S+T+ARTS4WaterII–Ports in Transformation, the program focuses on the environmental challenges of ports, port cities, coastal areas, and waterways.