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Imagining Science
Art, Science, and Social Change |
| Editor Sean Caulfield, Timothy Caulfield |
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| Imagining Science brings together internationally recognized artists, scientists, and social commentators to feature a body of original artwork and essays which explores the complex legal, ethical, and social concerns about advances in biotechnology, such as stem cell research, cloning, and genetic testing. Many important questions and themes emerge from this exchange, highlighting the linkages between scientific and creative research. This collaboration also stresses the vital role art can play in critiquing these biomedical technologies, particularly as advancements in science begin to challenge our ethical boundaries. |
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| ISBN: 978-0-88864-508-1 |
| Price: CND$ 34.95, USD$ 34.95, £ 19.95 |
| Discount: Trade |
| Subject: Art/Biotechnology/Ethics |
| Publication Date: November 2008 |
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| Awards |
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| 2009 Bookbinders' Guild of New York |
| New York Book Show, First place in Four Colour Book category, and Best Book overall at 2009 New York Book Show, Scholarly & Professional Category |
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| 2009 The Alcuin Society |
| The Alcuin Society Citations for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, Prose Non Fiction, Illustrated (Honourable Mention) |
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| Reviews |
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"Imagining Science is an exploration of where and how art and science interact....[It] addresses those expectations and perceptions [of science] with lush photos of evocative art installations and colourful prints beside clear, concise articles on everything from bioethics and genetics to policy and food. Most importantly, however, it brings these disparate groups of artists, scientists, and social commentators together.”
Kathleen Bell, SEE Magazine, July 30, 2009 |
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"...Imagining Science [is] an innovative collaboration among scientists, artists, bioethicists and others that investigates numerous contentious bioethical issues, such as stem cell research, genetic testing, patenting of genes and genetic selection of offspring.... In his introductory essay, Timothy Caulfield touches on the controversial social, ethical, legal and religious issues gripping the field of biotechnology and opines that artists are an important voice among the various commentators. Indeed, some artists play the role of provocateur, presenting works inspired by the imagined (or unimaginable) possibilities of biotechnology and some of these works bring the public face-to-face with challenging and troublesome issues in a direct visceral way. The book features the work of 10 artists, along with 18 essays and a poem, all of which aim to shed new light from differing perspectives on biotechnology and the interplay between art and science.... It should appeal to a broad audience of general public as well as professionals (including artists) involved in the biosciences. When you look through it, have Google near at hand since the contributors provide or spin off many juicy references. While reading this book, I spent as much time eagerly surfing as I did looking at the actual pages. Probably a sure sign of a good read in our age.”
Stuart Kinmond, CMAJ, June 23, 2009 |
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| This intriguing book is the brainchild of brothers Sean and Timothy Caulfield, both professors at the University of Alberta. From contributors in the worlds of art and science, essays, photographs, paintings and poetry explore the ramifications of bio-technology on the world. Each entry emphasizes the complexity of the topic, stressing how science and art often combine to present a more powerful argument than either could alone. All demonstrate how even microscopic elements in the laboratory impact life and that all of life is connected. Much of this book was part of an exhibit at the University of Alberta art museum. Distributed by Michigan State University Press. Oversize: 11x 10 inches. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR) |
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"...The current Art Gallery of Alberta exhibit is a more direct result of a 2007 Banff Centre residency between international artists and scientists. At the center of the residency swirled questions concerning the legal, ethical and social implications in technological advances, and how these issues intersect within the realm between the arts and sciences. ...
Increasingly, the strange and the unknown are becoming known, and the limits of how far we go to explore the abyss of knowledge is the shakable foundation of the bioethical dilemma. New York-based Adam Zaretsky explores these limits with the heart of an artist and the soul of a scientist. ...
Citing the creation of transgenetic creatures as art, where scientists have to choose a gene to create an organism between the imagination and an objective reality, Zaretsky is transparent about his practice, his concerns, and acknowledges that researchers for the most part have no clear idea of where and how far they are willing to go.
'The things I see in the labs: frogs with eyes coming out of the back of their heads that are connected to the part of the brain that hears instead of sees' he shares within shades of ambivalence and awe. 'Science lives on the edge of knowledge, trying to capture it, torture it until it reveals to us its secrets so that we can claim it. I think these ethical conundrums are worth it. I admit that it's not just a dream, but a nightmare, a real return of the repressed. We're afraid of creative thought leading the way.'”
Amy Fung, Vue Weekly, Nov. 20, 2008.
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