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Art meets science in a series of fascinating encounters

A groundbreaking live art production, insights from a leading brain scientist and discussions on the mystery of mathematics are set to form part of an exciting series of events at the University of Sheffield this Spring, fusing arts and science together.

As part of the 2010 Arts-Science Encounters programme, which kicks-off next week (15 March 2010) and will run over a period of four months, arts and science researchers at the top of their profession, as well as performers and artists, will share their knowledge on a whole host of topics.  These will range from theatre, dance and poetry to anthropology, psychology and mathematics, with the aim of demonstrating the constant overlap between the disciplines of art and science.

Guest speakers and soloists will include Marcus du Sautoy, who is the Oxford University Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Paul Robertson, leader and violinist from the internationally acclaimed Medici String Quartet and Emeritus Professor Zygmunt Bauman, a scholar internationally renowned for his writing on modernity, the Holocaust and postmodern consumerism.

The talks are free and open to the general public, so whether visitors have an interest in delving into the creation of ballet, exploring the art form of maths or investigating memory and emotion, there will be an event suitable for everybody.

Some of the talks included in the programme are:
-    She’s Lost Contro- Science on the Stage: A general discussion of theatre on the current stage, followed by a groundbreaking live art production in which award-winning dancer Rita Marcalo explores the conceptual and physical interfaces between dance, epilepsy and neurological research.

-    What Makes for a Better Society?: Emeritus Professor Zygmunt Bauman, famous for his writing on topics such as modernity and the Holocaust, comes to Sheffield to join a panel discussion with leaders of the Sheffield research community, to envisage a better society for our future. Joining him will be Professor Richard Jones, a leading expert in Nanotechnology and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University; Professor Andrew Vincent from the Department of Politics; and Dr Benjamin Ziemann from the Department of History.

-    Dancing to Darwin- The Comedy of Change: In advance of a Ballet Rambert performance at the Lyceum Theatre between 28-30 April 2010, this encounter features the scientist whose collaboration with Mark Baldwin produced the new ballet, The Comedy of Change, on the subject of evolution and animal behaviour. Cambridge psychologist Nicky Clayton talks about the creation of the ballet and how scientific ideas come to inspire the movement, energy and musicality of dance.

-    Marcus du Sautoy- The Art of Mathematics:  The 2010 Arts-Science Encounters concludes with a public lecture by Marcus du Sautoy, Oxford University Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science. He will explain why and how mathematics may be considered a form of art. Mathematics, he is quoted as saying, is ‘all about mystery, big stories and journeys to infinity and beyond.’

Dr Jessica Dubow, from the Department of Geography at University of Sheffield and co-director of the Arts-Science Encounters, said: “The Arts-Science Encounters exemplify all the ways that the arts, sciences and social sciences can enrich one another and shows how intellectual and public dialogue is the heart of an open and challenging society.

“The aim of the talks are to give members of the public the chance to learn and talk about this collaboration and to stimulate creative debate, so it is great that the University of Sheffield is providing a platform for this.”

For a full list and further details on all the upcoming events please visit: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/english/arts-science/events.html