FUSION: Bringing together art and science

FUSION  is a collaborative group of artists and scientists at the University of Edinburgh who meet regularly to explore ideas, share their research approaches, and generate shared outputs for exhibitions.

FUSION now has its own website, which you can explore here:  fusionartsci.co.uk

In addition, if you are interested in the interaction of art and science, and would like to know more, please contact Penelope Kay  to be added to the mailing list.**

Recent FUSION meetings

• February 2020: 'An afternoon of Art and Science' showcase of FUSION work with a Q&A panel of art and science FUSION members.
• January 2020: 'Art and Science of the mind' talk by Dhanraj Vishwanath, University of St Andrews
• December 2019: Talks by Dr Joan Smith, Senior Lecturer, Edinburgh College of art and Prof. Richard Ribchester, Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences.
• October 2019: Artist Annie Campbell, Assistant Professor of Fine Art in Ceramics, Auburn University, Alabama will talk about her neurologically inspired scultpure.
• September 2019: Showcase at Edinburgh College of Art
• April 2019: A tour of the Metamorphosis exhibition at Summerhall
• December 2018: An evening with Dr Wanda Gregory', digital game designer, and educationalist.
• April 2018: Gavin Inglis (games and fiction writer) talking about his Clincal Neuroscience Fellowship work.
• March 2018: FUSION show and tell, plus planning for Pint of Science exhibition in May.
• February 2018: MS is my boyfriend, with Ms Hannah Laycock (artist) with Dr Veronique Mirron (neuroscientist)
• November 2017: Body-Mind Innovation evening with Dr Priscilla Chueng-Nainby (Informatics) and Dr Neil Roberts (Edinburgh Imaging Facility)
• October 2017: 'Smell and Me' evening with Susana Camara Leret (Artist and Division of Clinical Neuroscience Fellowship holder), Dr Matthew Pauley (International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, Heriot Watt University), Dr Tilo Kunath (MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine), Ms Joy Milne (who uses smell in a unique way)
• June 2017: Visit to 'Regeneration: a story of becoming’ pop-up art-science exhibition at Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine
• May 2017: Work on art projects with physiology researchers, for the mini-exhibition at Firbush
• April 2017: Work on art projects for pop-up exhibit at the Pint of Science next month
• March 2017: Map exhibition tour at the National Library of Scotland

Exhibitions and outputs

2018, May - FUSION exhibited some of their outputs at the 'Pint of Science' art-science exhibition 'Creative Reactions' at the Tent Gallery, Edinburgh College of Art. Penny Kay and Dr Tom Pratt also participated in a panel discussionin the evening talking about art and science.

2017, June - FUSION worked with physiology researchers attending a retreat at the university field station at Firbush, helping them create outputs that drew on their own research areas. The outputs were really thoughful and thoroughly enjoyed by the retreat participants. Heart Art Project info.

2017, May - FUSION were invited to created some exhibits for the The Pint of Science event 'Is this real life?' at The City Cafe, Edinburgh. Speakers on the night were Dr David Carmel (Psychology) and Dr Mandy Johnstone (Clinical Brain Sciences), both members of Edinburgh Neuroscience.

2016, March - FUSION generated projects were exhibited at Neuroscience Day 2016 . This exhibition was a genuine collaboration between neuroscientists and artists from the Edinburgh College of Art with each piece reflecting one of four seperate group discussions.

2015, October - Penny Kay (Edinburgh College of Art) and Dr Tom Pratt (Centre for Integrative Physiology) received a FUSION award to develop a joint piece of work that woudl be exhibited at Neuroscience Day 2016.

2014, October - The FUSION monthly art-neuroscience group was launched. This is an informal group for discussion and activity bringing together art, psychology and neuroscience.

2014, February - 'Fusion: An Art-Neuroscience Experience' workshop for Innovative Learning Week. Undergraduates from neuroscience, psychology and Art joined together to explore what they can each gain from the other. After a launch event on Monday they had 3 days to create something together and what they came up with was fantastic!

2013, March - 'Mood, Mobilty and Place' £1million grant awarded by the EPSRC, through the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Cross-Council Programme, to Edinburgh College of Art Professor Catharine Ward-Thompson and Edinburgh Neuroscience researchers Professors Ian Deary, John Starr and Gillian Mead. This project explores how places can be designed collaboratively to make pedestrian mobility easy, enjoyable and meaningful for older people. The research is partnered by a network of stakeholder bodies and involves co-design with a range of participants, including stroke survivors and people with dementia, as well as innovative mobile neural imaging methods to explore real-time emotional responses to place. Working with the Lothian Birth Cohorts of people in their 70s and 90s, our research is the first to consider the influence of local environments in which people have lived from childhood.

2013, March - 'Represent, Present and Re-Present' exhibition at Inspace and at Neuroscience Day. A dozen Edinburgh College of Art undergradaute students visited Edinburgh Neursocience laboratories and created outputs in response to their experience.