Living Data

Ultimo Science Festival

LIVING DATA: ANIMATING CHANGE
Combining stories, hypotheses, data and iconography

This is an Ultimo Science Festivalevent.

FORUM Sunday 19 August, 1 - 4pm at The Muse, Building C, Ultimo TAFE, Harris St. Ultimo NSW.
Speakers include designers Lawrence Wallenand Carina Lee(UTS), and scientists William Gladstone,Martina Doblin(UTS), So Kawaguchi(AAD) and Haydn Washington(UNSW).
See live performances. Meet the artists and scientists.

EXHIBITION From Thursday 16 to Sunday 26 August. Open daily from 10am to 4pm at The Muse
Curators: Christine McMillanand Lisa Roberts Designer: Carina Lee

Living Data means the life forms that we count, weigh, measure, and observe for changing patterns in behaviour. That makes us living data, along with krill, whales and birds. Living Data is an on-line research project that brings together artists who work with scientists to share stories, data and iconography. The research aims to generate new ways of combining and presenting scientific information with sensory responses to our changing environment.

In this exhibition, drawing, dance, music and animation express a sense of wonder about our changing world: Oceans alive with krill, seals and whales; Land astir with native grasses and echidnas; Sea butterfly shells dissolving... Art by Lisa Roberts, Nigel Helyer, Christine McMillan, Melissa Smith, Caterina Mocciola and Ashley Macqueen is presented with iconography gathered through a growing global network of scientists and designers, visual and performing artists, including artists from the Eora Aboriginal CollegeCollection, Australia:

Sue Anderson,Australia
Lorraine Beaulieu,Canada
Philippe Boissonnet,Canada
Peter Charuk,Australia
Stephen Eastaugh,Argentina
Andrea Juan,Argentina
Eveline Kolijn,Canada
Carina Lee,Australia
Leo Murray,United Kingdom
Melissa Smith, Australia
Paul Sutton, Australia

Core scientific data come from the Climate Change Cluster,University of Technology, Sydney(UTS), the Australian Antarctic Division(AAD) and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studiesat the University of Tasmania.

Designing a sustainable future requires understanding our impacts on earth systems and the changes to earth systems that impact on us all. This means identifying our selves as integral to physical and biological global systems. However, it is not often acknowledged that our personal and economic well being depend on us maintaining a healthy environment. Living Data is a research project that explores ways to appeal to body (sensory) knowledge to engage us in scientific thinking. The research evolves through symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationships between artists and scientists.

Like a scientific model, a Living Data presentation evolves to reflect current knowledge. Living Data builds on the Antarctic Animation project. The research is practice-based. Animations and other art works are designed. A Blog is maintained to document methods used. On-line peer reviews and comments ensure ethical use of shared material and enable impacts of the work to be assessed. Animations are made that contribute to understanding impacts of climate on people and the environment. This practice exemplifies the shift towards collective knowledge production that is essential to advance understanding of climate change.

Living Data links with Lynchpin - the Ocean Project which coordinator Sue Anderson explains has been developed "to support research into the significance of the oceans to life on the planet and to encourage arts/ocean science conversations and collaborations that bring these stories to the wider community in new ways". The scholarship program is endorsed by the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and partnered by the Bookend Trust.

Lisa Roberts,Living Data project leader
Visiting Fellow, University of Technology, Sydney
Environmental Science / Design, Architecture & Built Environment