The lecture space, in the Manhattan studio of
artist Ellen K. Levy, was intimate and informative. Questions sprang from audience members,
which fostered conversation about the complexities of nature and how artists’ profound
awareness of instability helps to harness those
complexities. This gathering is one of many
Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
(LASER) events at which artists and scientists
showcase their work and engage in casual conversation.
The first LASER gathering was held at San
Francisco University in January 2008; the first
New York City LASER followed in 2009. Nowadays, LASERs are springing up in other places
like London, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C.,
Santa Cruz and Palo Alto in California, and
Chicago. Each LASER event has its own personality, but the premise for each one remains
the same.
affiliate organizations. Levy became chair of
LEAF in 2008. In late 2009, Roger F. Malina,
chair emeritus of the board of directors at
Leonardo/ISAST, suggested that Levy begin her
own LASER gathering like the ones that were
already taking place in California. The LASERs
in New York are now held every month and a
half, according to Olynyk. Some take place at
Levy’s studio space, where Ballard, Alexander,
and Damon presented their research this April.
“Ellen’s studio space is ‘agnostic,’ in the sense
that it is non-disciplinary specific and open to
everyone,” Olynyk says.
In 2011, DASER, a sister lecture series of LASER, was first hosted by the Cultural Programs
at National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS) under the leadership of cultural programs director
J.D. Talasek.Talasek entered the art and science
community about 12 years ago, when he became
the assistant director of the arts program at
“The primary goal is to simply create a forum NAS. “I came to be interested in how art [and]
for cross-disciplinary conversations and allow
science discussions form the platform [for] a
the opportunity for artists, scientists, curators,
network of ideas that more accurately reflects
writers, and thinkers to share their research,”
the complexity of our current reality more so
says Patricia Olynyk, co-director of the LASER than any one constructed discipline possibly
in New York City. “The atmosphere of the gath- could,” says Talasek.
erings is relaxed and collegial. Conver sations are
never forced and the outcomes of our meetings
He became aware of the LASERs that began
are open ended.”
in California and decided to create a similar
program in Washington, D.C. “The goals were
LASER’s acronym-heavy history is a story of
simple,” Talasek says. “[I wanted] to create a
multiple collaborations. LASERs are hosted
regular meeting place where people interested
by the Leonardo Art and Education Forum
in cross disciplinary work could network.”
(LEAF), which is sponsored, in turn, by LeonDASERs are now held every month.
ardo/The International Society for the Arts,
Sciences, and Technology (Leonardo/ISAST), a
Fitting together different pieces of culture
nonprofit organization that fosters connections shapes the DASER experience, as the diversity
between scholars, scientists, researchers, and
of lecturers at DASER highlights. Claudia Hart,
thinkers in interdisciplinary work.
an artist and associate professor at the School
of the Art Institute of Chicago, was inspired
The story of the New York City LASERs beby the “mathematical and technical rigors of
gins in 2003, when Levy, who now runs the sespatial 3D-imaging” that Amy Bastian, an assories with Olynyk, was president of the College
ciate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins
Arts Association (CAA), a collective founded
School of Medicine, uses to analyze movement
in 1911 to promote scholarship and teaching in
and brain trauma. Robin Shannon, an actor and
art as well as the history of art. Levy proposed
associate director of DeafVibe, interpreted the
to the executive board at CAA that Leonardo/
work of multimedia artists and composer RanISAST should become an affiliate of the orgadall Packer.
nization. From Levy’s initiative, the Leonardo
Education Forum was formed and represented
In February 2014, three years after the first
Leonardo at CAA events. Eventually, LEF grew DASER lecture, Heather Barnett hosted the
to include LEAF as Leonardo garnered more
first international LASER event. Barnett di-
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SciArt in America June 2014