Gateway

rGAfE WAY THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AsSOCIATION (ASTS) The "Science, Technology and Society Association" (ASTS) is a non-profit organization that was created in 1981 by a group of engineers, physicians, lawyers and executives from various sectors. Their objective was to set up a structure through which they could share their experiences and formulate propositions. The aim of ASTS is not to arrange gatherings solely for the scientific community-many organizations already exist to serve this purpose-but to establish a link between the scientific world and society at large. Can we reasonably look at science and technology today in the way we did in the nineteenth century? Is this major field of human activity the ideal, inescapable and only way towards progress? As we approach the third millennium , it appears that the international scientific community and, more generally, all those who are concerned about the roles of different scientific and technological fields are agreeing to reject the scientistic approaches of the nineteenth century. They also acknowledge the fact that science and technologies are first and foremost the products of culture and history and that they constitute a powerful medium through which society expresses itself. This new awareness in no way reduces the weight of scientific research as one of the most enlightening sources of knowledge. Free from any dogmatism, it should fulfill the essential role of making us permanently question ourselves about where our civilizations are heading and about the future of our planet and its people. Science, an often-neglected part of our culture that we like to think of as comprehensive, gives us© 19941SAST In GATEWAY wereport on significant events, including conferences and expositions; newsof interestingdevelopments in t~chnology and science as theyrelate to the arts;newsaboutpeople of interest to theLeonardo audience, tutorial-level discussions of important technologies and sciencefor thenonexpert. Wewelcome readers' suggestionsfor and contributions tofuture sections. THE SOLART GLOBAL NETWORK 1995 The aim ofthe SOLART Global Network 1995isto bring together artistsworking with outdoor solar artworks . In July and August of 1995, participating artists will work autonomously , sharing a common catalog and common documentation of the event on film and video. Exhibitions are planned to show the resulting artworks and their documentation. The Global Network represents people who share the same vision of the Solar Age. Technology is used at the mostadvanced level, butonly to strengthen theunderlyingvalues of a critical and creative redefinition of art inthe Biosphere. The Biosphere concept regards livingmatter inits entirety as the domain for the accumulation and transformation of the sun's energy. The SOLART Global Network project addresses how art and artists can share this concept of all living matter. LEONARDO, Vol. 27, No.4, pp. 263-267, 1994 263 @EWAY Global Network ... For more information, contact Jurgen Claus, B-4837 Baelen, Overoth 5, Belgium. Tel: 32-87743791 ; fax: 32-87-743796. THE SHEARWATER FOUNDATION'S HOLOGRAPHY PROGRAM Sevenyears ago, the Shearwater Foundation initiated its Holography Program to promote and encourage the art of holography byproviding support and recognition to preeminent artists in the field. Since 1987, the Holography Program has been expanded to include support of institutions and activities that contribute to the worldwide understanding and appreciation of holography. In 1993, a total of$100,500 in grantswas presented as Shearwater Holography Awards. Winners included artists Mary Harman of Montreal andAna Maria Nicholson of New York; The Creative Holography Index, a non-profit quarterly published in Cologne, Germany; the Mississippi Museum ofArt, Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.A.; the MIT Museum , Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; the Society of Photo-Optical 264 Gateway ASTS . . . plenty of food for thought, endlessly forcing us to adjust to the swiftness of its evolution. Where are our bearings in rapidly changing societies? One of the objectives ofASTS is to exist as a structure for the reflection and confrontation of ideas among scientists, engineers, technicians and anyone who uses the results of research in his or her professionallife or is simply concerned about these questions . Participants are united in the belief that science must play its part fully in the economic, social and cultural development of society. ASSOCIATION SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIE ET SOCIETE 17, place de I'Argonne 75019 Paris France Tel: 1-44-89-8282...