The International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (ISAST)

Leonardo, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. i-iii, 1983 Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain EDITORIAL THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE ARTS, SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (ISAST) The Journal Leonardo incorporates severalpremises which, I believe, can form the basis for a larger undertaking-the development of a professional society for artists [13.These premises are: (1) The definitions of art, of artists, and of their relationshipto society are changingrapidly. Linked to this, the art of the future will be inextricably connected to scientific and technological developments which are radically altering the nature of society. These developments, for better or worse, force the invention of new tools and ideas and the study of new ethical, aesthetic and ideologicalquestions. To the extent that the art of the future reflects, interprets and creates the context of contemporary life, it must be involved with contemporary science and technology. (2) Artists, like scientists and engineers,generally have little formal training to write about and advocate their views, to organize themselves professionally, or to seek support for their work. But, likescientistsand engineers,they must doso.Leonardo has attempted to reinforce the idea that artists should be the first advocates of their own work. (3) To a greater extent than before, art must be recognized as occurring within, and having an impact upon, an international community.Leonardo has addressed and will continue to address the concerns of artists in both developed and less developed countries. (4) Art must be discussed in an inter- and multi-disciplinary framework. As with science and technology, effective work requires continuing interplay among many theoretical and applied disciplines. (5) Contemporary artistic activity is, in large part, becoming less connected with existing commercial and institutional traditions. So every attempt must be made to support new traditions for today’s art forms and approaches. With Leonardo enteringa new phase, it seems to me that the time is opportune to begin a larger undertaking. AIMS AND SCOPE The founding of the International Society for the Arts, Sciencesand Technology (ISAST) formally recognizes the existence of an international network of artists, scientists and engineers. This network has helped to sustain Leonardo from its start in 1968to the present. ISAST is patterned on the large number of scientific and technical societies which have served and promoted their own constituencies. The role and function of the older societies have evolved over two centuries, much as the professions have evolved. Most scientistsand engineerstoday view such societies as essentialto their professional lives; artists in generaldo not. I believe, because of the rapidly changing art scene, a new professional society for artists could play a useful role. Many artists are using contemporary technologies and thus need to exchange information; other artists need access to new technologies. At the same time, new artistic issues and age-old aesthetic problems are beingviewed from a scientific and technical perspective. The keystone of ISAST will be its encouragement of fruitful interaction among those working in art, science and technology. While recognizing the real differences of the three fields, ISAST should nurture new attitudes which seek to overcome arbitrary barriers such as those described in the ‘two cultures’ schism of C. P. Snow. The new Editorial Board of Leonardo stated in its first editorial that “In many ways analysis was the paradigm of the precedingepoch; however, we believe that our era demands synthesis-searching for common threads in the artistic, scientific and technological aspects of our fragmented cultural fabric” [2]. To do this, ISAST will have broad goals. First, it will serve artists generally as an international channel of communication. Second, it will seek to bring artists, scientistsand engineers into contact. Third, it will complement the many other established artists’ 1 I1 Editorial organizations, as well as working groups within professional technical and scientific societies, which service specific communities [3]. ACTIVITIES Publishing scholarly works, many with no initial commercial viability, is a traditional activity of professional societies. ISAST’s chief concern in its early stages will be to publish Leonardo. This journal, similar in this respect to scientific and technical journals, relies on the writings of men and women practicing in its field, as well as peer and technical review. This approach is still unusual in the...