Scientific Delirium Madness 2.0

Scientific Delirium Madness (SDM) is a collaborative initiative of Leonardo/ISAST and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program. At the heart of SDM is a monthlong residency that brings together artists and scientists at the Djerassi 585-acre retreat in the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains in California to explore and transform the boundaries of art and science. This Leonardo Gallery features a selection of Artist’s Statements stemming from the 2015 SDM residency, 30 June–29 July.

OUR SOPHOMORE YEAR

On 30 June 2015, a curious, intrepid and accomplished group arrived at our remote Artists’ Ranch to experience the second annual Scientific Delirium Madness artist/scientist residency. Pireeni Sundaralingam, 2014 SDM alum, facilitated exercises to accelerate camaraderie. Shyness evaporated and conversations began. The group may have arrived as strangers but they left as friends and collaborators.

Allow me to share what a few of the participating artists and scientists [1] had to say about their experiences:

The residency allowed me to explode creatively . . . and will help distinguish my scientific/creative work as relevant to a broader audience.

—eathan janney, composer and scientist

I realize the importance of engaging across disciplines— with scientists, visual artists, and others—not necessarily to produce discrete works, but to expand thinking and enable me to ask new questions of my own work.

—allison cobb, writer

The residency has reconfirmed and strengthened my commitment to working in between the disciplines of science and the arts, specifically the art of mathematics and the science of dance.

—karl schaffer, mathematician and choreographer

The residency gave me an unusual space to do creative work—it helped me redefine my priorities and consolidate work defining my career.

—caroline wellbery, medical doctor and writer

The pool of applicants for SDM 2.0 grew to 275, from which the 13 residents were chosen. For a second year, Leonardo/ISAST was awarded funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) [2], while private funders John and Sue Diekman and Helen L. and Peter S. Bing underwrote fellowships for two residents, Tami Spector and Caroline Wellbery, respectively.

So what’s next? The NEA is our partner for a third year, and we also have a new partnership with the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI), in support of the 2016 residency [3]. Who knows what might be in this gallery space for SDM 3.0? Stay tuned. The music is always playing but the frequency changes.