[-empyre-] trans-disciplinary research

[Renate Ferro]

Dear Isabelle, 
My apology for the lapse in my responses.  I have been finishing the last bit of my semester here at Cornell.  Today I can happily report that it is SLOPE DAY the official end of all classes at the university where students from all seven colleges populate Lib Slope to enjoy music and merriment.  A wonderful sunny day in Ithaca. 

The work of *anti-atlas of borders* fascinatingly merges scientific and artistic research and experimentation.   I am curious who comprises this group?  Are they community affiliated?   Thanks for the curatorial projects and link that you shared.  http://www.antiatlas.net/actions-en/exhibitions/
Diverging approaches of specifically trained collaborators seems to have benefited your project.  What is striking to me is that there is a bit of personal chemistry that plays a huge part of this.  In my collaborations that worked best there was not only a deep appreciation and empathy with the other persons research and work but we also a shared sense of playful working energy.  Perhaps that is what you meant when you described the others in your group as “passionate human beings.” 

I am wondering if you and a few of your collaborators might agree to feature you work during a month of –empyre- at some point.  It would be interesting to delve into your shared work more deeply.  

Within Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, my department (Art) just implemented a new BFA cross-disciplinary program this past fall.  The art students we accepted for this incoming class all self-identified as artists.  However, they also voiced disciplinary interests in other colleges across the university from computing and engineering to poetry, history and performance.  Acknowledging that we are in the middle of a huge university complex, we asked ourselves how we could engage with more disparate departments encouraging our young students to infiltrate, deconstruct and finally collaborate to enfold their art with research in other areas.  We have thirty-seven in this year’s class and so far their art is thriving and informed in ways that we never expected.  The result has also been that others from our huge university are beginning to realize who we are, despite our comparative size.  There are no more distributive requirements but we hold student artists accountable by having an online WORKSPACE, where they record their self-directed curriculums and project proposals as well as their developing curriculums and research.  

In essence it is as you explained, “We simply assume that
transdisciplinarity generates cognitive gains made of quotations, transfers
and exemplification. Any discipline at any time may function as a vehicle
for another one. None of each specific knowledge is confronted to the
collapse of its proper logic, but committed in new experiments, with all
the limits and benefits this may induce.”  Beautifully said.  Thank you. Best. Renate




Renate Ferro
Visiting Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Art
Tjaden Hall 306
rferro at cornell.edu