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Matter
Reflections
Kathleen's research residency enabled her to have a significant engagement with scientific research into embryonic and adult stem cell tissue engineering, cell regeneration and the molecular mechanisms of disease in a world-class arena. The residency fostered an intellectual space for her own artistic practice linked to stem cell research within the Bone and Joint Research Group. Stem cell research requires multi disciplinary approaches involving techniques from cell biology, biophysics, biochemistry, functional genomics and bioinformatics and the first stages of her research was broadly exploratory. In choosing her visual approach she was acutely aware of her ethical responsibilities. Importantly, she was made aware of the dangers of exposing researchers to publicity that might place their research or personal safety at risk. At times the full extent and mesh of research was daunting and her task; to build public awareness to the research whilst also acknowledging researcher privacy; to sustain confidence in the research whilst understanding the ethical issues; to work in collaboration with busy researchers whilst also cautiously skirting unpublished intellectual property that might void potential new patents was inevitably challenging. The technical procedures and fabrication methods of stem cell research and the objectifying practices of science frequently over shadow underlying ethical questions. The contradictions and dilemmas of engaging audiences with sometimes-controversial research cannot be understated. These unresolved dilemmas have a pivotal impact on the freedom of the creative process and the making of meaning. The infrastructures of societal ethics through the understanding of science are still being written and collaboration with visual artists can usefully influence and enhance public debate and understanding. Working in collaboration Kathleen has been able to create a visually dramatic and emotionally moving artwork. In the past decade art and design practices have interacted with biotechnology and biotechnology ethical debates in numerous ways and Kathleen's work uniquely contributes to this important emergent field.
"When artists are provided with privileged access to laboratories and enabled to work alongside established senior research scientists, a shared responsibility for the negotiation of ethical boundaries and procedure becomes necessary. Embedded residencies such as this can potentially lead to new collective expertise and case studies that build real ethical connections between the arts, humanities and science. The arts can highlight public discussion on the limits of science, help to build bridges between stem cell research and applied medicine and engage public audiences with research that affects their health and well being".
Biographical
Professor Kathleen Rogers is an internationally acclaimed visual artist working at the forefront of emerging interdisciplinary fields in the arts and humanities that cross-over in to the life sciences.
Her artworks have been exhibited in public art museums and galleries, festivals worldwide, most recently within the international exhibitions, Evolution Haute Couture at the Moscow Biennale, and the National Gallery for Contemporary Art, Kalingrad, Russia, Genesis the Art of Creation at the Paul Klee Museum, Bern, Switzerland, Lost in Lace at the Birmingham City Museum Art Gallery, Crossing Over - Art, Science and Biotechnologies: at the Royal Institution of Great Britain London and Inside, Arte e Ciencia at Cordoaria Nacional, Lisbon, Portugal.
Kathleen studied experimental media at the Slade School of Fine Art and Wimbledon School of Art and is now Professor of Media Arts and Science at the University for the Creative Arts where she teaches digital arts and supervises PhD students working across art and science domains. Kathleen is a member of the AHRC Peer Review College and provides research reviews across interdisciplinary fields of visual art, science and technology. Her research engagement informs the cultural, ethical and social dimensions of her arts practice and her work reflects on the interdisciplinary dimensions of these research contexts. Her recent works are featured in Art+Science Now, art and science convergence as a major arena of emergence in 21st century art, a survey of contemporary artists working at the frontiers of science and technology edited by Professor Stephen Wilson, published by Thames and Hudson.
Contact
For press, further information and to exhibit the work please contact the artist:
Kathleen Rogers
Professor of Media Art and Science
Digital Film and Screen Arts
University for the Creative Arts
krogers@ucreative.ac.uk
See further work of the artist on her website here
