Continuing the circuit of promoting excellence at the intersection of art and science, Academician Professor Emerita Dato’ Seri Dr Mazlan Othman FASc and Wan Zaleha Radzi appeared on RTM TV1’s Fresh Brew show to promote the ASM ArtScience™ initiative on 31 May 2020. The show was hosted by Terrence Dass and Zooey Teo.
Dato’s Seri Mazlan observed that the public has a perception of art and science being on two opposing parts of the spectrum: science is viewed as precise, rational, objective while art is more emotional, abstract, and subjective. ASM sees an area of multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity where the convergence of art and science results in a burst of creativity and innovation. Thus, ASM wants to attract artist-scientists with the ASM ArtScience™ initiative.
The ASM ArtScience™ initiative was launched on 4 December 2019, Dato’ Seri Dr Mazlan explained that ArtScience™ could encompass many things: music, installations, visual arts, performing arts, and digital media.
Continuing the session, Dato’ Seri Dr Mazlan said that even without physical events, ArtScience™ can make a move similar to other notable art galleries that have gone online to continue their promotion of the arts. For example, the Smithsonian Institution have been digitising their exhibition pieces to be made available online in an effort to promote the arts. Dato’ Seri Dr Mazlan also mentioned that some of these galleries know to harness the power of social media and the public and have exhibitions that clearly states “please take a photo” to promote their art pieces.
The ArtScience Prize is awarded to outstanding talent and works of art that embody the union of art and science. The Prize is the first ever to be established in Malaysia to celebrate the nascent community of artist-scientists that shows promising growth and development.
Also present during the session was ArtScience™ Task Force member Wan Zaleha Radzi. Wan Zaleha is the co-founder of Culture, Arts, Science & Technology (CAST), and Makerland. Wan Zaleha’s involvement in ArtScience™ was spurred by her journey of indulging in her curiosity in the past few years; her journey led her to Indonesia, where she came across this intersection of culture, arts, science, and technology. She was inspired, finding it very exciting and new. She felt a stirring that this is going to matter.
Echoing Dato’ Seri Mazlan, Wan Zaleha also believes that innovation happens at the intersection of art and science. Convergence of art and science would encourage a multidisciplinary way of thinking and more creative ways can be found to solve complex global issues.