Models of Conceptual Change – The St Mary’s Creative Engagement Project 2017 has been on show at The Lab on Foley Street since Thursday 14th September as part of the acclaimed Future Proof exhibition
At the launch back in September our our head girl Lauryn McCausland gave the opening speech where she explained the process behind their novel project bridging science and art. In her speech Lauryn thanked the collaborating scientist and artist (Dr Enda Carr and Eleanor Phillips), and also The Lab for hosting their work.
As the exhibition nears its close Lauryn was invited back to The Lab on last Thursday 30th November to participate in a panel discussion with the artists and scientists involved in the collaboration. She spoke on the second panel on the evening and was the student voice for the NCCA.
“If you want to understand the causes made in the past, look at the results as they are manifest in the present. And if you want to know what results will be manifest in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present.”
(Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Vol 2 P.172.)
What will the world be like in the future and will there be a place for humanity in it? Art & Science help us to imagine answers to these questions. Both begin in the imagination, constantly questioning what we perceive to be true and looking at the world around us with new eyes all the time.
Future Proof brings together artists who work in scientific and technological contexts to contribute additional perspectives, re-frame debates, and create paths for new thinking to emerge. Their work is part of a shift occurring internationally in cutting edge educational and scientific organisations, that welcomes artists to work alongside experts in other fields. This way of working sees new questions being asked and new connections being made, between different fields of expertise. Why is this important? New knowledge comes from answering new questions and understanding deeply how things work is a pre-requisite to taking correct action.
There’s a word in Japanese, ‘inga’, which means cause and effect. The principle underlying ‘inga’ is that if there is a cause, there will certainly be an effect, and that if there is an effect, there will, without fail, also be a cause. The artists in this exhibition explore how by looking at our past and present behaviour we can take real steps towards making, imagining, shaping and safeguarding our future.
