ARTISTS AND SCIENTISTS MERGING TOGETHER IN ONE EVENING

On September 19th the University of Alberta will be featuring three globally renowned artists and scientists to cross pollinate their research and creativity by presenting their own work. As this is the first LASER event in Alberta the focus is on recent exemplary research projects at the interface of art and biomedical science from the University of Alberta.

LASER Chairs - Marilène Oliver and Pamela Brett-MacLean

ART – SCIENCE INTERFACE

Sean Caulfield: Immune Nations: Art, Biomedicine and Public Policy In his presentation Caulfield will discuss a recent collaborative and interdisciplinary creative research project that brought artists, biomedical researchers and public health policy experts together to explore the theme of vaccines. Sean Caulfield is a visual artist who utilizes installation, sculpture, drawing and printmaking to explore the ways our environment is transformed by forces of urban and industrial growth. The visual images and environments Caulfield creates blur boundaries between the biological and the technological, the organic and the mechanical, and challenge viewers to consider the implications of this merging. He has exhibited his work extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Daniel Laforest: Reading The Biomedical Body In his presentation Laforest will discuss ways in which new modes and languages of medical visualization impact and potentially transform the literary self. Daniel Laforest is Associate Professor of French and Cultural Studies in the Dept. of Modern Languages & Cultural Studies. His work is situated at the crossroads of literature and medical humanities. He has been Visiting Professor at the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics, and is an alumni of the Fulbright Foundation, as well as of the Banff Centre Leighton Artist Colony. He currently teaches a newly-conceived course on “Storytelling, Health and Medicine” at the UofA.

Minn Yoon: Authentic Connection: At the interface of arts, medicine, and healing In her presentation Dr Minn Yoon will talk about “see me, hear me, heal me”, a cross disciplinary project she which aims to transform our understanding of head and neck cancer patient and family illness experiences. Minn Yoon (PhD) is an assistant professor with the School of Dentistry at the University of Alberta. Her primary research focus is on improving oral health and care for vulnerable populations. She is committed to not only enhancing awareness of head and neck cancer, but also integrating this commitment into educational curricula that honors people and their individual experiences.

LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) Talks is Leonardo's international program of evening gatherings that bring artists and scientists together for informal presentations and conversations. LASER Talks were founded in 2008 by Bay Area LASER Chair Piero Scaruffi and are in over 20 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. 

The mission of the LASERs is to provide the general public with a snapshot of the cultural environment of a region and to foster interdisciplinary networking.