Science,
Not Art: Ten Scientists' Diaries
Jon Turney, Ed.
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, London
UK, 2003
144 pp. Paper, £8.50
ISBN: 0-903319-98-5.
Reviewed by Rob Harle
Australia
recluse@lis.net.au
This book like its
companion volume, Art, Not Chance:
Nine Artists Diaries is a result
of the grant programmes of the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation. Whilst this foundation
is best known for its involvement with
the arts, in recent years it has run a
grant programmeThe Arts and Science,
"to encourage artists to engage with
new thinking and practice in science and
technology" (7). The results of this
are the present book being discussed and
a further bookStrange and Charmed:
Science and the Contemporary Visual Arts.
Science, Not Art is of a similar
format and style to its companion volume,
but in this case 10 scientists are asked
to keep a diary for about six months to
help others get an insight into their
day-to-day lives. Each of the scientists
represented are outstanding in their fields,
many are Royal Society Research Fellows,
and their expertise includes the following:
cosmologist, ecologist and meteorologist,
neurophysiologist, mathematician, marine
biologist, palaeopathologist, biophysicist,
geneticist, physical chemist, doctor,
and space physiologist.
In contradistinction to Art, Not Chance,
I found this book inspiring, engaging
and a pleasurable read. The diary entries
of the scientists seem less contrived
and far less superficial than those of
the artists. Both groups mention quite
personal matters in their entries; however,
the scientists do not seem to make a big
thing out of the many banal situations
we all encounter from day to day. This
disparity caused me considerable concern
as the theme and content of the two sets
of entries were very similar, so I searched
for an answer.
Perhaps a clue to this difference can
be found in a statement in Siân
Edes foreword: "[W]hile they
[artists] may dread the cruel review,
they are responsible to themselves alone"
(8). Whilst this may be true of the solo
artist painting or chipping away in their
lonely garret for some vague future exhibition,
it is not true, or at least should not
be, for the contemporary artist involved
with so many others such as publishers,
orchestras, dancers and manufacturing
engineers. Further, in reply to the narcissistic,
self-absorption implied in Edes
comment, if the artist has entered a contract
and received publicly funded grant money,
then he is as morally and legally responsible
as scientists in similar circumstances.
Im not suggesting for one moment
that artists compromise their creations
by pandering to the whims of a committee
of "bean counters," only that
artists are responsible to others
in varying degrees.
It seems this mythical (though obviously
manifest) lack of accountability is reflected
in many of the artists diary entries.
It is almost as though the artists hold
their audience, funding bodies, and associates
in contempt. This is nowhere to be found
in the scientists diary entries.
They are absorbed totally in their projects
and seem absolutely genuine in the passion
for their work.
The scientists diaries give a fascinating
insight into the "fast lane"
world of scientific research, competition
between scientists, funding, and the potential
benefits for humanity of the successful
project.
I highly recommend this book. Apart from
fascinating general interest reading,
for any student contemplating a career
in research science or academic science
teaching, it is indispensable.