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Scientific Delirium Madness
Bringing Artists and Scientists Together
Scientific Delirium Madness
Leonardo/ISAST and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program (DRAP) collaborate on the annual Scientific Delirium Madness artist/scientist residency that brings together artists and scientists for a monthlong retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains. During the course of the residency, artists working in a variety of media work closely with scientists working in various disciplines to explore and transform the boundaries of art and science.
Each year, six distinguished scientists and six forward-thinking artists are selected from hundreds of applicants and nominees to participate. Scientists selected must be involved in significant art-related research and/or be practicing a form of art and/or have original ideas on how to integrate aspects of art and science. This includes but is not limited to poetry, playwriting, fiction, creative non-fiction, choreography, music composition, media arts/filmmaking, painting, sculpture, photography, and installation art. Artists selected will have a track record of work driven by the influence of biology, chemistry, physics, math, environmental or agricultural science. A strong sense of play and experimentation is essential.
This is not a product-based residency. Artists and scientists will be free to work on their own projects. Participants will be expected to be in-residence for the entirety of the session. Accommodations, food, and local transportation are provided. Residents will also be expected to interact with colleagues in differing fields, participate in a two public forums during their stay and document/share their experiences for both academic and general audiences.
In addition to collegial time, the artists and scientists contribute to a regular series of blogs, LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) events organized by noted cultural historian Piero Scaruffi, an Open House/Open Studio public gathering at the Djerassi Program, papers and a special section in Leonardo.
Scientific Delirium Madness Blog Posts
Using the Little Bits Korg Synth Kits and sensor elements, Weidong Yang and I constructed an installation entitled A little bit of noise and protyped a system for sonifying...
When artist Weidon Yang and I were preparing for the Open House installation of our interactive project "Sharing" (with a beating heart that you could hold in your hand), we solicited the help of...
As we enter our last days here at Djerassi, I think it’s safe to say that a shift has occurred in all of us, even as the omnipresent marine layer of the first couple of weeks moves out to hot blue...
In collaboration with

This program is made possible with support
from the National Endowment for the Arts.
