art & science: #2

The basis of the European Digital Art and Science Network is a big manifold network consisting of two scientific mentoring institutions (CERN and ESO), the Ars Electronica Futurelab, and seven European cultural partners.

European Southern Observatory (ESO), one of the two scientific institutions in the network, is intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive astronomical observatory. With the headquarters in Germany, it operates three observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor.

María Ignacia Edwards, an artist from Santiago – Chile, was awarded with the residency exactly at the ESO in Chile, where she came up with the idea about “Mobile Instrument”. The second part of her residency she spent at the Ars Electronica Futurelab in Austria, where the mentioned work was exhibited. We interviewed Maria Ignacia Edwards at the Ars Electronica Festival 2015, after she gave a lecture about her experiences at the ESO observatories La Silla and ALMA, and at the Ars Electronica Futurelab. We talked about her recent and current works, her experiences in art & science, and how she sees the interaction between those two.

Maria Ignacia Edwards worked at the ESO close to Fernando Comerón, he is namely the ESO’s Representative in Chile. He took part in the Prix Forum titled Art & Science Round Table as well within this year´s festival. Fernando Comerón introduced ESO and its work, and explained why astronomy has a privileged position.

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The series of five art & science radio broadcasts are supported by Ars Electronica, and produced with the intention to follow the European Digital Art and Science Network.

Microphone: Sarah Praschak and Jerneja Zavec