Art vs. Science – the battle for multidisciplinary existence at Pint of Science

Kat Young gave a talk as part of this year’s ‘Pint of Science’ event, under the banner of ‘Creative Reactions’. Creative Reactions is all about the link between arts and sciences disciplines and how they interact and support each other. These events can take the form of anything from exhibitions to workshops and talks, and always provide a fascinating look into both research and collaboration. The York event this year consisted of three very different talks: the use of scientific methods in women’s literature in the 18th century, the use of ceramics and sculpture to understand science, and Kat’s talk about how art and science are framed as too opposing and contradictory forces.

Kat discussed the way art and science don’t always exist happily side by side and the historical reasons for this (a heavy combination of ‘for profit’ industry models, the education system, and sexism!), their experience in growing up interested in both music and technology and trying to navigate these two spaces (sometimes easily, sometimes painfully), and why and how this divide should be fixed (educational reform! support for creative hobbies!).

Questions were varied and thought-provoking, but everyone agreed that the divide between arts and science should be removed. Thankfully, the AudioLab was discussed as a place where both these disciplines can and do come together and work happily alongside each other, where both art and science flourish!

Pint of Science website: https://pintofscience.co.uk/
Creative Reactions: https://pintofscience.co.uk/creativereactions/
York event: https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/creative-reactions-york-2019

For a live tweet, check out Cat Cooper’s thread.