THE OCEAN PROJECT 2024

Art has a capacity to reveal, communicate and evoke complex information, emotions, images and ideas. Addressing key topical science and art themes, this STEAM project links art with science for educational and public benefit outcomes.

In a staged project, new artworks arising from informing and engaging artists (both professional artist/s and students) with current scientific issues, together with cultural concerns related to Oceans research, will be created for exhibition at LWAG.

The Ocean is a key arena for scientific research in WA and globally, with biological, mathematical, environmental, social, economic and cultural concerns and impacts.

The CSIRO Environment at IOMRC has been researching Oceanography and Marine Biology in WA; in the field (eg 20 years of data collected at Ningaloo), with mathematical modelling (eg a projected future to 2050 in a Kimberly study) and with research in cognitive and social sciences relating to the Ocean You Want- for the UN Decade of the Ocean.

The project will explore and exhibit the capacity for collaboration across disciplines while investigating knowledge that is significant and topical – ocean science and new technologies, and Indigenous cultural knowledge, bringing new research and scholarship to a wider audience - especially to students at all levels.

Collaborative Partnerships

CAMPUS: Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery (LWAG), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Environment at the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre (IOMRC) and the School of Design, UWA ; staff and students

COMMUNITY: Public Schools and Colleges- staff and students

THEMES

The Challenges: Communicating complex ideas relating to the ocean; dealing with research data and modelling and evaluating projections for the future will be canvased and debated in a public discussion at LWAG, for a wide public audience.

Campus Partner CSIRO Environment at IOMRC

Art and science in arts practice: Visual artists have always embraced investigation and employment of new and emerging technologies and cross- disciplinary skills in the pursuit of communicating complex ideas, values, and critical thinking.

Currently, digital arts, computer science and animal communication; together with virtual reality and gaming technologies are meeting together with paint, ink, water and papier- mâché and also speculative fiction in contemporary artists’ practices.

Aspects of art and science in the creation of contemporary art will be discussed by graduate artists who are continuing their research and study at the School of Design in 2024.

This will be scheduled during Science week 10-18 August 2024.

Campus Partner School of Design.

Stage One:

Artwork commission and exhibition: A practising artist will be commissioned to produce an artwork that is informed by an Artist in Residence experience with CSIRO Environment at IOMRC together with their own research, communicating and sharing their responses and concerns.

The artwork will be installed for a public exhibition, The Ocean Project I at LWAG- in the Schenberg study Centre during a period in July/ August 2024.

It will be available for inspiration and discussion with school students and the public. It will contribute to the partner schools’ students’ own inspiration, which together with their own research and input from CSIRO Environment at IOMR, will lead to production of students’ artworks for The Ocean Project II exhibition in November 2024.

This commission is financially supported by the Friends of the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery who are committed to supporting this project for students that features art and science focussed on ocean research.

Practicing Artist/s based in WA who are interested in this project and being the commissioned artist/s are invited to view the details and apply – see the EOI Artwork Commission Application link below.

Please note the deadline has been extended to Friday, 5 April, 2024

Stage Two:

The Schools’ project, investigation and exhibition: Three partner schools - along with all other interested schools - will be invited to view the Artwork commission exhibition in July/August 2024. They will also do their own research related to CSIRO Environment at IOMR, and investigate the Ocean You Want- for the UN Decade of the Ocean leading to production of their own artworks for The Ocean Project II exhibition and a public event at LWAG in November 2024.

The Schedule 2024

Public discussion: March / April 2024

Artwork commission, exhibition + public event + school visits: March–August 2024

Science week events: 10-18 August 2024

Schools’ Exhibition: November 2024