Knowledge Exchange
Between August and September 2021, Swissnex in Brazil partnered with Silo for Resilience: artist in residence. The residency allowed artists and scientists to be together in a unique environment in the Serrinha do Alambari, and they had to opportunity to work on their projects and to be inspired by each other.
The residency’s goals were to promote a territorial experience that differs from urban life for artistic creation and experimentation and, to create narratives for the present rural and environmental universe through contemporary art.
In this environment, artists and curators intending to do research and willing to dialogue with science and scientific methods will have the opportunity to work alongside scientists. Scientists, in turn, will be able to expand their field of vision while dealing with unconventional variables, far from the protocols of their laboratories, and to link their work to artistic production.
Swissnex invited Jill Scott, Professor Emerita at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), and Silvie Cuperus, Head of Life Science Zurich (ETHZ-UZH), for an inspiring exchange with the residents on 1 September, and a dialogue open to a public audience on 3 September. They shared their expertise in arts and science, and the importance of communication for these two fields. Both artists and scientists communicate with their public, but what can they learn from each other in terms of communication style?
On the last day of the residency on 11 September, Leonard Machado, CEO ad interim, and Gabriela Devaud, Event & Project Manager, visited the Silo site for the final exhibition of the artists’ and scientists’ work. The residency’s building, which used to be a casino in the 1950s, located in the middle of the Atlantic Forest offered an ideal setting to get to know the residents and their work.
“Having had the opportunity to go to the final exhibition was a unique and inspiring experience for me! During the residency, the connection with nature is very strong. The projects helped us understand in a different manner the world that surrounds us. The repetition, the sound of nature, the small expressions of life, and mathematics, for example, were glasses through which we were able to observe the world. The exchange that occurred during the residency, between artists and scientists is highly relevant and complimentary in the development of new research projects. The languages are different and complement each other.”
Gabriela Devaud, Event&Project Manager at Swissnex in Brazil
Last Day at Silo Residency
During the last day of the residency, visitors were able to stop by and discover the art installations and scientific research of the residents. It was a unique opportunity to dive into the artistic creative process and get a glimpse of scientific research methods, and understand how they influenced each other over the course of the residency. The portfolios and projects of the artists can be found at the link below.
View Projects
During the last day of the residency, visitors were able to stop by and discover the art installations and scientific research of the residents. It was a unique opportunity to dive into the artistic creative process and get a glimpse of scientific research methods, and understand how they influenced each other over the course of the residency. The portfolios and projects of the artists can be found at the link below.
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“During this residency, the interactions and intersections between arts and science resulted in rich dialogues and works. The arts’ provocative perspective and the methods of scientific thinking are complimentary and stimulated the collaboration between artists and scientists. One of the results is the creation of innovative narratives for scientific communication and the increased reach of scientific knowledge and critical thinking, as we also saw during the presentations of Jill Scott (ZHdK) and Silvie Cuperus (Life Science Zurich). Another positive aspect is the impact of the residency on the local community, through the visit of school pupils and the local neighborhood.”
Leonardo Machado, CEO ad-interim at Swissnex in Brazil
Watch the video of the webinar with Jill Scott and Silvie Cuperus here.