Transdisciplinary Research as Method and Practice: three case studies from art, science & engineering
Description
This panel discussion will explore how transdisciplinary collaborations across art, science, and engineering take shape, focusing on hybrid practices that bridge creative imagination and research in science and technology.
Drawing on their own experience, three pairs of collaborators from diverse fields will discuss how they navigate cross-disciplinary research environments and build projects that combine artistic expression with scientific methodology and tools. Project presentations will feature: Dr Robert Ellis Walton and Prof Airlie Chapman, Briony Barr and Prof Andrew Melatos, Dr Chris Henschke and Dr. Michael Batten.
The panelists will also discuss both the unique benefits and challenges of cross-disciplinary teamwork, from addressing unconventional research problems to developing genuinely innovative forms of experimental research and creative expression.
Hosted by Dr Veronica Sinyanskaya.
Details:
Date: Wednesday 4 November, 5pm to 6:30pm
Venue: Brown Theatre (106), Level 1, Electrical & Electronic Engineering Building (193), Parkville, The University of Melbourne
Format: In-person
Cost: Free
This event is part of a Culture of Experimentation series, held over a few separate dates.
The series explores the fascinating history, challenges, and methodologies of interdisciplinary collaboration across art, science, and engineering, and reveals how encounters between these realms have become a blueprint for new forms of knowledge synthesis and a driving force behind contemporary creative culture.
Follow the link below for information on the other sessions:
Culture of Experimentation: Converging Art, Science & Engineering
Speakers
Dr Robert Ellis Walton
Dr Robert Walton is an artist and director recognised for his work in theatre, screen, installation, writing, interactive art, and research. He specialises in orchestrating radical interdisciplinary projects that unite artists, scientists, technologists, and communities to address urgent challenges. He is an ARC DECRA Fellow at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, The University of Melbourne. Walton's visionary approach has earned international recognition, including Lumen Prize and Webby Award nominations, the Chancellor's Prize for Excellence, and a S+T+Arts Prize Honorary Mention from the European Commission.
Professor Airlie Chapman
Airlie Chapman is a Professor in Mechatronics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the University of Melbourne. Her research interests are multi-agent dynamics, networked dynamic systems, data-driven control and graph theory with applications to robotics and aerospace systems. She is the Director of the Melbourne Flight Lab and Deputy-Director of the Melbourne Space Lab. Professor Chapman was awarded the L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Fellowship and is a two-time recipient of the Amelia Earhart Fellowship.
Professor Andrew Melatos
Andrew Melatos is a Professor in the School of Physics at the University of Melbourne and a Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav). He is a theoretical astrophysicist whose research focuses on neutron star physics, continuous gravitational waves, and complex non-equilibrium systems. Professor Melatos was part of the scientific team that made the first direct detection of gravitational waves and is a recipient of the University of Melbourne Award for Outstanding Research Higher Degree Supervision.
Briony Barr
Briony Barr is a visual-conceptual artist who uses process-based drawing to explore ideas around structure, emergence and the effect of different boundaries and generative limits. Informed by systems thinking and relational art, her projects are often interdisciplinary, participatory and/or collaborative. Briony has presented work nationally and internationally, including at the World Science Festival Brisbane, Scienceworks Melbourne, State Library of Qld, RMIT Gallery, the National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art in Korea, and others. She is an honorary fellow in the School of Physics at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Chris Henschke
Dr Chris Henschke is a media artist, designer and transdisciplinary researcher, working at the intersection of art and experimental science. He specialises in reworking the technologies and techniques scientists use to express fundamental qualities of nature. Dr Henschke has undertaken various collaborations including the National Gallery of Australia, 2004; the Australian Synchrotron, 2007-2010; the CSIRO nanomaterials laboratory, 2018-2019; and CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN,) 2014-2018 and the Australian Network for Art & Technology Synapse Fellowship at CERN, 2024.
Dr Michael Batten
Dr Michael Batten is a Senior Research Scientist, working in advanced recycling and sustainable materials technologies. His work brings together chemistry, engineering, industry, and policy perspectives to address complex challenges in the circular economy. He is interested in interdisciplinary collaboration and how experimentation drives innovation.
Further information
Image: Briony Barr, Detail from Experiment #3. Electrical tape on floorboards. National Art School, Sydney, 2012
Image courtesy of the artist.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
Register
Register
More events from this host
