The Cabinet Project
Art and Science Encounters
Deadline: September 30
Despite being in full sight, many cabinets and showcases at universities and scientific institutions lie empty or underutilized. Located at the entrance of science departments, in proximity of laboratories, or in busy areas of transition, some contain outdated posters, or dusty scientific objects that have been forgotten there for years. Others lie empty, like old furniture on the curb after a move.
The neglect of these cabinets seems to confirm the idea about science institutions as recluse spaces where secrecy reigns, and communication with the outside world is either underappreciated or prohibited. But at a closer look, this is not the case: those cabinets have compelling stories that speak to their mobility, their past uses and their former owners; laboratories in their proximity burst of excitement and boredom, frustration and euphoria, their machineries being constantly fabricated, rethought, dismantled or replaced; in these laboratories, individuals, objects and instruments come to life in complicated ways. These objects, human relations and stories are forming complex ecologies that are very much alive.
ArtSci Salon invites artists, scientists and other creative individuals to make the above ecologies visible by turning a series of cabinets across the University of Toronto into small-scale installations. The resulting distributed exhibition will feature dialogues between art and science that engage with objects and instruments created in nearby science labs.
We seek proposals that explore and bring to life historical, anecdotal and imagined stories evoked by scientific objects, their surrounding space and the individuals that inhabit them.
Artworks may:
1) Interact with objects and instruments that have been fabricated or used in the labs nearby;
2) Engage with the history of the cabinets (how they got there, who donated them, what was their initial purpose etc..);
3) Narrate imaginary or science fictional stories about the cabinets, the labs in their proximity and the mysterious objects they have produced in the past or are currently producing.
Of course, these are only possible scenarios.
Locations, descriptions and size of the cabinets are available for consultation on our website
Artists are encouraged to consult the University of Toronto Scientific Instruments Collection (UTSIC ) to get an idea of the instruments and objects available.
Download a list of cabinets available (list is constantly updated. see also our webpage)
Selected artists will be contacted during the first half of October. Artists will receive a fee for their work. Limited travelling grants are also available.
For more information, please check our website or contact us with your inquiries at info@artscisalon.com
Upload your proposal here