#hester aardse

[robert-oconnell]

Astrid van Baalen and Hester Aardse

Findings on Elasticity

2010

Publisher: Lars Müller

[vandejong]

VANDEJONG INTERVIEWS: PARS

By Vandejong

Every week, we ask inspirational people about their work and their achievements. Last time we met Sebastian Brokmann of Fruitful Office. This week we interview Hester Aardse and Astrid Alben, founders of PARS. Hester is also urban heritage adviser in Amsterdam and Astrid a poet.

Can you tell us about your work? As the curators and editors of PARS we are making an Atlas of Creative Thinking with artists and scientists that shape the way we look at the world. We invite artists and scientists to share their ideas and research material with us. These are published in a fun and innovative way (Findings on Ice, Findings on Elasticity), and shared at public events that combine an exciting mix of theatre, scientific experiment and performance at different locations (Treats on Laughter, Treats on Elasticity). How did you come up for the idea of PARS? We were both in New York for an art exhibition we had organised at the Parsons School of Design. One evening over a drink we started playing with the idea that scientists, like artists, rely for a great part on their imagination and their creativity too; science isn’t just about hypothesis and proof. We decided we could bring together the two in a playful and innovative way. PARS grew quite organically from there. PARS is a bridge between art, science and anyone who is curious enough to find out how art and science shape our lives. If you want to know what the connection is between a marine biologist studying penguins and the design for a NASA space suit; a tight ropewalker and a mathematical equation for an elastic coil, you come to us. The name PARS comes from the Latin Pars pro toto, where a part can stand for the whole. We don’t expect our readers or audiences to understand all the contributions (we don’t!) but to share in the joy of all these different ways there are to explore and describe the world. What is the value of your work? We believe art and science are part of the same creative processes that strongly benefit from curiosity and playful association. We engage artists and scientists in a conversational process by collecting their ideas and research around a specific topic and share them with the Pars-community through our publications and at events. Our approach is eclectic, investigative and playful. We don’t holly-hobby up or dumb-down the art or science. We want our audiences to engage with us and leave knowing they knew less than they thought they did; yet knowing more than they initially thought they did! Our approach makes people think, it turns on their imagination. Where do you find inspiration for your work? Our projects are topic-driven and the topics are a source of inspiration and subject of research. Our next topic is LIGHT and the kinds of questions we ask are, how does a painter capture the shifting daylight? Does a building make use of the light or its absence? How does plenty of daylight improve our mental health? Why do we make light of traumatic events? How are light waves used to transmit information through space? Can light be invisible? Can it be stopped in its tracks? Where does the light go? Can it be frozen? Why do worms glow in the dark? How do artists and scientists engage with these questions? Inspiration is an exploration of the gap between not-knowing and almost-knowing. Can you name someone who you consider to be a pioneer in your field of work? When we started in 2002 there were very few organisations championing the relevance of art and science to our everyday lives. So even though we are a small organisation, I guess we are pioneers. We where the first arts and science project offered a residency at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. Sciart is a pioneer, as is the Wellcome Collection. Both organisations support experimental projects of collaborating artists and scientists. It’s important to create support for progressive art and science.  Is there an organisation, or person, with whom would you like to work?  We have a wide network of artists, scientists and organisations around the world. For every project we work together with one or two sponsors from the corporate world, depending on the topic. We’d love to curate and host our events at MoMa, the Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim in Brazil, CERN, the Eden Project, Stedelijk Museum, De Brakke Grond... too many to mention. What does innovation mean to you? Innovation means making things happen, embracing the unexpected, exploring the unknown and realising your ideas. PARS didn’t come about by asking ourselves ‘why’ but getting on with the ‘what’ and ‘how’. PARS just grew from that, wanting to surprise, challenge and inspire people. That in itself can lead to innovation. The innovative nature of PARS is not a means to an end but a by-product of making things happen. How do you stay innovative in your field? By keeping an open mind and a willingness to learn and to adapt – both artistically as well as in finding ways to realize our projects. By meeting new people and listening to their ideas. And by staying independent because that’s the space we need for our creativity. What is the future of PARS? PARS is currently developing an e-Atlas of Creative Thinking. The difference with our publications and events is that the e-Atlas will be online. The e-Atlas will allow you to wander through photography to sculpture, cartography, neurology, chemistry to poetry and music but with concurrent access to contributions via different content types. Much like reading one of those children’s books where at the end of a chapter you can choose to go down the rabbit hole, turn into the forest or cross the desert. Together with a technical team we will develop and implement a dynamic digital structure for the e-Atlas, providing a broad user experience across different content types such as image, text, video, infographics, animation and sound. For us it will be a new challenge, using the internet as an artistic medium. *Image: Astrid Alben and Hester Aardse.