Lecture on Art - Science interaction at Symbiotica

What is the place of the non-human?

This science-art interactive topic was dealt in the Seminar on Friday, 8th April 2011 by

 Dario Magnani at Symbiotica, Western Australia

In this  seminar, Dario Magnani had analysed the objectification of science and art at SymbioticA, in order to understand how this fusion has developed and how it can be related to anthropocentrism and the cultural narcissisism in western societies.

The analysis had strengthened by brief examples of different cultures' perceptions of the ‘non-human’ and how understanding of the concepts of ‘we’ and ‘other’ can change the relationship between humankind and their surroundings. Frameworks had been derived from cultural and visual anthropology, anthropology of art, zoo-anthropology and ethno-psychology. 

Dario Magnani (b. 1983, Turin, Italy) has a degree in Intercultural Communication from the University of Torino. The perception of identity has been the central thread of Dario's research during his studies and collaborations with artists. He is interested in analysing the spaces where a culture opens the dialogue to ‘diversity’ in order to question cultural choices.

His current research is about the role of art in contemporary cultural change and his focus is on the relationships among artists, scientists and institutions involved with SymbioticA, the Centre of Excellence in Biological Arts at The University of Western Australia.  He has spent the past five months in Perth researching and interviewing people for his Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology at the University of Torino.