Sponsored by the National Institute for Experimental Arts
Presented in collaboration with the ISEA2011 educational workshop

Workshop Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Paul Thomas, p.thomas [at] unsw.edu.au

Workshop Leaders:
Focus Group 1. Discuss transdiciplinary colloborations: Petra  Gemeinboeck & Andres Burbano, petra.ge [at] gmail.com, burbano [at] gmail.com
Focus Group 2. Discuss transdiciplinary studio practice: Ross Harley and Ionat Zurr, r.harley [at] unsw.edu.au, ionat.zurr [at] uwa.edu.au
Focus Group 3. Discuss transdisciplinary theory: Edward Colless and Wendy Coones, ecolless [at] unimelb.edu.au, wendy.coones [at] donau-uni.ac.at

Transdisciplinarity is deemed ‘radical’, ‘provisional and opportunistic’ because it challenges traditional educational paradigms. It focuses critical and creative attention onto domain-specific problem areas of ‘chance’, ‘discontinuity’ and ‘materiality’ (Foucault, 1976) to transcend limits within established disciplinary knowledge practices. This enables (re)visioning of the role, activity and value of Art Schools in uniting the pedagogical and technological strengths of the humanities and sciences in a university context, utilising conceptual growth, experimental innovation, visual communication and flexible learning spaces to deliver a model of Transdisciplinarity.

The transdisciplinary model will be explored in the context of the trans-migratory role of ISEA and look for a different voice from the various constructed international institutional perspectives.

This workshop will address and share experiences and difficulties encountered while developing transdisciplinary art-science research, teaching, and when meshing curricula from diverse fields.

Each workshop leader will introduce their topic and the participants will be able to join one of the three groups  to discuss specific areas of focus (transdiciplinary colloborations, studio practice or theory) led by the panelists.

Each focus group will seek to identify and share ways to surmount some of the difficulties commonly encountered in interdisciplinary art/science practices and curricula with the aim of publishing effective transdiciplinary models and best practices.   

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