This month the second edition of the Fusion AIR, the only Romanian project of artistic residencies in research institutes. Initiated by Qolony Association (Colony for Art and Science), Fusion AIR aims to help promote the inclusion of artists in innovation and research activities by giving science the language of art and to transform scientific information into visual and auditory parameters, bringing abstract scientific concepts to a level accessible to the general public, thus participating in the popularization of science.
"Fusion AIR, a pioneering project for Romania, talks about science and research in the language of art. When we initiated it, we set out to bring together two hitherto dissociated fields in an approach that would help build and stabilise a collaborative infrastructure capable of supporting, on the one hand, science and research and, on the other, art and artists who are inspired by science and use technology in their work. In Romania, the field of Art & Science is still a niche field, too little visible in the arts and insufficiently known in the scientific field." said Mihaela Ghita, initiator of the project and co-founder of the Qolony Association - Colony for Art and Science.
This year's edition brings together four artists with distinct artistic approaches and practices and four research institutes. At the end of their residency and creative discussions with researchers, the artists will each create a work that they will present to the public in an exhibition-event in June this year.
The curatorial concept of the project is "Convertible structures", launched by the curator of the event, Olivia Nitis, and proposes to include an archive of work processes and a glossary of terms to better mediate the relationship between the public and the exhibition content.
On 16, 17, 18 and 19 March, starting at 19.00The presentations of this year's research themes will take place live on the QOLONY Facebook page, giving the public the opportunity to get to know the teams of artists and researchers better.
The Fusion AIR 2021, Ciprian Ciuclea, a visual artist concerned with the interpretation of reality mediated by technology, will work with researcher Dr. Gina Isar, from Institute of Space Sciences, a specialist in astrophysics with 17 years of experience. Their work will take the form of a multimedia installation related to the representation of invisible matter, high-energy particles from supernovae that penetrate and interact with the Earth's atmosphere.
Aura Bălănescu has studied sculpture, but is interested in immaterial sculpture and has developed a theory that perception mediated by technology generates a third state of mind. She will collaborate with Dr. Elena Badea from to Research and Development Institute for Textiles and Leather, a research chemist, an important name in the list of specialists concerned with the study of the material aspects of old documents, to create an immersive installation that uses the secrets of the technique of using collagen from old manuscripts.
At this year's Fusion AIR, bioartist Floriama Cândea will work with Dr. Ionuț Enculescu, Director National Institute for Materials Physics-Magurele, physicist, specializing in condensed matter physics. Their research involves growing living cells on organic or inorganic media, resulting in a system that can function as an artificial muscle.
Peter Gate, anthropologist and electronic music creator, will collaborate with Dr. Marian Zamfirescu, Director National Research and Development Institute for Plasma Laser and Radiation Physics, a researcher with a wealth of experience in laser physics, optics and spectroscopy. In this project they aim to expose living cells to different frequencies and record their response as sounds.
Throughout the four months of the project, the public will be constantly updated on the development of the four artistic approaches on the Facebook Qolony.
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