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Biomedicine in museums

Synapse for art-science-technology collaborations

Interesting websites come and go. There are pompous upstarts that fade out because nobody upgrades them, and there are more humble initiatives that flourish gradually. In the latter category is the Synapse website — a very useful tool, not just for us in the science, technology and medical museum world, but for anyone interested in art-science connections.

The core of the site is an continuously updated database with information about collaborative projects between artists and scientists, an overview of art-science exhibitions, details about more than 200 individuals interested in the field, a thumb-nail gallery of works and so forth. Latest added functionality is an active discussion list which has so far dealt with bioart, robotics and augmenting technologies.

Add to this a pleasant interface and easy navigation — and the result is the next-to-perfect online tool for promoting art-science-technology collaborations.

The only thing I miss is a blog function — but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is in the pipe-line.

Congratulations to Vicki Sowry, program manager for art-research-science at the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) in Adelaide for setting the site up last year and keeping it so well updated.

Thomas Söderqvist

Author Thomas Söderqvist

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