‘Art Science’, a new frontier in education

There is a unique attempt to integrate science and art in the western educational system in recent days. A new discipline, ‘Art-Science’ is introduced in many universities across Europe and America.

For instance, in Stanford University students have the opportunity to choose courses which are mostly a combination of Art and Science. To name a few; Arts and Electronics, Arts and Biology, Creative Writing and Science, Literature and Pharmacology, Social Anatomy et al. Similarly, University of Vienna offers Masters in Art Science, which explores the relationship between different forms of art and culture in consort with scientific inventions.

Observing at these developments, we can presuppose, there is a need to conduct the gap between vastly deserted art forms and the much-acclaimed science and technology.

This is formed due to man’s one-dimensional view of the world through the lens of illusive scientific progress.

Still, we continue to blindly believe without questioning the claim that exclusive entitlement of science is for the gifted ones and the mediocre study arts.

In the backdrop of these assumptions, the significance of exploring art forms in this scientific age needs to be re-examined. Since art is the essence of cultural heritage, and it endures to evolve and adapt in correspondence with changing times like flowing water, we can call, art a timeless manifestation of a culture. \

For, it marvellously connects all the three-time frames of a culture— the past, present and future. When an art form becomes a part of history, it divulges its relevance in the present and validates its necessity in the future.

In other words, art helps us to understand our history, tradition and culture.

Again, on the individual level, it contextualises our life within these frameworks. Hence, we need art to reconnect ourselves silently with our alienated inner voice in this superficially fashioned noisy scientific world.

So, art is an inevitable necessity for the human soul, especially when reality becomes unbearable.

As German philosopher Nietzsche affirms, art saves us from being destroyed by the rigours of life.

Thus, there is a critical need to explore different art forms to find answers to the present global as well as personal problems. For the reason that, art has been flowing through generations of rich life experiences, which gives it an authority to offer solutions to tenacious issues.

So, it gives voice to the voiceless through images. But the biggest challenge is, art can’t be defined easily. Unlike self-demonstrating science, the manifestation of art is through metaphors or symbolic presentations. As a result, art looks obsolete in this fast-moving world.

In spite of this, man has been trying to comprehend this world through art forms. In this process, art has expanded his horizons by giving new dimensions. In times like this, when there are attempts to hush freedom of expression, art is the only metaphor left to express our intellectual and moral resistance.

On a positive note, the great scientific minds around us, have acknowledged the importance of art forms in triggering their minds to creativity, which resulted in successful scientific inventions.

It substantiates a hypothesis that, if we expose ourselves to artistic expressions, we can strive to achieve perfection in our chosen field.

It stimulates our minds, as art creates an imaginary world which is not present before our eyes, but may be indicative of the future.

So, to say, if science infers, a search for knowledge, art is that knowledge. If art symbiotically coexists with the natural world, science tries to transform that world. So, science without the essence of art becomes self-destructive.

Hence, there is a need to critically analyse our scientific developments through artistic perspectives.

For, art unites humans, whereas scientific innovations have been alienating them from the rest.

(The writer is an assistant professor in the department of English at the University College of Science, Tumkur University)