Transtechnology Research Seminar Series 2011/12

Transdisciplinarity and Creativity: Translation, Precognition and Intuition

The Transtechnology Research Seminar Series for the Academic Session 2011/12 will comprise a series of presentations and discussions broadly dealing with the theme of ‘Transdisciplinarity and Creativity: Translation, Precognition and Intuition’. This year’s series follows on from the 2010/11 Research Seminar Series, entitled ‘Reinstating the Visual: Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas’ and the 2009/2010 one, entitled ‘Realism and its Discontents’.

Focusing on intuition as a crucial element of practice we will identify areas of consensus on the concept of creativity between disciplines and, on the basis of that, ask how a more sophisticated and inclusive understanding of the role of creativity in transdisciplinary research (Nowotny et al., 1993) may be shared and transmitted. It will ask a simple question: what is a working consensus of creativity in the sense that it is a requirement of high-grade transdisciplinary research? In the landscape of large-scale multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary research projects in the Sciences, Arts and Humanities, focusing attention on shared explicit and tacit strategies of creativity will have a timely relevance and impact.

To this end the seminar series will address the asymmetrical understandings and approaches to creativity in innovative and leading-edge research in the Arts, Sciences and Humanities in response to the increasing emphasis in all disciplines on inter-, multi- and transdisciplinarity. The seminar series proposes to identify profound difference and transferable practices (translation) related to creativity by focusing on intuition as a shared value underpinning research in more or less all disciplines. In this context pre-cognition has been identified as a key issue in the discussion of creativity in cross-disciplinary forums.

The programme has been divided into three sections. Each session will be led by a key researcher at Transtechnology Research, who will provide relevant materials for the seminar and lead the subsequent discussion. The outcome is expected to be included in the annual Transtechnology Research Reader.

The seminars will take place in Portland Square, room B323, from 14.00 to 16.30 on the following dates:

19 Sept, 2011: Introduction to Seminar Series
(Michael Punt, Martha Blassnigg and Hannah Drayson)

26 Oct, 2011: On Translation
(Edith Doove)

23 Nov, 2011: Translation, Space Technology and Representation
(Joanna Griffin)

14 Dec, 2011: Translation
(Claudy Op den Kamp)

18 Jan, 2012: Metaphor as Translation (or the Cherry on the Cake for Human Cognition)
(Marcio Rocha)

22 Feb, 2012: Space, the Sublime and Precognition
(Rita Cachão)

21 March, 2012: Intuition and Creative Practice:from a Material to an Immaterial Approach
(Flavia Amadeu)

25 Apr, 2012: Considering Intuition in the Context of Design, and of Psychology
(Theo Humphries)

23 May, 2012: Being Through Painting and Weaving: A Brief Commentary on Intuition (an Artistic Diversion from Writing)
(Martyn Woodward)

20 June, 2012: On Deep History and the Sublime: A Brief Introduction
(Rita Cachão  and Martyn Woodward)