Call for proposals: Nanotechnology and the arts

Special Section in Leonardo Journal on Nanotech and the Arts
Nanotechnology, Nanoscale Science and Art
Guest Editors: Tom Rockwell and Tami I. Spector

Over the last decade, "nano" has become a buzzword signifying
everything from imagined atomic-scale robotic utopias to small
electronics. For scientists the shift toward nano has also become
ubiquitous; what used to be referred to as molecular has been reframed
as nano; 27 journals devoted to nanotech/nanoscience are now
published; and the National Science Foundation and other granting
agencies have devoted a significant amount of funding toward
nanotech/nanoscience. Among engineers, scientists and science-studies
scholars, discussions of the potential of nanotech/nanoscience abound,
including conferences that debate the pros and cons of a nano-hegemony
and attempt to debunk some of the hype. Artists, however, have only
begun to explore this emergent scientific field, leaving it wide open
for creative interpretation. With this special section of Leonardo,
we hope to ignite artists' interest in the exploration of
nanotech/nanoscience and encourage scientists, scholars and educators
to contemplate the implications of an art-nanotech/nanoscience connection.

Leonardo, in collaboration with the Exploratorium under the auspices
of the Nanotech Informal Science Education Network, will publish a
series of special sections periodically over the next 5 years
exploring the intersections of nanotech/science and art. We are
especially seeking submissions of artworks (visual, performance,
sound, etc.) with artist's statements explaining the relationship of
the work to nanotech/science; essays from scientists, engineers and
scholars exploring the connection between nanotech/science and art;
and essays and visuals aiming at nanotech/science education that use
the arts as a pedagogical tool.

Interested artists and authors are invited to send proposals, queries
and/or manuscripts to the Leonardo editorial office.
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