
ARTICLES + RESOURCES
Collaborations between science and art are happening more and more frequently. Relational Space identifies relevant stories and initiatives around the globe and reports them here to inform and inspire our community.
Leonardo da Vinci and dental anatomy
Leonardo da Vinci's work includes discoveries far ahead of his time, including dentistry. He introduced drawings as a didactic tool in anatomy, depicted structures such as the maxillary sinus before later“discovered” & established the connection between the form, function & strength of teeth.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Teeth
Journal of Anatomy
I. Schuez & K. W. Alt
May 9, 2022
The Creative Power of the Arts: Reimagining Human and Planetary Flourishing
The compounded global impacts of a pandemic, climate crisis & structural injustices, portend a protracted societal restructuring. The arts can help reimagine creative pathways towards human & planetary flourishing.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Flourishing
Salzburg Global Seminar
S. Fox, F. Hobson & A. Boemeke
May 8, 2022
9 Artworks That Respond to the Fight for Abortion Access
The issues of women’s rights and abortion rights are no stranger to the art world.
https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/artworks-respond-abortion-rights-access-roe-wade-1234627389/marilyn-minter-cuntrol-2020/
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Abortion
Art News
Tessa Solomon
May 7, 2022
Human Creativity and Consciousness: Unintended Consequences of the Brain’s Extraordinary Energy Efficiency?
Through evolution, the brain’s neuronal networks has miniaturized into an energy efficient organ with an ability to be creative & an ability to be aware of the world around us. The energy efficiency has implications for high performance computing, with more human intelligence characteristics.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Neuron
entropy
Tim Palmer
May 4, 2022
Pretensive Shared Reality: From Childhood Pretense to Adult Imaginative Play
Contrary to the common wisdom, adults do commonly engage in imaginative play, or pretensive shared realities to facilitate the satisfaction of cognitive, developmental & interpersonal needs (e.g. identify, group problem solving)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.774085/full
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Pretend
Frontiers in Psychology
R. Kapitany, T. Hampejs, & T. R. Goldstein
May 3, 2022
Mind-body and creative arts therapies for people with aphasia: a mixed-method systematic review
People with aphasia perceive mind-body & creative arts interventions as positive, meaningful & accessible activities, promoting empowerment, confidence, peer support & well-being, with opportunities to learn strength-based skills, socialize & have a break from negative thoughts.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Aphasia
Aphasiology
M. Pieri, et al.
May 2, 2022
The default network is causally linked to creative thinking
Creative thinking allows for inspirational problem solving, technological & artistic advancement. It is essential for producing novel ideas and linking unrelated events.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Creativity
Nature
B. Shofty et al.
May 1, 2022
Imaginative Culture and the Enriched Nature of Positive Experience
Humans have an insatiable appetite for imaginative culture to cultivate enriched experiences. The arts transfigure affective experiences, especially troubling aspects of life & engage us with ambient energy driven by a search for meaning.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Affect
Frontiers in Psychology
Nathaniel F. Barrett
April 30, 2022
Art and Learning – How Art Literally Makes our Brains Grow
Art, music & creative activities not only benefit emotional learning & language, mathematics & social skills, they also strengthen the synapses between brain cells & promote healthier levels of cytokines.
https://sciupp.com/2022/03/06/art-and-learning-how-art-literally-makes-our-brains-grow/
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Synapse
SCIUPP
SCIUPP
April 29, 2022
Creative, yet not unique? Paranormal belief, but not self-rated creative ideation behavior is associated with a higher propensity to perceive unique meanings in randomness
Apophenia, patternicity, & the experience of meaningful coincidences are the propensity to perceive meaning in random arrangements. These are associated with paranormal belief but also creativity and higher creative ideation.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Perception
Heliyon
C. Rominger, A. Fink, C. M.Perchtold-Stefan, G. Schulter, E. M.Weiss & I.Papouseka
April 28, 2022
The Neurohumanities: An Emerging Partnership for Exploring the Human Experience
Creativity thrives in difference, not sameness. Creative action in the face of uncertainty is disruptive & uncomfortable but can lead to new ways of thinking & acting.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Uncertainty
Neuron
T. J. Carew & M. Ramaswami
April 27, 2022
The Neurohumanities: An Emerging Partnership for Exploring the Human Experience
Forging partnerships between domains of neuroscience & their humanities counterparts can create new creative research. The hybrid field of neurohumanities would advance interdisciplinarity with biologically anchored empirical approaches
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #neurohumanities
Neuron
T. J.Carew & M. Ramaswami
April 26, 2022
The Arts Make a Difference
The arts survive at the margins of education as enrichments, rewards to good students, or electives but research shows that arts education has powerful effects on student achievement & gains are most profound for struggling students.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Education
ASCD
ASCD
April 25, 2022
Empathic perspective taking promotes interpersonal coordination through music
Empathic perspective taking promotes interpersonal coordination by enhancing accuracy in predicting others’ behavior. More empathic individuals are predisposed to more accurate musical performance with others, using a partner’s past action style to predict their future action.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Empathy
Nature
Novembre, G., Mitsopoulos, Z. & Keller, P.E.
April 24, 2022
Sleep onset is a creative sweet spot
There is a creative sweet spot within the sleep-onset period. Light sleep he first few minutes of sleep, known as its first stage, or dozing off, improves ability to solve problems & fosters creative insight
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Sleep
Sciences Advances
C. Lacaux, et al.
Aprili 23, 2022
Big-C creativity in artists and scientists is associated with more random global but less random local fMRI functional connectivity
Exceptionally creative visual artists and scientists, or “Big C” creative types, is associated with more random connectivity- a pattern that is less ‘efficient’ but the architecture enables brain activity to link distant brain nodes to each other, make novel connections and ‘take a road less traveled’.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Creativity
Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts
Anderson, A., et al.
April 20, 2022
5 Ways The Performing Arts Make Young People And Adults Feel Better
Performing arts can give a young person tools to be creative, confident & collaborative, all transferable skills. As adults, music, dance & drama make our physical/psychological health better, battle inequality & boost social engagement.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Performance
National Federation of State High School Associations
Wayne Savage
April 22, 2022
The use of “art” as a resource in recovery from the impact of sexual abuse in childhood: A qualitative systematic review
Creative activities can play a significant role in recovery for sexual abuse survivors. Arts-based activities offer a safe space, in which to find a voice, engage in self-exploration, & communicate experience & connect with others for new sense of self/empowerment
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Recovery
Arts & Health
A. Rouse, E. Jenkinson & C. Warner
April 21, 2022
Imagining imagination: towards cognitive and metacognitive models
Tailored art experiences nurture autonomy via imagination, providing a space to develop transferrable thinking & nurture thinkers who are capable of effecting positive, social change
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Imagination
Pedagogy, Culture & Society
Helen Burns
April 19, 2022
Understanding the onset of hot streaks across artistic, cultural, and scientific careers
Research supports ‘hot streaks’, bursts of high-impact works clustered in close succession. Hot streaks are associated with the transition in the sequence of exploration followed by exploitation. It’s in the transition phase from exploration to exploitation when hot streaks are ignited.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Streak
Nature
L. Liu, N. Dehmamy, J. Chown, C. L. Giles & D. Wang
April 18, 2022
Acting like a Hedgehog in Times of Pandemic: Metaphorical Creativity in the #reframecovid Collection
The pandemic created a sudden & unexpected need to understand/cope. Creative metaphor are crucial cognitive tools, to help bridge the gap between what we know & what we seek to know by making the strange look familiar, or, conversely, providing a novel angle on what is familiar.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Metaphor
Metaphor and Symbol
P., Pérez-Sobrino, E., Semino, I. Ibarretxe-Antuñano, V. Koller, & I. Olza
April 17, 2022
Implicit impressions of creative people: Creativity evaluation in a stigmatized domain
What people say about creativity isn’t necessarily how they feel about it. Due to implicit bias against change & uncertainty, people actually harbor an aversion to creators & creativity; subconsciously, seeing it as noxious & disruptive.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Bias
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
J. H.Katz, T. C.Mann, X. Shen, J. A. Goncalo & M. J. Ferguson
April 16, 2022
Not All Microbes
The microbiome is full of organisms that regulate the immune system & protect against disease. For artists, microorganisms evoke a world that is all around us & entwined in everything we do. They suggest a way of engaging with the many invisible structures that govern our lives.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Microbes
Art News
Josie Thaddeus-Johns
April 15, 2022
Empathy is the mother of invention: Emotion and cognition for creativity in the classroom
Empathy is not thinking & feeling for the other person, it is thinking & feeling with the other person. In the design process empathy involves discerning where the design/product has real purpose from the other’s point of view, & solving the problem in a way to reflect it.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Empathy
Improving Schools
H. Demetriou & B. Nicholl
April 14, 2022
How arts engagement supported social connectedness during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: findings from the HEartS Survey
Engagement in arts and cultural activities supported feelings of social connection among adults in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of access to the arts & culture to support social connectedness.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Connect
R. Perkins et al.
April 13, 2022
Memory: How the Brain Constructs Dreams
Rather than being an entirely distinct phenomenon, dreaming is a part of a continuum of spontaneous, constructive thought and imagery continuously generated across the sleep and waking states.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Dreams
eLife Sciences
Erin J Wamsley
April 12 ,2022
Exploring the Possible: A Unifying Cognitive and Evolutionary Approach to Art
The arts represent a distinct cognitive mode of pushing the boundaries of what is familiar & known into new areas of perceptual, emotional, & agentive exploration/discovery, characterized by a proximal motivation of intrinsic enjoyment.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Boundaries
Frontiers in Psychology
Francis F. Steen & Santanu Chakraborty
April 11, 2022
Perspectives on Design Creativity and Innovation Research: 10 years later
Creativity flourishes in favorable conditions. The core challenges in creativity, innovation & design never change: think broadly (divergent), think deeply (convergent). Reduce fixation (when the mind goes round in a rut) by seeking out new stimuli to form new associations.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Creativity
International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation
G. Cascini, et al.
April 10, 2022
Creating an Online Arts Journaling Group for Trans Clients
Trans people experience high levels of depression, anxiety & suicidal ideation, as well as poor experiences seeking mental health support. Trans clients report the use of an online arts journaling group facilitates a powerful sense of belonging created in the group & reflected through the artwork.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Journaling
International Journal of Art Therapy
Jessie Holder
April 9, 2022
The Science of Sound, Vibration to Better Diagnose, Treat Brain Diseases
By understanding transmission of acoustic waves through microstructure in an individual’s skull, non-invasive transcranial ultrasound imaging of the brain and delivery of therapy could diagnose and treat brain ailments like tumors, stroke and Parkinson’s disease.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Acoustic
George Tech News
Anne Wainscott-Sargent
April 8, 2022
Music Listening and Homeostatic Regulation: Surviving and Flourishing in a Sonic World
Our brain evolved to read bodily conditions & manage internal physiology via homeostatic regulation (survive, reproduce & flourish). There is a strong connectivity between music consumption & the reward system.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Homeostasis
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Reybrouck M., Podlipniak P., & Welch D.
April 7, 2022
Creativity requires diffuse-thinking in which your brain is open to new ideas. Being too focused kills ideas that are even slightly suspect to deviate from the path towards your goal. Designing a Plan B first may allow exploration of new directions.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Creativity

Bootcamp
Panu Korhonen
April 6, 2022
Reimagining futures: Collaborations between artists, designers, and scientists as a roadmap to help solve the climate crisis
Artists/designers can catalyze novel moments of insight for climate researchers, help augment the scientific method to improve its utility & enlighten the general public to complex scientific concepts by visualizing, translating, distilling & interpreting abstract science into objects & artifacts.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Anthropocene
Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene
M.G. Tosca et al.
April 5, 2022
Dopamine Supports Idea Originality: The Role of Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate on Divergent Thinking
Dopamine plays a crucial role in human creative behavior, increasing the exploration of diverse conceptual categories (flexibility) and divergent thinking and leading to enhanced originality through the mediation of flexibility.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Dopamine
Psychological Research
S. Agnoli, S. Mastria, M. Zanon & G. E. Corazza
April 4, 2022
IQ tests can’t measure it, but ‘cognitive flexibility’ is key to learning and creativit
IQ is often hailed as a crucial driver of success, particularly in fields such as science, innovation & technology; but the truth is that some of the greatest achievements by our species have relied on qualities of creativity, imagination, curiosity & empathy.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #IQ
The Conversation
B.J. Sahakian, C. Langley & V. Leong
April 3, 2022
How Artists Can Lead a Pandemic Recovery
Artists’ contributions to the work of imagining and enacting a healthier future can be profound, but they do not come about by magic. To fully realize and benefit from the contributions that artists can make to a more human, equitable and just future, we need to make life as an artist more sustainable and more equitable.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-25/how-artists-can-lead-a-pandemic-recovery
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #SocialGood
Bloomberg CityLab
Laura Zabel
April 2, 2022
Lay People’s Beliefs About Creativity: Evidence for an Insight Bias
Creative ideas are generated by two cognitive pathways: insight (the effortless/unexpected comprehension of new ideas & solutions- the ‘A-ha!’ moment) & persistence (effortful, deliberate, & sustained search for creative solutions). People undervalue persistence & overvalue insight.
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(21)00236-9
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Health
Cell
B. J. Lucas & L. F. Nordgren
April 1, 2022
Creating Healthy Communities Through Cross-Sector Collaboration
Health must be woven throughout the fabric of social life, including policy, education & sociocultural norms. Arts & culture are critical to integration due to their power to connect people, expose root issues, center underrepresented voices & concerns & shift sociocultural norms & collective behaviors.
https://arts.ufl.edu/site/assets/files/168769/uf_chc_whitepaper_interactiv_single.pdf
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Health
University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace America
Sonke, J., et al.
March 31, 2022
Creativity and Innovation: Anthropological Perspectives
Experimentation & breadth should be encouraged, rather than narrow specialization, especially early in ones career. Creativity & innovation are more likely to be fostered in contexts that support intellectual breadth across broad domains of knowledge & the cognitive fluidity necessary to integrate them.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Anthropology
Open Anthropology
C. L. Costin & M. C. Ennis-McMillan
March 30, 2022
New Empiricisms in the Anthropocene: Thinking With Speculative Fiction About Science and Social Inquiry
New empiricisms & transdisciplinary methods is revealing the power of speculative fiction to help us rethink empiricism in post-human ecologies of the Anthropocene, in the midst of post-truth conditions & growing science denialism.
#RelationalSpace #Art #Science #Fiction
Qualitative Inquiry
E. de Freitas & S. E. Truman
March 29, 2022