Public Engagement in Science through Art

Alex May took part in Public Engagement in Science through Art at Waag Society in Amsterdam on 31 January 2014. Presented as part of ICT & Art Connect, the evening brought together artists, scientists, curators, and technologists to ask how art can create meaningful public discussion around science and emerging technologies without collapsing into simple advocacy or spectacle.

May’s contribution focused on his residency at the University of Hertfordshire and on My Robot Companion, the ongoing project built around HARR1, a robot whose social behaviour is intentionally awkward and unconventional. In this context, the work offered a clear example of how art can stage questions about behaviour, empathy, ethics, and human response to machines in ways that are open-ended rather than didactic.

That made the event a strong fit for the wider practice. Rather than treating technology as neutral, the discussion framed artistic work as a way of exposing the assumptions built into technical systems and bringing audiences into contact with their cultural consequences. Alongside other speakers working across microbiology, curating, and data ethics, May’s talk helped position digital art as a space for public thought as much as technical experimentation.