Open call for Scientists!
Humusha now invites scientists to apply for an innovative science-art incubator hosted by the NRF Chair in Science Communication based at the University of Stellenbosch.
Scientists and artists’ work are typically driven by curiosity and creativity to make sense of and interpret the world around them. To address the complex challenges the Anthropocene presents requires transdisciplinary thinkers and do-ers with mindsets of imagination and criticality willing to creatively collaborate to expand their practises and ideas in ways that can yield socially just solutions to these problems. The aim of the Humusha art-science incubator is, therefore, not for artists to merely illustrate scientific concepts or to create traditional didactic pieces, but to foster generative symbiosis to create creative outputs that emerge at the intersections of diverse scholarly expertise, creative practice and lived experiences.
We invite you to submit project ideas, research questions or expression of interest to work with an artist on a particular topic. We will then pair scientists and artists to further develop their project and try diverse approaches that may not work but can open new areas of exploration and creative collision.
Our goal is to foster a playful engagement that encourages unexpected questions, sparking fresh ideas and approaches. Creatively dialoguing across disciplines will hopefully allow new terminology and connections to emerge (see Marcus Maeder’s use of the term “soundscape stewardship” that emerged from collaboration with an artist) , facilitate the exchange of methods, challenge cultural and subject-specific filters, and ultimately shift perspectives to inspire innovation.
Applications are now open and close on 30 May 2025.