What does ‘ArtScience’ even mean? Definitions vary. Using research and curiosity driven methodologies to make art, for example. Now, the fellowship is renamed into ‘Artist in Residence’, to open up the collaborations between artist and scholars beyond the life sciences, with Ronald from RAAAF as the new resident, and Huub Dijstelbloem as the new director.

Regardless of the title, what does it mean; to be an artist amidst the intriguing minds that populate the IAS? 

It took me a long, meandering, and unpaved road to get here. Starting Art Academy at a young age, ‘accidentally’ venturing into Earth Sciences along the way, Art and Science have always been in a reciprocal relationship with each other; in my thoughts, in how I perceive the world, in how I communicate, or long to express myself – although I often fail in the latter.

Practically, combining both worlds wasn’t always easy. Especially when trying to meet the demands of being a young Earth Scientist: working in the lab, doing fieldwork, writing papers and a thesis. 

To me, my time at IAS has been some sort of homecoming, a place where I could feel at home, both as a sciency artist and an arty scientist. And this feeling, of being at home, finally, has been invaluable. Don’t we all need to feel that we belong, from time to time?

As I only just started my hybrid artistic research practice, I couldn’t believe that my proposal was selected out of 40 proposals. So I started my fellowship with a bit of an imposter syndrome – why me? However, I soon felt that my proposal was selected based on my love for the complexity sciences. My ‘building’ project related to self-organization, pattern formation, collective behavior and adaptation. My curiosity to learn more about the (mystery) of the origin of life, consciousness and the universe [the privilege of being an artist is that you can diverge widely and be pretentious] was met by so much enthusiasm at the IAS. 

What I most enjoyed during my stay were the conversations with other IAS researchers. Either planned coffee dates or spontaneous lunch discussions, my eagerness to learn and debate was always met.

I would meet up with Sarah Durston or Peter Sloot to wonder about the nature of consciousness, time and randomness. I would sneak into the DIEP seminars for a deep dive into complexity. This is how I met Jaap Kaandorp, with whom I share a love for foraminifera. Afterwards, Jaap and I would meet to discuss the ‘growth and form’ of shapes – from seawater creatures to other forms of life. 

IAS has been the best place to nerd out on the more ‘sciency’ complexity topics; tipping points in complex systems, information theory, the origin of life. Attending the Information Universe Conference and having the opportunity to meet my Brain crush, Santa Fe professor Eric Smith was definitely a highlight. I will never forget sneaking into the conference dinner, joining the table with all these brilliant minds: conversing with Peter Sloot on the arrow of time, asking Erik Verlinde if he could ‘feel’ his theory on emergent gravity, appearing as an inight in his mind. And he did! It all started with seeing spiraling galaxies, whirling in sky, when looking into the darkness one night. Afterwards, years of hard work followed, of course. But I’ve always been intrigued in this ‘moment’; the moment an idea is born in the mind.

Besides the sciency stuff, IAS also provided a space for ethical and social discussions, often focused on the theme of the ecological crisis. Director Huub Dijstelbloem aims to also include ‘complexity thinkers’ from the humanities and is keen to make the IAS relevant outside academia – making IAS even more inter- and transdisciplinary. With the support of IAS Arts lead Prof. Christa-Maria Lerm-Hayes, we contemplated the role of the Arts and Artistic Research at IAS. This, for instance, led to the workshop organized by my student Bonnie, who invited her collaborator, bioartist Joe Davis, to the IAS to present their project on encoding information.

At lunchtime, we would contemplate how science and academia can be in dialogue with politics, arts, and other fields in society, rather than staying in our attics, building our agent-based-models. We did not only dream and chat; the IAS proved to be a great spot to attend and organize transdisciplinary workshops. Politicians, artists, educators, caretakers and young architects would join the table to discuss various topics.

How are models, e.g. on economic growth, influencing reality? How can we design our cities and landscapes adaptively, and deal with the uncertainty the future inevitably holds, now even more than ever, as we try to look further into the future (Wet Urbanism workshop). How can art and storytelling help us to navigate awareness around circularity, just sustainability and teleconnections around the globe (Narrating Just Sustainability in the City workshop). 

My time at IAS has been fruitful in terms of organizing workshops and exhibitions, and to kickstart my practice. Besides this, IAS has also been a secret breeding ground for a ‘deeper’ work, that hopefully will come into the world somewhere in the coming years … (oh, suspense!)

I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to spend a year at this wonderful institute. A full year – as my fellowship was extended due to COVID – thank you virus!

Now that my fellowship has come to an end, I am so sad to leave. However, Huub, Julia and Edwina have ensured me I’m always welcome. I will remain an IAS member for life. Yay! 

Can’t wait for the adventures to come. Thank you IAS-team for your support in all my projects and dreams!

Organized during my IAS fellowship

• Kickoff lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdV4bxve26E
• Science of Consciousness talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSCRM2-Qjs4
• Wet Urbanism workshop at IAS for Rotterdam Academy of Architecture
• Building as being serie, with IAS fellow Brian Castellani, is on Waag vimeo: https://vimeo.com/529965801
• Urban Ecology series, with IAS fellow Sarah Durston: https://waag.org/en/article/urban-ecology-watch-lecture-series/
• DIEP seminar
• Just Sustainability in the City Workshop at IAS (cards can be downloaded on IAS page): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMl6FoUl4QA&t=561s
  https://ias.uva.nl/content/events/2022/04/narrating-just-sustainability-in-the-city.html 
• Deep Ecology series i.c.w. UvA-IIS & Waag: https://waag.org/en/event/deep-ecology-talk-dr-eva-hayward/
  • https://esmeegeerken.com/building-as-bein
  • https://esmeegeerken.com/build-like-a-shel
  • https://esmeegeerken.com/past
  • https://esmeegeerken.com/future
• IAS-NIAS City Walk
• City Walk for Neuroscience workshop Fernando
• Shadow Soil Exhibition Zone2Source, i.c.w. Jasper Coppes
• Building as Being workshop for kids – i.c.w. Waag
• Building as Being workshop at Zone2Source, i.c.w. ZOOOF (Thijs de Zeeuw & David Habets)
• SEM prints ‘Building as being’ experiments now on display in the Sweelink room