RANE

Research in Art Nature & Environment (RANE), a research boutique based at University College Falmouth, uses interdisciplinary research to make the public more aware of ecological issues and sustainable living practices.  Deeply influenced by the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, RANE blends the physical sciences and visual arts in a way that emphasizes interconnection and system complexity.  For the program’s participants, visualization serves an intermediary between hard science and lay thought, shaping public discourse by providing new ways for researchers and citizens to frame information and approach possible solutions to structural problems.

The individual projects created by participants range from works examining the relationship between emotion, perception, and temporal and spatial scales to installations that explore the role of self-organization in evolution and reimagine the river systems of Cornwall based on pollution from mining.  In addition to its support for these works, RANE partners with community groups and academic departments to present symposia on art, ecology, and perception, and will host its second Artful Ecologies conference in July.