This week’s curator is Camilla Mørk Røstvik – aka @crostvik – a PhD and GTA in art and science history at University of Manchester. She promises a fascinating week for me in particular due to her research into CERN and how it relates to the arts. From our beginnings inspired by @realscientists, this dialogue between the arts and the sciences continues to fascinate and challenge us all.
Hi! Really looking forward to tweeting for We the Humanities, as I have followed many interesting debates on the account the last few months.
My research focuses on an interdisciplinary and feminist reading of CERN’s (the European Organisation for Nuclear Physics in Geneva) use of the arts as a PR tool. With the discovery of the Higgs boson and individuals like Brian Cox creating a frenzy around the laboratory recently, I have been looking at the sidelines of CERN, where women and artists try to do their work, fight their battles and change the narratives of science as success. I hope to discuss my research and findings with you all, and hopefully we can think about whether CERN’s flirtation with the arts is a fling or a serious romance (or maybe even prostitution).
I also hope to continue the debate on Scandinavian HE compared to the UK, as my background is from the University of Oslo and Norway. Several differences come to mind, with fees being the biggest.
Furthermore I’d like to share my experiences with setting up a feminist reading group at the university of Manchester, and hopefully find some support and ideas from those hoping to do the same or those that are doing the same. I can promise its going to be a feminist-heavy week, so get your hairy pits and Virginia Woolfs out!
Last but not least I promised to tweet about favourite writing snacks, which for me is definitely vegan chocolate. I’ve got a strong interest in Human-Animal Studies, and hope to use the chocolate as a bait to lure you all into a conversation about animal rights, veganism and academia – and chocolate. Did I mention chocolate?
Looking forward to discussing with you all, maybe event pleasantly fighting. With a foot in science and one in the humanities, I’m aware of the weaknesses of our field, but nevertheless I believe that the humanities are important in society, and that we can change politics and discourse as much, if not more, than science. And if that fails, there is always (vegan) chocolate, right?
We The Humanities 