fundamental level interdependent and, in fact, coproduce each other. And I found you very
inspiring, since you have a set of tools for talking about these topics that are, for the most part,
missing in the art sphere and can be useful in dealing with questions that otherwise tend to be
treated very dogmatically. Essentially, I am very interested in the entanglement of art and society
and how they affect each other. I am curious about mechanisms of interdependence – in what
ways are you influenced by art? And how do you, in turn, influence the artwork with which you are
engaged?
MB: What motivated you to host the workshop together? What were your expectations?
TS:
We were talking to each other a lot at this time, just as I was in the midst of organizing an
international workshop in Berlin, titled, “How to Train Compassion.” I told you about it and
suggested we could organize an additional art-science evening in your studio on the topic of
compassion, as all these international experts would be in town anyway. And if I remember
correctly, you then spontaneously said, “Why not hold the whole thing in my studio?” That is, you
proposed hosting the entire workshop in your space.
This was intriguing because my motivation to create bridges between art and science has existed
for a long time and I have always been passionate about the arts. As a young person, I was very
involved in theater and film. I always felt that science and art are not as different as people think –
both are very creative fields, both are interested in experiments, and both want to find out about
the nature of reality and the fundamental nature of people and of society. It is just the way that
both fields approach these questions that is very different.
But on the other hand, I also have to admit that when you proposed holding the whole workshop in
your studio, instead of just an art-science evening, as I had had in mind, I was a bit nervous.
Having both mental practice and scientific talks in the middle of your art studio where everyone
was still working and eating together... To be honest, we didn’t know whether this would be the
right setting for such an in-depth workshop. But then after having reflected upon it, I woke up the
next morning and said, “If we really want to take the integration of art and science seriously, this is
the only way to do it – to just jump in at the deep end and see what emerges out of this joint
experience.” And so we decided to accept your generous offer and, at the end of these four days,
we were all extremely thankful for your having hosted us. It was a very special experience for all of
us.
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