Page - 31 - in options, Volume winter 2016/2017

interview 31winter 2016/2017 + optionswww.iiasa.ac.at people at iiasa Science to policy through art Q & A with IIASA Science and Art Associate Gloria Benedikt QQ When and how did you start to connect dance to broader societal questions? QA The tipping point was when I was working in the library as an undergraduate student at Harvard University. I had to go to the theater for a performance, and thought to myself: I wish I could stay here, because there is more creativity involved in writing a paper than in going on  stage executing the choreography of an abstract ballet. I realized that I  had  to  get out of ballet company life and try to create work that establishes  the  missing link between ballet and the real world. To follow my academic interest, I could write papers, but I had  another language that I could use—dance—and I knew that  there is a lot of  power in this language. So I started  choreographing papers that I wrote and rather than publishing  them in journals, I  performed them. The first work was  called  Growth,  a  duet illustrating how our actions on one side of the world impact the other side. As dancers we need to concentrate  and listen to each other, take intelligent risks and  not let go. If one of us lets go, we would both fall on our faces. QQ What motivated you to make this career change? QA It’s time to bring art back into society, where it can create an impact. I am not a scientist. I don’t know exactly how the data is produced, but I can see the results, make  sense of them and connect them to the things that I am specialized in. QQ How did you get involved with IIASA? QA I first started interdisciplinary thinking with the economist Tomáš  Sedlácˇek, who I met at the European Culture Forum 2013. A  year later I had a public debate with  Tomáš and the composer Merlijn  Twaalfhoven in Vienna. Pavel Kabat, IIASA  Director General and  CEO, attended this and invited me to come to IIASA. QQ What have you done here so far? QA For the first year at IIASA I created a variety of works to reach out to scientists and  policymakers. This year I tried to integrate the two groups by actively involving scientists in the creation process. The  result, COURAGE, an interdisciplinary performance debate, premiered at the European  Forum Alpbach 2016. In  September, I  codirected a new project called Citizen  Artist  Incubator at IIASA. QQ Are you planning on doing research of your own? QA At the moment I am trying something, evaluating the results, and  seeing what can be improved, so in a way that is a type of research. Some  preliminary results came from the creation of COURAGE. We found that if we as scientists and artists want to work together, both parties have to compromise. That  is  exactly what we expect humanity to do when tackling global challenges. We  have to be team players. It’s like putting a performance on stage. Everyone  has to work together. AB Gloria Benedikt was born to dance. But with a degree in government studies and an interest in current affairs, Benedikt now builds bridges between art and science. Read more at blog.iiasa.ac.at/benedikt‑16 Gloria Benedikt benedikt@iiasa.ac.at