ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I explore the interactions between art and science. I sketch the positivist model of scientific explanation which has set the terms of debate about creative arts research as it has for other subjects. But is this “logic of scientific discovery” applicable to the arts and humanities and, in particular, to the creative arts? Certainly, within contemporary art, research practice is seen as being at the core of artistic innovation, and the smart talk is of experiment, enquiry and rigour. Moreover, with the critique of positivism and the recognition of the pluralistic character of scientific endeavour, a new dialogue between science and the creative arts now seems possible. But how serious is this postmodernist concern to link art and science? To address this question, I explore some contemporary examples of collaboration between science and the arts. Hopefully, these cases can help us to identify the points of commonality and difference between the two fields.
