6 LUMEN | LEARNING
Art and
Science
By Janet Kwok
What is Le Whiff ? No , it ’ s not a rejected name for a brand of perfume . Le Whiff is a product that harnesses the technology of medical aerosols and the gastronomy of chocolate to turn food tasting into an innovative art form as well as a business enterprise . With this product , people now have the option of sniffing chocolate . Prof Edwards has 24 other similarly successful ideas in his pocket , making him a very wealthy man and more importantly a notable philanthropist . This is part of the legacy that SJI ArtScience students will inherit and hopefully also create for themselves in time .
I am not an expert in Art , neither am I an expert in Science . I teach English after all . So what business do I have teaching ArtScience ?
The beauty of the ArtScience Programme is precisely its lack of boundaries . It is one that breaks barriers rather than compartmentalises , fuses rather than differentiates , liberates rather than confines .
ArtScience is not a subject . It is a mindset and a way of thinking . Innovators do not think in compartments . In an interview with TODAY newspaper , Head of Design for Volkswagen Laus Bischoff when asked if there are restrictions that hinder creativity says , “… if you want to do things that are limitless , then go do some art . To design a product , it ’ s a multi-million operation , it ’ s different . You have to accept that you are working as a problem solver . If you can ’ t accept compromise , then you ’ ll be dead within a week . You die .”