Dr. Sarah Jane Pell, 2020

Dr. Sarah Jane Pell (AU) is an artist, explorer, performer and sci-art producer. Currently an Associate Professor at Monash Human-Centred Computing and Creativity, and Chief Investigator of an ARC Discovery Project, she researchers "extreme performance" as a prosaic title for a creative practice dependent on participating in high-risk operational field work in austere environments to design for the aquatic-body. A former Artist in Residence at the Monash Immersive Visualisation Platform, her team worked on creating experimental content and reconfiguring the CAVE2 technologies for live performances for the astronautic-body. As an experienced expeditionary artist, experienced black-water ops commercial diver, underwater simulation and astronaut, she relied on producing art in the field often with impromptu trans-disciplinary analogue crews, to fed extraordinarily candid and choreographed content to future control rooms and audiences. Dr. Pell also contributed to the academy as a Human Factors test subject for US and EU space companies; as a Bioastronautical researcher for the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences; and an Artist Astronaut Candidate for Project PoSSUM [Polar Suborbital Science Upper Mesosphere]. Pell returns to the underwater realm and concentrates on new sea space art opportunities in the Oceanic region. Vice-Chair of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Technical Committee for the Cultural Utilisation of Space [ITACCUS] 2018-2021, and former Co-Chair of the European Space Agency, Elips Program Topical Team Art & Science [ETTAS] 2011-2014, her mission is to bring sea & space to art, and art to sea & space. Leonardo Labs MIT awarded her Best PhD Art & Science 2007 for proposing 'Aquabatics as new works of live art'. By breaking convention in interaction design, and tapping ancient knowledge and cultural systems at the heart of human factors in engagements with dynamic alien ecologies, she wonders if one day she might undertake in-situ research on the Moon devising 'Lunatics as new works of live art'. With ever extreme dynamic ecologies there seems to be the agency, desire and turbulence for re/new-ing bodies and worlds: both re/membered and re/imagined. Dr. Pell is recognised as an Australia Council Fellow, Arts Leader, a TED Fellow, and Gifted Citizen. 

Field Trip is an international research symposium investigating creative practice at the intersection of art, science, technology and the environment. 

Sunshine Coast
Sep 25 2021

Field Trip - Arts, Science, Tech and Environment Symposium

Sunshine Coast
Aug 08 2020