from the INTRODUCTION

I am deeply interested in and concerned by today’s urgent and diverse global challenges. Inspired by the fact that in every hallway at MIT, where I teach Photography and Related Media in the MIT Visual Arts Program, there are world-class minds conducting cutting-edge research, I set out to sew together disparate threads by creating a kaleidoscopic subjective interview collection.

The interviewees for this volume were asked to reflect upon aspects of their research that address current pressing issues such as climate change, geo-political instabilities, adverse effects of globalization, the energy crisis, social tensions, and health epidemics. While some interviewees deal with these challenges directly in their research, others nip at the edges, shadows, and depths in more abstract and conceptual work. The choice and sequencing of the interviews in this compilation encourages the reader to make cross-connections among many disciplines. By recognizing the unifying elements that run throughout, and by joining together starkly different pieces of the same puzzle, the reader will gain a unique apprehension of not just each individual subject, but the entire human curriculum.

Naturally, my choice of interviewees is subjective, and I surely have omitted many strong voices. This is not an exhaustive and complete overview of the work performed at MIT, but rather a sampling of what goes on in this fantastic institution.
For the purpose of consistency, all interviews are structured around four simple questions: the focus of interviewee’s work, recent changes in and around the respective field, the global context and visions for the future, and possible implications or downsides.

More information about the interviewees and about MIT can be found online at web.mit.edu.

Andrea Frank
December 2007

The event was funded by the MIT Associate Provost's Office. Special thanks to Charles Fendrock. Funded in part by the Council for the Arts at MIT. This project has been supported through a grant by the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Fund at MIT.