Diana Scarborough, MULTIMEDIA ARTIST - ENGINEER
Diana Scarborough is a Cambridge-based artist creating multi-disciplinary works that intersects art, technology, history and the environment. Referencing scale and time, data, ecology and the invisible sciences, her time-based collaborative practice reveals a bias towards process, visualisation and performance. Working directly with scientists she is able to understand the context of their research trajectory and outcomes with true understanding as she is also an engineer. Processes and implications of space weather, nanoparticle activity, historical developments of technology with social-economic implications all feature in works that highlight the unseen, the forgotten or global concerns transformed by a curiosity-led art lens.
Diana Scarborough as artist-in-residence at FRUKLAB at the University of Cambridge,UK. Photocredit: Fruklab
She currently collaborates with British Antarctic Survey, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, and the School of Music at the Australian National University. To find out to more on her space themed art-science collaboration with British Antarctic Survey Click here:
CO-FOUNDER OF SOUNDS OF SPACE PROJECT - ANTARCTICA & BEYOND
To find out to more on her space themed art-science collaboration with British Antarctic Survey Click here:
BACKGROUND
A British based artist, she lived and worked in Australia, Netherlands and Texas, and these are strong influences in her work. From the outset she has been a creator and innovator working across different disciplines and careers.
In the Beginning
As an eighteen-year-old technical specialist at a naval dockyard in Sydney, her role was to implement design upgrades or repair radio, RADAR and SONAR from ships and submarines before being recruited by an R&D company in the UK to develop cutting edge telecommunication designs.
Iconic satellite antenna at Jodrell Bank. Blue Dot Festival,2019
Engineering Career
Scarborough studied Electronics Engineering at York University (1990), and in her final year designed an instrument for archaeological use. Although she was offered a cross-disciplinary PhD opportunity in subsurface radar technology, she chose to work first for a UK and then a US company designing and developing telecommunication infrastructures, process control systems, and telemetry systems for oil platforms, gas refineries, and remote monitoring. She even worked with NASA! Much of her current art practice is informed by 17 years as a hands-on project-based Chartered Engineer.
Royal Academy of Art (Netherlands)
She moved to the Netherlands in 2001, and the following year was accepted onto the Fine Art degree course at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (https://www.kabk.nl). Being taught in Dutch was a challenge but, despite her lack of a formal art background, found the physical process and the creative opportunities inspiring. This prompted a career shift from engineering to art. Excelling as a student, Scarborough was fast-tracked, skipped a year and graduated in 2006.
‘Looking towards Earth’, (self portraits) Royal Academy of Art, 2007
Early Interactive Installation (2012)
‘Radio Dials’, an interactive sound & print installation evoked the beauty of the analogue radio with soundscapes of collected memories that were triggered when a visitor was in a space. Drawing on her engineering skills, she collaborated with Ubisense, to adapt their ‘Real Time Location System’ for her installation. This work was the milestone event that set her on her current artistic trajectory of creating multi sensory spaces using media technology. projection mapping software and data visualisation with live performance.
Artist at Work
‘Time to Stare’ Bursary and Artist Residency, Suffolk, 2019
Diana in Maggi Hambling’s Studio.
Photo Credit: Eileen Haring Woods
PROJECTS, PRESS & COLLABORATIONS
CV
PUBLIC ART, EXHIBITIONS & COMMISSIONS
2024 ‘In Aurora’s Garden’, 4th Album as Sounds of Space Project
2023 ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ -, GUI/GOOEY online gallery show, curated by L. .Splan, Plexus Projects
2022 Sunconscious, Album –Released on Bandcamp by Sounds of Space Project
2021 Prologue-Epilogue Premiere & Talk, SIA Gallery, Sheffield, U.K.
2021 Celestial Incantations, Album, Released on Bandcamp by Sounds of Space Project
2020 Aurora Musicalis Art Video, Ecoconciousness; an online exhibition by Ecoartspace, U.S.
2020 A Salt Journey, a ‘blue sky’ concept for Lion Salt Works Museum, Arts & Heritage, U.K.
2020 Aurora Musicalis, Album; Halley Station, Antarctica. Released on Bandcamp
2020 Sounds of Space Films; Hebridean Dark Skies Arts & Astronomy Festival, An Lanntair, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
2019 Aurora Musicalis with Dance; Eddington for Festival of Ideas, Cambridge
2019 Art-Science Live; Performance with orchestra, lectures & new work, School of Music, ANU, Australia
2019 Alive in the Universe Exhibition; ‘Sounds of Space’ art films, Venice Biennale, Palazzo Pesarro Papafava, Italy
2108 Sound of Space; Multidisciplinary performance (talk, dance, animations, live music) Aurora Centre, Cambridge
2018 From A-B. Solo Retrospective Exhibition; Yarrow Gallery, Oundle
2017 Journey into Velvet; Video for SRUK, Dr Ana Cabrera for Interwoven, V&A Museum, London
2017 Strike, Multiscreen Video Installation; Filmed/edited for Issam Kourbaj, Penn Museum, Pennsylvania
2017 Creative Reactive; Projected Video Installation; Will Hill, Cambridge School of Art, Cambridge
2016 Breaking Boundaries; Art-science multimedia performance for Nobel Prize-winners with Melissa Murray; DIPC, Spain
2016 Water; Art-science video installation, Technical Museum, Zagreb, Croatia with L. Fruk, Cambridge
2016 Exo-planets, Data as Print; Cambridge, Pint of Science, Cambridge
2015 Amyloid Beta Shadowland; Sound and video installation, Cambridge, Cavendish Labs with Dr. Laurie Young
2015 Laser Illuminations on a chimney; Museum of Technology, Cambridge
2015 Nano Art: Perceiving on the Smallest Scales; Festival of Ideas, University of Cambridge
2014 Bespoke DNA necklace with actual DNA; Commission for USA based client
2014 Unearthed; Video portrait and sound piece for artist Issam Kourbaj P21 Gallery, London
2013 Typographia; Art installation with performance, Typography Conference, Cambridge
2012 Radio Dials; Interactive Sound & Print installation, Ruskin Gallery, Cambridg2010 Print Exhibition (solo); Gainsborough House, Sudbury
2006 Degree Show; Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands
ARTIST RESIDENCIES, GRANTS & PRIZES
2021 Artist Support Grant, DYCP, Arts Council England
2019, Visiting Artist-in-Residence, School of Music, ANU, Canberra
2019 A-N Artist Bursary Recipient
2019 Time to Stare Bursary and Artist Residency, Suffolk
2013 AA2A Artist Residency – Cambridge School of Art
2010 Gainsborough Graduate Print Prize
PUBLIC TALKS, WORKSHOPS & PUBLICATIONS
2024 AIR at Nanophotonics Summer School (May). Cavendish Labs Cambridge University Delivering sound art workshop and career talk
2023 Antarktikos #2 Light and Shadow – Esher Kokmeijer
2023 Nature Careers Podcasts (Nov 10, Nov 24 2023)
2023 – AIR at scientist research treat with Fruk Lab – talks and art work.
2021 Film ‘101 Jobs That Changed the World‘ as the artist who works with scientists Selected by UKRI.
2021 Music of the Spheres, A&G journal (Feb) Sound of Space Project
2019 Seminars, Lectures & Performance, School of Music, Australian National University, Canberra
2019 Sounds of Space, Lecture, Blue Dot Festival, Jodrell Bank
2019 Sounds of Space, Lecture, Polar Educators Conference, Cambridge
2018 Sounds of Space, A&G Journal, Astronomy & Geophysics, Vol 60, April 2019
2018 Sounds of Space, Lecture and Performance, Festival of Science, March 2018, Cambridge
2016 Pivotal Environmental Festival, Artist, Film Organiser, Museum of Technology, Cambridge
2016 Big Draw, Transformation Animation, Anglia Ruskin University
2016 Data Floes, Polar Science as Catalyst for the Arts, Lecture, Festival of Ideas, Cambridge
ART EMPLOYMENT
2023/4 Oxford Brookes University T.Miller/S.Bevan Editing film about motherhood during COVID . ‘How was it for you?’
2023 Open University Delivering workshop’ Masterclass on Creative Impact
2021 – Masterclass, Isadora Software (3 days), Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, London
2020 – Professional Videographer Services, Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, London
2011 – Current – Freelance Art Professional, Bespoke Art Tuition, CPD, Lectures & Workshops, Commissions
2010 – 2020 Digital Art Teacher (P/T), Stephen Perse Foundation, A-level, IB, Senior School, Cambridge
2016 – Projection Fine Art Workshop, Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, London
2016 – Art Director for Documentary, Normal?, Festival of the Brain, Folkestone
2013 – 2015 Delivering CPD for Schools, Animation, Film Making, Photoshop
2014 – 2015 Life Drawing Classes, Stephen Perse School, Cambridge
2011 – 2014 Aspirational Animation Courses, SHINE for Nth Cambridge Primary Schools
2008 – 2011 Art & Architecture Courses, Cambridge University Summer School
2008 – 2010 Sculpture Classes, Adult Education, Bottisham, U,K
2007 – 2010 3D Art & Design Tutor, 6th Form College, CATS, Cambridge
2003 – 2005 Bespoke Studio-Based Art Courses, The Hague, Netherlands
ENGINEERING EMPLOYMENT
2001 – 2006 Telecommunication Consultant, Netherlands
1994 – 2001 Lead Telecommunications Engineer, Brown & Root Inc, Houston, USA
1992 – 1994 Senior Telecommunication Engineer, AMEC Engineering, London
1990 – 1992 Instrumentation Engineer Marathon Oil, London
1984 – 1990 Electronics Design Engineer, Cossor Electronics Ltd, Harlow
1981 – 1984 Technical Officer-Naval Systems, Sydney, Australia
1980 – 1981 Trainee Technician, Centre Industries, Sydney, Australia
EDUCATION
2012 MA Printmaking, Cambridge School of Art, Cambridge
2006 BA Fine Arts, Royal Academy of Arts (KABK), The Hague, Netherlands
1990 BSc (Hons), Electronic Engineering, University of York, U.K.
1984 Certificate of Electronic Engineering, Nth Sydney, Australia
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATIONS
C Eng Registered Chartered Engineer
M.I.M.C Member of Institute of Measurement & Control
CURRENT KEY COLLABORATORS
Dr Nigel Meredith, Space Weather Scientist, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge
Dr Kim Cunio, Composer, Head of School of Music, Australian National University
Dr Ljiljana Fruk, Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, University of Cambridge
Sue Bevan, Writer, Theatre Maker, Workshop Leader, Co-founder of Cambridge Impact
Issam Kourbaj, Artist
Carolyn Waudby, Poet & journalist
Want to get in touch with Diana? Click the link to open the contact form.