Jane Watt and Susan Barnet presented 'Methods of Making; Case Studies on Art-Science-Community Labs' at the symposium-workshop 'Defining a Visual Practices Lab' at California Institute of Technology. In this lecture they outlined their work within a spectrum of lab models from those based predominantly within art practice to those sitting within the academic institution. This collaborative duo, known as Blast Radius, interrogates methodology within a visual practices lab. They consider questions about what and when things are controlled, can/does flexibility have a role to play, and what about the accidental, the organic/intuitive.

The public symposium-workshop explored the essential role of diverse visual practices in driving innovative art-science-society collaborations. Visual practices—formalized methods of representing and interpreting subjects—are employed across a wide range of disciplines, both within and outside academia. The workshop featured visual artists who will present model projects they are developing in collaboration with environmental scientists, farmers, technologists, bioindustry experts, government officials, community representatives, activists, and fellow artists. Discussions focused on the value of visual practices that embrace intuition, creativity, and the unknown to generate new insights and address complex environmental, technological, social, and political challenges.