Concatenation: an Introduction

Two cultures

In the 1959 Reith lecture the polymath Lord C. P Snow divided the World into the two cultures of science and arts. What is less well known is that that lecture also looked at developed and less-developed nations and how we all have much to learn from each other: the north from the south, the east from the west, etc. For over a decade a small group of us -- have straddled the science-arts divide as well as (with the crumbling of the Iron Curtain) that between Eastern and Western Europe.

Our reasons for doing this (in no particular order) were:

because the boundary between both the arts-science divide, and the formerly repressed and 'democratic' nations is a fertile one. Of the arts, science fiction is the genre most closely related to science. Members of the Concatenation team have their own individual combination of interests within science fiction be it literarature, drama, cinema, TV, painting or photography.
because the gulf between the art and science camps is as real as it was in C. P. Snow's time, although accessibility has greatly changed. For example, more artists use technology such as word processing in their craft, and Eastern Europeans are free to leave Eastern Europe to visit the west should they wish.
because the arts can turn people on to science, which is the most powerful perceptual tool our species has ever used. Science-related art is therefore a valuable vehicle to promote the public understanding and appreciation of science.
because exploring the dimension between science and art, and between social cultures is great fun!

What is the Concatenation project?

Concatenation is best known amongst the European science fiction community (those writers, editors, film directors, book dealers, buffs and enthusiasts who attend the premiere European science fiction literary and cinematic conventions.

Within the European science fiction community Concatenation itself is better known as an annual review magazine of science and science fiction. Its first edition was published Easter 1987 as part of the 50th anniversary UK Science Fiction Convention BECCON 87.

The Concatenation team provide their services on a purely voluntary basis with its costs (a few thousand pounds a year) being met by advertising; donations from surpluses from voluntary run literary and cinematic SF conventions; and substantial consultancy contracts (as opposed to small consultations which are the Concatenation team give free of charge) to authors, publishers, the media and that part of the scientific community concerned with public understanding of science. Concatenation itself is distributed free at major conventions who have a profit share arrangement with the team. Unfortunately the postal demand for the magazine has grown and can no longer be met on this basis: fortunately the Internet is helping us overcome this problem.

But Concatenation is more than a magazine. In addition to the fanzine the Concatenation team have:

provided consultations to authors, publishers, SF conventions, TV & radio researchers, and even governmental reports (such as the Wolfendale report on the Public Understanding of Science which accepted the Concatenation 'public appreciation of science' as part of the over all definition of public understanding of science exercises).
published a European SF award-winning 1994 edition of Concatenation in English, German and Romanian.
published four separate editions in 1997 in English, Romanian, Spanish, and this electronic edition on the Internet.
sent members of the Concatenation team to Eastern Europe to conventions, workshops and social functions and sponsored Eastern Europeans to visit the UK on a formal Science and Science Fiction Cultural Exchange.
assisted with the researching as well as participating on TV and radio programmes both UK regional, UK national, and international (BBC World Service) as well as some Eastern European regional and national programmes.
mounted press and media liaison operations for those major SF conventions whose organisers embrace the outward looking, frontier crossing nature inherent in SF as a genre.
provided western SF books to selected Eastern European SF activists, including, for instance, Yuri Mironets, an English language university professor in Russia.
enjoyed the hospitality and friendship of many active within the SF and scientific community both in the UK and overseas.

Enjoy the Concatenation website!

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