Paper short abstract:

We argue that in order for Open Science (OS) to develop further it needs to move beyond open access and extend into an Open Media movement engaging with new media and formats of science communication. We discuss two case studies where experiments with open media have driven new OS collaborations.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, we present three challenges to the emerging Open Science (OS) movement: 1) the challenge of communication, 2) collaboration and 3) cultivation of scientific research. We argue that these challenges need to be addressed in order to explore the full potential of open science. Central to our argument is that OS needs to move beyond a simplistic notion of open access and extend into a fully-fledged Open Media movement engaging and experimenting with new media and non-traditional formats of science communication. Using the example of cognitive science, we discuss two case studies where experiments with open media have driven new collaborations between science and documentary filmmaking. We illustrate different advantages of using documentary films to face the challenge of collaboration, such as preserving audio-visual data in science, establishing a medium for interdisciplinary engagement, and revealing contextualized, tacit and dynamic knowledge exchange. Documentary filmmaking also has advantages for science communication, since it uses a visual language that can reach beyond academia, and engage citizens, patients, and other affected persons. In conclusion, we argue that to cultivate the idea of open science through and with open media has a number of repercussions for the research process and ultimately for the way in which academic institutions validate, evaluate and measure the outcome and impact of scientific activities.