Let’s be honest, science isn’t always all that interesting to the general public. Especially when science research focuses so much on data, it’s not uncommon for the general public to dismiss new scientific research. But who can blame them? When scientists focus more on the numbers, graphs, and data, the meaning behind the research can get lost. I often find that it is hard for scientists to not focus so much on the data. After all, most of their time is focusing on gathering the numbers rather than trying to articulate a story.
Recently I have seen a greater push from the scientific community for better scientific communication. There seems to be a greater emphasis on creativity. In regards to scientific research posters, there seems to be a push for less words and more graphics. There is also a push for research papers to have a more storytelling aspect to them. This added creativity pushes scientists to focus on why the data is important rather than the data itself, drawing peoples attention to the problem at hand.
Take these two posters for example. At first glance, which one grabs your attention?
The first image uses larger photos and graphics to grab a readers attention where as the second photo focuses on getting all the information down on the poster. A scientific poster shouldn’t be a condensed research papper. It should focus on the WHY your data is important and really simplify the methods and data collection processes. The more photos and art used in a poster, the better it will translate to audiences especially ones that aren’t trained in the sciences.
The same is true for science writing. Telling a story and drawing on emotion will help to get your papers noticed by the public and spread meaning. A poorly written paper, no matter how much data went into it, won’t hold as much depth, and sadly might not serve the purpose it was intended to.
Art can come in many mediums. For the everyday scientist it may be easiest to use art to inspire creativity in writing or make interesting graphics to explain your data, but art has many realms. There is poetry, novels, sculpture, paintings, bio-art (using living things in art), and more just to name a few. Exploring these mediums can help to challenge the boundaries of science and how we communicate a message.
Both science and art observe the world in a new way. They seek to find answers, try new ideas, and share them with the world. Both need something NEW to reveal. What lies between science and art is the common ground of activism, to inspire change or thinking in a new way about an idea. This is why science and art can and should supplement each other!
In the same way art amplifies science, science too can amplify art. Science’s main goal is to see things in new ways, experiment, and find new solutions. Artists can experiment with different mediums and styles. Artists who test the boundaries of what is “right” and “wrong” end up being admired more.
An example of the crossover between science and art is with my work. I use found objects collected from nature to use in my pieces. Using my science brain to question the boundaries of art really helped me expand my creative practice.
If you are interested in looking at my art/science art check out my Etsy!
So if you are an artist, scientist, or neither, you can see how the use of science and art can change the way we normally think about our world. Maybe try incorporating more art into what you do to try to grasp the attention of more people. It is all about creativity to really make an impact.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Follow me on my socials to stay up to date on my blogs and art! Thanks for reading!
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