Foregrounding Backgrounds: How Scientists Conceive Art to Express the Invisible

Abstract

Scientist-artist collaborations have become a high-profile form of science communication as scientists seek creative ways to connect with publics. This qualitative case study examines one such collaboration from the perspective of scientist and artist participants’ experiences with the purpose and meaning of art. To do so, we draw on John Dewey’s concept of art as experience and Nigel Thrift and other nonrepresentational theorists’ emphasis on overlooked backgrounds that suffuse daily life. We find that sci-art creators see inherent beauty in research, seek to foreground their underappreciated objects of study, and harbor mostly instrumental goals for educating publics through their artwork.

Why create SciArt? An investigation into science artists' goals and professional journeys

“…In addition, our research identified a range of external goals, many of which align with those found in prior research, including goals to reveal overlooked beauty [Parks & White, 2021] and to critique and problematize [Catts & Zurr, 2018].…”

“…A subset of creators also expressed clear science communication goals, such as teaching or sharing scientific facts and making science more accessible [Burns et al, 2003], in line with some previous research into SciArt goals [Collver & Weitkamp, 2018;Parks & White, 2021]. Others shared goals that have traditionally been conceptualized as science communication-related, such as raising awareness, sparking dialogue, inspiring audiences, or encouraging participation [Kappel & Holmen, 2019;Metcalfe, 2019].…”

“…The mutual practices of science and art have a long history, dating back to the interdisciplinary work of Renaissance thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci [Agostinho & Casaleiro, 2015;Fuller, 2020;Rock & Howard, 2019] and perhaps even earlier. More recently, however, the practice of SciArt -visual art inspired by science -has gained popularity among science and science communication practitioners and scholars [Gewin, 2013;Parks & White, 2021;Rödder, 2015]. At least some of the rising interest in SciArt may be attributed to its ability to help audiences relate to science on a personal, emotional level [Lesen, Rogan & Blum, 2016;Pirrie, Jackett, Jones & Lyon, 2018] and to spark creative thinking among both artists and scientists [Swanson, 2015].…”

“…Initiatives such as SciArt Exchange 7 or Lifeology SciComm University program 8 also provide opportunities for building skills or knowledge of SciArt via online courses and training opportunities. SciArt workshops, such as the one described in Parks and White [2021], are also becoming more common at universities and research institutions, as are multi-week training initiatives, such as the Baltimore SCIART Consortium. 9…”

“…For example, scholars have explored the use of comics to promote public health , engage minority communities [Kearns, Baggott et al, 2021], or spark students' interest in science [Spiegel, McQuillan, Halpin, Matuk & Diamond, 2013]. Others have studied SciArt courses and workshops within higher education settings, finding that science artists in these contexts are often motivated by public education goals [Parks & White, 2021] or a desire to communicate facts effectively [Zaelzer, 2020]. Still others have examined the goals of specific initiatives, such as the Waiting for Water exhibition in Australia, which had an explicit ecological focus and a goal of inviting "a collective discourse around our environmental future of waiting for water" [Pirrie et al, 2018, p. 10].…”