Inspiring artists & scientists
Working together, artists and our scientists inspire each other to think differently about genomics in exciting new ways. People perceive and are affected by science in a variety of ways and the arts allow expression of these multiple perspectives. Visual art, music, the moving image, creative writing and performance have the power to highlight the novel issues about genetics research and encourage debate amongst new audiences.
Sanger science has inspired artists and scientists to work together on a variety of creative projects. Below are examples of some of these projects.
Art in Global Health resident artist Katie Paterson
Art in Global Health
Katie Paterson is an emerging talent in the world of art. Her conceptual projects make use of sophisticated technologies and specialist expertise to stage intimate, poetic and philosophical engagements between people and their natural environment. During her residency at the Sanger Institute she will explore the personal, cultural and political dimensions of health research with our scientists to create an exhibit at Kettle's Yard gallery in Cambridge in 2013.
This is part of Art in Global Health a project driven by Wellcome Collection, part of the global charitable foundation the Wellcome Trust. This project has set up six artist residencies in six Trust-funded research centres: the Sanger Institute in the UK and centres in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.
Malaria Triptych
The artist Deborah Robinson is creating a three screen experimental digital artwork that explores cutting edge research into malaria. The artwork will explore the basics of the biology of malaria as well as the interactions, and consequences of the interactions, of the malaria parasite, mosquito vector and human host. This will involve using artistic methods to look at malaria from the viewpoint of all three organisms. There will be a focus on the adaptability and survival mechanisms of a parasite that is beautiful, but also mutable and destructive of human lives and economies. The malaria triptych is funded by Arts Council England.
Being Human
Artist Sally Sheinman and her paper sculpture 'Being Human'
Being Human is a project by artist Sally Sheinman that was inspired by genetics to celebrate people through their similarities and diversity. The piece comprised two paper sculptures that represented the human genome, the DNA code that makes us all human, and the human form, demonstrating individual uniqueness. The public were then invited to contribute by answering the question What makes you unique?
Residencies at the Sanger Institute
Artists, broadcasters, writers and exhibition developers have taken up residencies in the Franklin Centre for Public Engagement to create installations, write poems, scripts, stories, and raps on contemporary biomedical and genomic research.
If you have a project that relates to genetics/genomics and would like access to the expertise at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, email pubengage@sanger.ac.uk
