“The greatest scientists are artists as well,” said Albert Einstein.
Art has long contributed to the work and communication of science, both science and art are human attempts to understand and describe the world around us. The subjects and methods have different traditions, and the intended audiences are different, but the motivations and goals are fundamentally the same. One of the most primitive innate needs of humans is to understand the world around us, and then share that understanding. Both artists and scientists strive to see the world in new ways, and to communicate that vision, experimenting and gaining the new insights.
The Science Gallery Venice, in the North of Italy, is part of the Global Science Gallery Network. It offers a unique and immersive experience to explore the humans relationship to nature and the interconnections with one another. The main goal is to use creativity and inspire new ideas and collaborations in pursuit of a better future for the next generations. The Science Gallery Venice is different than a typical art galleries and traditional science museums, it aims to find new ways of engaging young people with some of the global challenges of our time.
The programmes are dynamic, exciting, controversial and always able to capture the imagination and curiosity of the media and of all the audiences; are connecting with young adults’ lives, evolving interests and concerns, enabling them to express their views and creatively engage with science, technology and innovation. The Gallery offers them opportunities to boost their social connections with dynamic and inclusive events, to actively participate to innovative thought-provoking projects and to increase their skills’ set to shape the future they dream through the programmes designed. Bringing science and art together into creative collisions provides an opportunity to look at important questions from different angles. The aim is to foster creative collisions across and beyond traditional boundaries, bringing artists, scientists, designers, engineers and young adults together to explore and shape the future in an inspiring environment.
Earth Water Sky in Science Gallery Venice is one of the residency programmes for artists interested in the environment and the latest in cutting edge environmental knowledge. Every year
there is an open call for artists from any art form like digital arts, painting, sculpture, dance, performance, music, multimedia, video, film, photography, writing, drawing to apply for a 2 month fully funded residency in Venice. One of these artists who recently won the residency is Haseeb Ahmed, a research-based artist from the US, now based in Brussels. He produces objects, site-specific installations, films, and writes, often working collaboratively Ahmed integrates methodologies from the hard sciences into his art production. The aim of this residency is to empower scientists and artists for a more conscious and sustainable way of life and the Science Gallery Venice is the only place in Italy where to find this connection.
Written by Germana Girelli, Materahub