Scientists are artists.

They use the microscope in modeling clay and bacterial cultures on a blank canvas, but they share an imagination and an innate curiosity that drives their artistic peers.

IMB Executive Director Professor Ian Henderson said artists and scientists are bound by a desire to answer big questions about the human condition.

Professor Henderson argues that “both asking and answering these questions will allow creativity and thinking outside the bounds of what is known, learning something beyond the limits of knowledge and current thinking, and ultimately changing people’s lives.” We need to improve,” he said.

dare to imagine

“Most science isn’t about that one big ‘Eureka! At this time, it’s important to look at the world and find things that pique your interest or are interesting to investigate.

“Scientists, like artists, see things differently that people have seen before,” he explained.

“Who would have thought, for example, that looking at funnel web spiders in a different way could be an eco-friendly pesticide or a drug to treat heart attacks and strokes?”

aesthetics of science

Form and function are as intricately linked in biology and chemistry as they are in art.

Professor Henderson said IMB research often produces images that add an aesthetic edge to its scientific value.

“Think of the beautiful pictures of the universe from the James Webb Telescope,” he said as an example.

“While this shows the intersection of art and science at the macro level, our lab takes such images at the micro level to show the stunning form and function of cells and microbes. .”

This artistic byproduct is celebrated with the Joe Underhill IMB Art Awards, presented to commemorate IMB’s first artist-in-residence, which continues to inspire the connection between art and science.

Scientist as Narrator

Complementing these images are the words scientists weave to tell the world about their research.

“The best scientists are great storytellers, those who can convey complex ideas in a simple way.

“When they write up their science and research, they have to tell what they have done and reveal what they have discovered.

“When an artist looks back at his work in the same way a scientist does, he is the only person in the world who knows, at that particular moment, about the work and its potential.”

Join the discussion with Renzo B. Larriviere, ephemeral installation artist of Sip and Science: The Power of Now design studio Atelier Sisu, and Professor Ian Henderson of Zara Pasfield.
Sunday, September 18th at 3pm.
Click the image below to purchase tickets.

The Sip and Science series explores the intersection of science and art and is presented by IMB in partnership with Brisbane Festival.