Research images tell story in art exhibition
SEVEN stunning images, and the fascinating stories behind them – such as a dream about getting the blame unfairly and how to tell which fish are the most devious – are to go on show at the Royal Institution in an exhibition of entries for the Research as Art competition, run for the past six years at Swansea University.
The exhibits are on show to the public at the Royal Institution’s historic building in Mayfair from now until the end of the year.
The exhibition will include the overall winner, “Crab blood and collaborations”, a microscope image of crab blood, which shows what the researchers describe as “the beauty of the crystalline blood cells and jewel-like parasites”.
The winning entry was submitted by Frances Ratcliffe of Swansea University College of Science. She works on the BlueFish project, an EUfunded collaboration between researchers in Wales and Ireland which studies how fish and shellfish respond to climate change. One of the subjects being examined by the researchers is disease suffered by shellfish and edible crabs.
Research as Art is the only competition of its kind, open to researchers from all subjects, and with an emphasis on telling the research story, as well as composing a striking image.
It offers an outlet for researchers’ creativity, revealing the hidden stories and attempts to humanise science and research. The project also celebrates the diversity, beauty,
and impact of research at Swansea University.
A record 97 entries were received from researchers across all colleges of the university this year.
A judging panel of senior figures from the Royal Institution, Nature and Research Fortnight magazine selected the seven winners. Along with the overall winner, there were four judges’ awards and two awards for researchers from other institutions for best national and international entry.
Competition founder and director Professor Richard Johnston, professor in materials science and engineering at Swansea University, said: “Research as Art is an opportunity for researchers to reveal hidden aspects of their research to audiences they wouldn’t normally engage with. This may uncover their personal story, their humanity, their inspiration and emotion.
“It can also be a way of presenting their research process, and what it means to be a researcher; fostering dialogue and dissolving barriers between universities and the wider world.”
Gail Cardew, professor of science, culture and society at the Royal Institution, said: “As one of the judges for the Research as Art competition, I wanted to give more people the opportunity to have a peek at them. Not only are some of the images simply stunning, but the beauty also lies in the fact that they are combined with a narrative that explains the work and puts it into context.
“The result is a collection of images that make us think more deeply about what it’s like to be a researcher – we are able to glimpse their motivations, their frustrations and their achievements.”