In the Biol 4930 course: creative problem resolution,, Students are introduced to innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to biology subjects. Taught by Dr. Deanna Arble, assistant professor of biological sciences, and Lynne Shumow, conservative of academic commitment to the Haggerty Museum of Art, this course explores the intersection of creativity and scientific discovery, really putting the “and” in the arts and sciences.
The exhibition “Parallel Play: The Art of Science & The Science of Art” was created jointly with the creative problem of problem solving. Exhibited works of art provide tangible examples of concepts discussed in class. This exhibition presents work in the permanent collection of the Haggerty Museum of Art, divided into four sections which represent the stages of the scientific and creative process: clarification, ideation, development and implementation. By reflecting on these steps, we can consider our own approaches to global problems to reconsider how we see the world.
Step 1: Clarification
When you try to interpret the world around you, the first step is always to clarify the information before you. For artists and scientists, focus on the definition of terms and the zoom on details is essential before considering the wider context surrounding the subject. Dr. Chris W. Marshall, assistant professor of biological sciences, observes that “all scientists are artists”, in particular in the practice of clarification. A painter can focus on a portrait of a face and a microbiologist can focus on individual cells, both paying attention to the small details that form a much more important organism.
We can think about our own clarification process by visualizing the first group of works of art appearing in the exhibition “Parallel Play”. Marshall guides us through his own analysis of “John” by Chuck Close, a massive portrait of the face of a man entirely made of small colorful shapes. Marshall notes that the closed portrait reflects the operation of microbes – small elements come together to form a much larger image. While we are going through life, it is important to pay attention to the small details that act as the constituent elements of the world in which we live. Clarifying our perspectives to see the two details and the situation as a whole allows us to approach both art and science from several angles.
Step 2: Ideas
The second step in the scientific and creative process is the ideation: exploring ideas to find new solutions. Questioning our own preconceived ideas about the functioning of the world can be difficult, but it is through this process of reflection that we open up new ideas and new ideas. Exploring these ideas allows scientists and artists to find new ways to express themselves and give meaning to the world around them.
“The root of creativity is to find new associations in things that we will not consider otherwise as linked,” explains Arble.
Continuing through the star portraits of the exhibition, the “meeting” of Romare Bearden begins the public to establish links between the variety of materials and the styles used to illustrate this scene. Before categorizing and contributing to the world around them, scientists and artists must practice ideas to understand how associations work in daily life and what implications they can have. The brainstorming to what extent the apparently independent elements can be connected is a crucial step for scientists and artists who seek to better understand the world in which we live.
Step 3: Development
After exploring various ideas surrounding the problems we face in the world, the next step in the creative and scientific process is development: transforming ideas into exploitable steps. Development plays a crucial role in the creative and scientific process as a bridge between initial ideas and revolutionary progress. Development is a process of transformation, where we introduce ideas into tangible results and actions – an essential step for progress and innovation.
Chris Larkee, specialist in visual technology of the Visualization Lab, blurs the line of art and science in “Nanomachine Counterpoint”. The image illustrated above is a singular frame of a entirely lively visualization of a bacterial nanomachine. Complete video animation has a complex weaving talent in the ways of brain connectivity and submicroscopic particles. In collaboration with Dr. Martin St. Maurice, professor of biological sciences, these visualizations put not only the artistic conception of biological structures, but also the ability to develop unimaginable concepts in a tangible way of understanding the world. Focusing on our own development reminds us that discovery is a process, both for artists and scientists, and new approaches to put our ideas in action can lead to innovative solutions.
Step 4: implementation
The last step in the creative and scientific process is implementation: to put solutions in actions. The implementation of ideas in reality can change the world by stimulating progress and leaving false ideas. In the creative and scientific process, putting pen on paper or a brush on canvas is a final step to express ideas that can have an impact on the life of countless people.
An incredible illustration of the implementation can be seen in “Snow scene at Shinobazu Pond In Ueno” by Utagawa Hiroshige. This printed art style has implemented Bokashi, a technique with a high intensity of time for the gradation of colors which has become famous in the emblematic Japanese genre of Ukiyo-e art. The implementation by Hiroshige of unique art styles allowed him to create many emblematic works of art that would inspire the future artists of Claude Monet to Vincent Van Gogh. Hiroshige’s works of art testify to the importance of implementing new ideas and discoveries, both in scientific and creative processes.
Reflect on the creative processes of artists and scientists helps us to become more aware of our own decision -making and our ideas that we can make for the future. To interact significantly with the “parallel game” Exhibition, Arble suggests the process of reflection of Ekphrasis, a form of poetry in free verse which invites a writer to describe their interactions with art. Ekphrasis is a form of loose and meditative poetry that asks the writer to consider how they see art and what ideas they can develop by making it live. Like the visual art of this exhibition, Ekphrasis is deeply linked to both art and science, because it encourages reflection on ideas such as clarification, ideation, development and implementation.
“Parallel play: the art of science and art science” was a star exhibition at the Haggerty Museum of Art until May 24. HAGGERTY MUSEUM OF ART is open for free admission from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.