The art of science and the science of art: Finding common ground

Sacha Pavry

The battle between the science and arts students of the world must come to an end. More often than not when arts students think about scientists, they imagine abstract formulas, monotonous mumbling and rambling jargon-based conversation. This is a fair assumption to some extent, it is important to be accurate and straightforward to describe reality and so sometimes scientists may come off as, well, severe. Moreover, scientists can have some pretty slanderous biases when it comes to arts students. Phrases such as “starving artist” or one I saw on Sidechat “your degree isn’t worth the paper it’s written on” are less than encouraging and of course entirely contrived. Sidechat has certainly brought the age-old feud between the Arts block and the Hamilton back to the surface. Unfortunately, to many of you keyboard warriors’ great dismay, the convergence of art and science could prove to be essential in solving many of the world’s more complex issues.

Writer Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, who recently spoke at the Future Human 2022 event at Trinity Business School, put it very well “Art and science were never meant to live in silos. They’ve always been entangled, overlapping, interwoven things” and that to her “they are threads in the same tapestry: everything around you, on you, is the most tangible connection between arts and science.” This is certain to ruffle some feathers, particularly on the backs of proud mathematicians and astute theatre majors. I’m aware that both tribes find each other equally repugnant. However, when you bring things down to basics, they aren’t actually that different. Some of the greatest scientific minds in history have expressed a profound interest in art. There is a simple explanation; creativity requires imagination and imagination requires some kind of visualisation. Before we can create something we must imagine and conceptualise it first. Creativity is found in every form of genius. There is a fear that when we work independently, from one particular viewpoint, we seek one-dimensional solutions. For example, a molecular biologist will explore the climate crisis

The Línte na Farraige project visualises the impact of future sea level rises using a single white line marking everything that will eventually be submerged if current global temperature rises continue

Image: Línte na Farraige from a molecular biological perspective and an economist will lean more toward the socioeconomic contributing factors. Unfortunately, no matter how excellent our research, the one-dimensional answers we seek are simply too one-dimensional. The more perspective you can gain on an issue, the clearer it becomes and any independent finding is redundant in solving any large-scale problem without every other angle as well. In the words of the genius of geniuses himself, Leonardo Da Vinci stated “To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” As we begin to think about it like this, the walls of segregation between the opposing fields crumble before our eyes. The system of “one or the other” that we have set up for ourselves has shown much progress and discovery in the respective areas but very few large-scale synergetic developments. This inherently limits us in our ability to progress. So why do we isolate these many kinds of genius into sad little prison cells? Usually because certain people have a mulish, stubborn tendency when it comes to working with the ‘other team’. There is no need for the opposing parties to work towards the other’s demise. Collaboration will be essential in the coming years as we face more complex issues than ever before so natural selection will take its course eventually.

The next step in the integration process is, of course, education. In my humble opinion, universities should work under the impression that complex, real-world problems require interdisciplinary solutions. These involve problems like climate change, racial and financial inequality and the ethics of artificial intelligence. Issues as such cannot be solved by one subject alone. It is essential that students develop a sense of social responsibility by exploring ideas and cultures from all over the world and every field of study. I don’t see much point in a ‘to be computer scientist’ who doesn’t understand basic human morals in a world where AI is becoming our new greatest threat. Students must be well versed in as many varying disciplines as possible including the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, languages, mathematics and writing. This would give all students the ability to break down almost any challenge from all viewpoints, analyse it and be as informed as possible when speaking about issues that they do not specialise in themselves. As well as that, they will be able to communicate and understand each other. Communication is limited for people who exclusively hone in on one area of education. I’m not saying that a world of generalists is the be-all and end-all, I merely believe in variety and consciousness outside of one’s own interests. Many colleges in Ireland and abroad have already begun to recognise the importance of interdisciplinary education. A new course titled Liberal Arts and Sciences has immigrated from the continent and appeared on the CAO in recent years and is a brilliant step in the right direction. The guiding philosophy of these courses is STEAM – STEM with the inclusion of arts. On the topic of STEAM, the Science Gallery on Trinity campus is finally set to reopen after its lamentable closure last February. In 2021, following unsustainable financial losses, Trinity took the executive decision to shut up shop. Upon closure, Taoiseach Micheál Martin commented that Trinity “needs to do work” to create a sustainable financial model for the gallery if it were to re-open. And surely enough, the gallery is currently working towards opening its doors with an exhibition this summer under a brand new operating model. It has been decided that the gallery will now work with an external company to create a more sustainable business going forward whilst simultaneously resurrecting the spectacular locale that we all know and love. Over the years, the gallery has brought many wonders right to our doorstep and I believe an ode of sorts is in order. Since the Gallery’s original opening in 2008, three million visitors have had the pleasure of enjoying 43 exhibitions at Trinity’s Science Gallery. With an array of curious exhibits stretching from the ecosystem of a belly button to a fishing net made from human hair, it is safe to say that the gallery has both shocked and amazed. As part of a greater organisation called The Science Gallery International, there are a number of notable mega minds at the heart of many of the projects as well as supporting them. For example, they have partnered with Pfizer (who you may recognise from the vaccine centre), SpaceEU, Science Foundation Ireland, Intel and many more. They also hosted a series of workshops called OPEN MIND studios for secondary school students. I was lucky enough to take part in one of these in 2020, after which I felt that Trinity was where I wanted to be. We explored areas of architecture, product design and problem-solving, particularly focussing on the climate crisis at the time. I was very inspired by the work of The Science Gallery and it has played a huge role in the direction of my education. I know many other students in my year who took part in these workshops will agree. The revival of this invaluable gallery is a wonderful step in the right direction for Trinity and a great relief for all that have enjoyed it over the years.

Luckily, while the Science Gallery is still in the works, Trinity was lucky enough to host the “Línte na Farraige” exhibition, meaning “lines of the sea” in Irish, which was displayed in the Arts Block during Green Week. The installation was cleverly designed by Finnish artists Timo Aho and Pekka Niittyvirta to explain the progression of rising sea levels in years to come. Involving scientists from Trinity College Dublin, Maynooth University, The Climate Action Regional Offices and local authorities, they produced a disconsolate series of white lines that marked the impact of rising sea levels on various coastal areas around Ireland including Martello tower in Blackrock, Spanish Arch in Galway and Wexford Harbour. The impact of climate change was simply visualised by a single white line to show everything that would eventually be submerged if we continue on the same destructive trajectory with our emissions. The adapted artworks that were on view in the arts block visually explained different emissions scenarios from the recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 6 (AR6), and from Irish tide gauge data. Designers from Algorithm and Native Events worked on the aesthetics and visual communication of the research, making it more accessible and visually stimulating. An installation like this is far more impactful than an information board or a flyer, a real visualisation of the environmental repercussions that all of our actions have is the wake-up call we all needed to remind us that we are not infinite.

Art-science has the power to spark conversations that could be instrumental in developing society in preparation for the “dark hour” that we shall inevitably face as a planet. After years of exploiting resources and ignoring our wrongdoings, reversing the detrimental damage we have done to society and our planet is going to take a historic combined effort with every area of expertise at the forefront.

5 things to do instead of going to TBall

Didn’t get your hands on those coveted tickets? We’ve got you covered.

by Maisie Greener

What’s fully sold out, requires a short term loan to fund and is (allegedly) the biggest private party in Europe? TBall, of course. Next month, Trinity Ball will make its annual re-appearance on campus and, having declared to Trinity News that he ‘wholeheartedly believe[s] that this Trinity Ball will be brilliant’, Max Lynch has the student body on tenterhooks counting down the days until the 14th April. With this year’s festivities potentially being the last on campus for five years, it is no surprise that there was such fierce competition for those precious, few golden tickets. However, don’t let ticketmaster get the last laugh, here are our top five suggestions of things to do if you’re in the unfortunate demographic of Trinity students who are not going to Trinity Ball this year...

1Rehearse your monologue about not wanting to go anyways

“No one this side of 2010 even listens to Two Door Cinema Club” and “I didn’t even bother trying for tickets” are refrains that have played like a broken record across every corner of campus since TBall tickets sold out in under seven minutesthree weeks ago. How do I know they are lying? How do I know they’re repeating it until they believe it? Because I too was once a bold-faced liar, who failed spectacularly at convincing my friends I was unphased about missing hearing “Tell JK that I’m still rollin’, yeah, tell Russell I’m a Brand”live from Front Square. In fact, I was bringing my old speech out of retirement no less than a couple of days ago, before the stars aligned and I stumbled across a spare ticket (don’t be a stranger if you’re in need of any acting tips).

2Do not drown your sorrows in substances

While all your friends are on a come down outside the Berkeley, you could be holier-than-thou hitting your eighth hour of sleep. Snorting, swallowing and smoking, synonymous with the TBall experience, is a lot less socially permissible if you’re doing it alone in your bedroom. Alternatively, spend the money you saved on the steep tickets, hop on Resident Advisor and get pissed elsewhere.

3Stay off social media

Even those suffering with the mildest cases of FOMO will be irked by the inundation of prinks pictures on the timeline. Brace for Instagram impact. There’s nothing like seeing a houseparty from every angle to remind you that you were neither invited nor in attendance. For 3-5 business days, give or take, expect your feed to be nothing but drunken selfies and shaky videos. My advice: take a hiatus from the socials and protect your peace.

4Keep gunning for a ticket

Inevitably, interspersing Insta dumps from a Phibsboro pres will be last minute story appeals for tickets. If you can’t be unapologetically desperate with your close friends, then who can you be unapologetically desperate with? On the other hand, there’s definitely a tactic for the bolder and braver which entails lingering around the outskirts of campus in the hopes of snagging one of the many rejectees’ tickets whom, in their drunken annoyance, may sell it to you for a non-extortionate cost. For the small price of compromising your integrity you too could make a last minute show at the ball. Excessive? No – “resourceful” and “innovative”. One man’s loss is another man’s gain and it isn’t over until the fat lady (Trinity Orchestra) sings (plays).

5Come to terms with your fate

If your social media pleas and in-person accosting do not come to fruition; and your dignity and wallet will not allow you to fork out 250 on a resale ticket, then you may have to come to terms with your fate. This suggestion is last on our list for a reason, only follow if your arts block or Trinity Tunnels hiding spot gets found out.

And there we have it… a less-than-conclusive and less-than-savoury list of suggestions to kill your time on April 14. Contrary to popular opinion, the Trinity universe is not TBall-centric and the party is only one night in an already packed calendar. With that being said, it’s a real shame that constraints on capacity mean that the majority of the student body cannot party together, especially for those in the final year of their studies. Sanctimony and self-pitying privileges are awarded to all those not in attendance.