Using Art To Convey Science

Using Art To Convey Science Created by: Abigail Thomas & Harrison Winkel

Table of contents 1.

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Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………... ● Pg. 3 Nolan Salix ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ● Pg. 4-10

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Daniel Teitelbaum ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ● Pg. 11-19

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Marli Miller ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... ● Pg. 20-24

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Drew Xanthopoulos ……………………………………………………………………………………………………... ● Pg. 25-31 Synthesis …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ● Pg. 32-33

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Introduction Scientific information and knowledge face constant scrutiny from political, private, and public groups due to a lack of scientific understanding. Understandably not all people have the background knowledge to interpret scientific information in the same way. This can result in the manipulation of facts that leads to mistrust, and a lack of credibility in science. The question is how can this be changed? There is no simple answer, but there are individuals working to rethink how scientific data and knowledge are presented.

Creative forms such as painting, sculpture, photography, and film are just a few avenues in which people re-interpret and present scientific information and knowledge. This book examines four individuals--Nolan Salix, Daniel Teitelbaum, Marli Miller and Drew Xanthopoulos--working in these mediums to see how their work presents scientific knowledge and information to a non-scientific audience. Each individual also has a background in the sciences giving them a unique perspective on integrating two seemingly different areas of expertise.

Nolan Salix [5] Nolan Salix is a Montana- based artist working in the mediums of sculpture and painting. He has an undergraduate background in environmental science and a masters in art. Nolan’s career has largely been defined by his interest in ecological systems and their needs. Older bodies of work done by the artist focused on various contamination sites and industrial facilities from across the western United States. He painted these landscapes onto metals like copper and steel using acid, tar, and smoke. When asked why he focused on these types of landscapes he responded that “they are beautifully tragic, and they represent how we as people relate to our environment in a brutally honest way.� Nolan uses the same materials found at many of the contamination sites to represent the totality of the environments he is painting.

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Nolan Salix-Tower of Babylon Media: Patina on Stainless Steel Size: 72” X 45” Date 02/2017 Nolan’s work Tower of Babylon from 2017 depicts a factory located in Billings, Montana. The lights of the industry describes the complexity of the engineered structures during the day.

Nolan Salix- Craigmont Mill Size: 22� x 28�, Date: 2016 At Gallatin River Gallery Patina, sharpie marker, copper nails on reclaimed copper panels Piece was started on site outside of Merritt B.C. at a historic copper mine that closed in 1982. There is a small mining company that reopened and is mining the tailings for magnetite.

Nolan SalixNolan works through a more intuitive version of the scientific method to create wholistic works. Like many scientists he will research scientific journals and consult with experts, yet the most important part of his process is direct observation. Artists visually investigate physical and metaphorical forms and shapes to make sense of their subject matter and it becomes an artist's job to communicate the wholeness of sight. Meaning that everything visually represented is

accurately depicted.

November 28th is a painting Nolan made after reading a news article about a die off of approximately 25,000 snow geese flying over the Berkeley pit in Butte, Montana. The Berkeley pit is a 700 acre tailings pond, with a ph level of 2.5. The pit contains byproducts from copper mining such as arsenic, cadmium, dioxin, sulfuric acid, and other heavy metals. This was not the first die off of snow geese in this region and will likely not be the last. Butte is home to the largest collection Superfund sites in the United States, and is constantly undergoing remediation projects.

Unfortunately, it is uncertain if reclamation is possible in this location. Nolan was deeply disturbed by the ecologic harm that came from this event. Though It bothered him even more that very few people knew about it, or understood just how toxic the pit water was.

Nolan Salix- November 28th Media: patina and oil paint on reclaimed copper pieces Size: 51� X 96�

Date: Started December 2017 Finished in February 2018

Nolan Salix November 28th Map Montana is home to a large number of Superfund sites. This map shows an overlay of approximate snow goose migration paths and the location of Superfund sites. The migration paths cross right over the locations of many of them, including the Berkeley Pit depicted in Nolan’s November 28th painting.

Nolan Salix As a result Nolan painted the event. Using some of the same materials that are present in the Berkeley Pit he painted a toxic looking landscape with a few snow geese taking their last plunge.

November 28th is an example of how art has been used to communicate the potential hazards and risks associated with mining and industrial operations. By presenting information about ecological systems coexisting in complex toxic environments gives the viewer a different perspective so that they might comprehend and respond to complex information with a better sense of clarity.

Nolan admits that he is skeptical as to whether or not his art is effective at translating technical and scientific information. Despite that, he feels it is very important to continue to create works that depict information about the world honestly. That is something he finds scientific data struggles to do.

Daniel Teitelbaum [6] Daniel Teitelbaum is a retired toxicologist based in Colorado. He primarily worked in occupational toxicology, but also has experience in environmental toxicology. Underlying his more technical background he is also a photographer. Photography was introduced to Daniel by his father who was a traditional printmaker who worked in a black room. From then on Daniel “always kept a camera with him.� Daniel never really took notes when on a job site because the camera had become his notebook. It was his tool for documenting information.

Daniel considers himself to be a street and documentary photographer. He seeks out scenes where laborers and craftsmen interact with toxic environments. He aims to show honesty and truth in his photos, and because of this he has successfully been able to use his photography as evidence in court, where he had served as the expert witness.

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Daniel Teitelbaum- Untitled, Mexico Title unknown Album: Workers Images Location: Mexico

Daniel Teitelbaum One case Daniel worked on was based in Matamoros, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas investigating an increase in spina bifida cases. Spina bifida is a birth defect where the spine doesn't close properly when a fetus is developing. After several studies, a theory was made saying that American owned industrial factories in Matamoros, Mexico were emitting toxic chemicals into the air, and that air was traveling over into Texas. It was speculated that was the cause for the increased number of birth defects in the Texas communities, a majority of which were Hispanic. As the expert witness on to the case, Daniel visited the factories and contamination sites in Mexico. Daniel described finding “enormous mountains of plastic and electronic waste,� some of which were burning or being recycled by local families. Daniel photographed those families and was able to put together enough evidence to bring to court and get compensation for individuals that had been affected by the pollution.

Daniel Teitelbaum Title unknown Album: Workers Images Location: Mexico

Daniel Teitelbaum At one point in Daniel’s investigation he was able to take a photo of one factory’s forge. The equipment in that facility, originally from Bucyrus, Ohio, had been considered outdated back in 1920. The photo he took of this equipment became a critical piece of evidence in the case as it proved a major source of contamination.

Daniel has hosted gallery showings of his photographs from Matamoros and Brownsville along with ones from other cases. He does this in an effort to reach the larger public so they might internalize the hazards and health risks associated with toxin exposure. It can be difficult to show potential health risks through scientific data alone, as not all individuals have the same tools to interpret data on a chart. In addition, it can be hard to trust the word of an expert whom an individual might never had met before.

Daniel’s work strives to create more transparency around the conditions that are actually sources of harm and. It also provides an alternative for data that is presented to the public.

Daniel TeitelbaumMap This map highlights the Matamoros and Brownsville case that Daniel was an expert witness on. The brown shaded area is representative of air pollution being produced by factories in Mexico blowing over the border.

Daniel Teitelbaum- Jack Delano Daniel has also worked on photography projects that focused on asbestos and workers from steam railways.

In this case, Daniel was able to use the works of photographer Jack Delano who photographed rail workers back in the 1940s.

Delano’s photographs were commissioned by government entities back in the day, and therefore considered official government documents.

Daniel Teitelbaum After many years working in the fields of photography and science , Daniel recognises that science communication has issues--“in the sciences we tend to not be compassionate.� This is in large part because scientists are not trained to be communicators. However, when science loses personal commitment it loses its effectiveness. For that reason, Daniel argues that combining the arts with science communication is critical. The arts, at their root, are about communication. By combining the arts in a relevant way with science there is a better chance for understanding to be achieved.

This is because the messages presented in art and photography can be absorbed within a couple of seconds if the artist has captured their subject matter effectively. In science it could take much longer for the subject matter to be effectively absorbed. Combining the two creates an incredible opportunity for communication to happen.

In his photography and teaching, Daniel combines his passion and technical knowledge to tell the truth about what he sees in the world and yo help the next generation understand how important effective scientific communication is.

Daniel Teitelbaum Title unknown Album: Workers Images Location: Mexico

Marli Miller [7] Marli Miller is a structural geologist and professor at the University of Oregon.

In combination with her scientific background Marli is also a photographer.

Marli focuses primarily on photographing geologic features that she will later use in lectures, books, and even her blog as teaching tools. Depicting the magnitude of a setting or subject is a common theme in Marli’s photos and in a geologic setting this is extremely important. Most geologic features exist on such a large scale it can be difficult to conceptualize. While photos that are aesthetically pleasing are important, Marli uses photos more in a journalistic way. For Marli, photographs become supplemental notes in her field research and teaching.

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Marli Miller Open Pit Gold Mine, Colorado

Marli Miller Marli believes that imagery is critical for conveying basic information, and if it is more artistic, then maybe it is better for setting a mood. In both cases she recognizes imageries effectiveness in communicating scientific information and knowledge.

However, Marli makes the point that “scientists are not hired to be effective communicators, they are hired to be scientists,� and she finds that to be unfortunate. There is a need for balance between understanding the science and communicating it. Without balance, science starts to appear untrustworthy because no one is trying to effectively communicate what is being discovered.

Photography for Marli functions as one tool for better scientific communication and she has seen its success in her classroom.

Marli Miller Coal Strip Mine, Kyrgyzstan

Marli Miller As a professor, Marli recognizes that using imagery is extremely important for individuals who are visual learners. This photo is an example of how Marli will markup and label photos to help further illustrate information presented in an image.

Drew Xanthopoulos [8] Drew Xanthopoulos is a filmmaker who has a passion for making documentary films. With undergraduate experience in physics and math, Drew has a unique approach to investigating cultural relationships in film. His approach to create documentation of relationships in many ways mirrors the abstract nature of math and physics. The difference is, he feels he can convey a story with film far better then if he was to just conceptualize numbers.

Drew is always more concerned with depicting issues that arise within the human experience in his films. He firmly believes that if you want to build empathy for anything “you have to relate it to a human being, because the human experience is the only universal experience.� In the sciences there is often a lack empathy and cultural connection, so science is often not received well by the public.

Drew has worked on various film projects, but here we focus on his film The Sensitives. We also briefly explore a film he has yet to release called Fathom. The two films communicate very different subject matter, but both films explore connections between the sciences and the environment.

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Drew Xanthopoulos “This film documents three families struggling with extreme sensitivities to everyday elements of our surroundings. Perfumes, pesticides, even cell phones can trigger debilitating symptoms in these sufferers of environmental illnesses.�

- Sourced from: IMDb

Drew Xanthopoulos Drew explained that despite the environmental conditions that contribute to the health issues people faced in this film, it was more about the relationships those affected had with others. People who suffer from environmental sensitivities at this severity are very isolated and have to create almost sterile environments to function. Because these individuals have to be isolated, most people don't know they exist or understand the hardships those with sensitivities face. Drew’s film brings people into a world that they otherwise could not enter and it sheds light on an area of scientific unknowns.

The film Drew is currently working on called Fathom follows the work of two female scientists who are on the cutting edge of their field studying humpback whale communication and intelligence. Drew first fell in love with the science and then found the people to show the human experience aspect.

Drew Xanthopoulos- The Sensitives Twin brothers Sam and Nathan are musicians, who are no longer able to breath outside their sterilized bubble. They, like the others in the film, suffer from debilitating sensitivities to environmental conditions.

Drew Xanthopoulos Drew explains that Fathom is meant to show what it means to be a field researcher, and it is less about providing scientific answers. Science plays a critical role in shaping the documentary, but its goal is to show people the individuals who are actually dedicating their lives to understanding the science.

Why show this kind of information? Well Drew believes that science has been made out to be an “institution of answers� which has resulted in fair amount of distrust within the sciences. For Drew film and other art forms are a way to honestly depict information, in a way that can be easily understood by the majority.

In the scientific community there is a concept called the knowledge deficit model, which basically attributes scientific scepticism to a lack of scientific understanding, but Drew argues this is not the case.

Drew Xanthopoulos- Fathom “Fathom follows the lives of two whale researchers as they conduct groundbreaking and isolating fieldwork in Alaska and the South Pacific. The feature-length documentary is a deeply intimate portrait of science in action, exploring whale communication and culture as well as the personal toll that research can take.�

-Sourced from: Simmons Foundation

Drew Xanthopoulos Drew says “if two individuals are given the exact same information, then they will cherry pick what information is most relevant to them and their interests.� So it is not about a knowledge deficit, it is about cultural connections. People have to be able to see the relevance of scientific information in their own lives, in order to understand sciences importance. Film just so happens to be an art form that has the ability to help people culturally connect to information in a way that science has yet to achieve.

Moving forward in science communication, Drew believes science and the arts need to be combined. They are the same brain, in the sense that they both seek to solve problems and answer questions. However, art works far better with uncertainty compared to science. So by combining the two there is greater potential for understanding and transparency.

Synthesis All of the individuals we talked to had a lot of good insight into how they saw art playing a role in science communication. Art can serve as an honest interpretation of the world and an way to more quickly convey scientific findings. Others would agree with this and add that art can serve as a catalyst for increasing knowledge by showing data in new ways that spur new ways of thinking [1][2]. Marli believes this by aiming to use her photography as aids to supplement her teaching. Not only that, but art has a greater power to evoke an emotional connection to an issue resulting in greater public awareness and action [3][4]. In their work, both Daniel and Drew do this through intimately documenting the daily life of people struggling with the consequences of compounding environmental issues. Nolan, with his sculpture work, allows people to physically interact with a topic by utilizing many of our senses to create that connection.

Synthesis continued Several papers point that collaborative and participatory art is highly effective at engaging the public with a topic, especially if it’s displayed in non-traditional locations [2][4]. Harnessing the power art will therefore become more important as the communication of topics like climate change become increasingly vital.

However, regardless of what medium an artist chooses, Nolan, Daniel, Marli and Drew all said that for an impact to be seen, there needs to be a high degree of scientific honesty. Artists need to base their work in the science and adhere to their interpretation of science. Depicting what scientists are actually finding and not what society wants to see is the first step in the process to using art as impactful communication. The next step is to connect on an emotional level so an individual can make an decision not based on what their community says but for themselves.

Sources 1.

Pelto, Jillian, "Art as a Tool to Communicate Science" (2015). Honors College. 241. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/241

2.

Gates-Stuart E, Communicating Science: Explorations through Science and Art (MIT Press Journals, Early Access, part of Top-Rated LABS Abstracts 2015 (doi:10.1162/LEON_a_01301) Leonardo (2016)

3.

Chang, M. (2015). Communicating environmental science through art: Scope, applications, and research agenda (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Washington. doi:http://hdl.handle.net/1773/34009

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4. Amy E. Lesen, Ama Rogan, Michael J. Blum, Science Communication Through Art: Objectives, Challenges, and Outcomes, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 31, Issue 9, 2016, Pages 657-660, ISSN 0169-5347, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2016.06.004. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534716300738)

Sources 5. Nolan Salix [Telephone interview]. (2020, May 6).

6. Daniel Teitelbaum [Telephone interview]. (2020, May 6).

7. Marli Miller [Telephone interview]. (2020, May 6).

8. Drew Xanthopoulos [Telephone interview]. (2020, May 12).