“Science meets Art”: A New Look at the World of Science

Rich in colour and surprisingly diverse. This is the best way to describe the collection of artworks that will be on display in the virtual gallery “Science meets Art” from November 1, 2021. On display will be works of watercolour and oil painting, research vessel model construction, astrophotography, animal sketches and much more, created by employees of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The themes of the exhibits were freely chosen. “Science meets Art” shows in a fascinating way that art, creativity and science are not opposites, but rather enrich each other.

“All scientists have to be creative. Without creativity we would not be able to ask questions and find ways to answer them. The same applies to my hobby: Astrophotography cannot be done without ideas, perseverance, technical knowledge and a fair amount of frustration tolerance – just like working in science”, says Dr. Nico Augustin from the Research Division Dynamics of the Ocean Floor.

“Science can appear dry on the outside, or complicated. With our exhibition we show that ocean science at GEOMAR is innovative, diverse and full of new ideas. The artists we collaborate with draw strength and motivation from their artistry. You could say that art inspires their work and their work inspires art”, says Ann Kristin Montano, one of the two initiators of “Science meets Art”. Her project partner Sarah Kaehlert adds: “We want to make people and the research more approachable through their art so that it becomes clear: People like you and me work in science. They also have emotions, dreams, wishes. Art is a medium that makes this visible. In this way, we create a completely new – personal – approach to the world of research.”

The digital gallery is an invitation to everyone to get to know the world of science from a completely different side. The virtual art exhibition is a cooperation between GEOMAR and the three ocean projects CUSCO, EVAR and REEBUS. The entire staff of GEOMAR, from science to administration, was called upon to give their creativity a stage and submit their art for the online exhibition. A selection was made from the more than 20 high-quality contributions and visualised in an online exhibition. The exhibition aims to create new connections between employees of the two institute locations separated by the fjord and to open up an impressive and appealing access to the topic of science for people outside the centre.

The virtual exhibition can be visited online free of charge.