Invisible Worlds - Making the Invisible Visible
Lead Research Organisation:
Edinburgh International Science Festival
Department Name: Science
Abstract
Our project aims to provide an engaging, awe-inspiring interaction with science for a large, general public audience.
Through an exhibition of large-scale, high-impact images in the city centre of Edinburgh, it will showcase the ways in which advances in science and technology can – through cutting-edge imagery techniques – reveal some of the wonderful sights normally hidden to us. Free, open and accessible, the exhibition will provide a valuable platform for reaching new audiences.
It will form a valuable part of our continued attempts to make science and technology easily accessible to those not necessarily engaged with, or targeted by, most traditional science communication activity. It will showcase some of the vastness, complexity and beauty of science in fields such as biomedical imaging and astronomy. In doing so it will draw attention to the techniques, technologies and research that make it possible to glimpse these otherwise invisible worlds.
Through an exhibition of large-scale, high-impact images in the city centre of Edinburgh, it will showcase the ways in which advances in science and technology can – through cutting-edge imagery techniques – reveal some of the wonderful sights normally hidden to us. Free, open and accessible, the exhibition will provide a valuable platform for reaching new audiences.
It will form a valuable part of our continued attempts to make science and technology easily accessible to those not necessarily engaged with, or targeted by, most traditional science communication activity. It will showcase some of the vastness, complexity and beauty of science in fields such as biomedical imaging and astronomy. In doing so it will draw attention to the techniques, technologies and research that make it possible to glimpse these otherwise invisible worlds.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Amanda Tyndall (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | Patterns in Nature |
| Organisation | Government of Scotland |
| Department | Marine Scotland Directorate |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Edinburgh International Science Festival curated a large-scale public photography exhibition, and invited Marine Scotland to creatively input into the project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Marine Scotland sponsored images that related to Scottish seas. The exhibition's curator worked with Marine Scotland researchers creating content that illustrated Scotland's incredible marine ecosystems. |
| Impact | 95% of visitors felt that it was very important that science photography exhibitions like Patterns in Nature were made accessible to the public. Feedback included: 'Couldn't be better - visually spectacular!' 'It highlights science in a very beautiful way; makes science of our world more appealing than it was at school.' 'The quality and detail is exceptionally good.' |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Patterns in Nature linked talk (Edinburgh) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Linked to our STFC funded photography exhibition, Patterns in Nature, Edinburgh International Science Festival programmed a talk which linked to the themes of the exhibition, and further explored the link between science and nature. Renowned architect Charles Jencks discussed his work and explained how science and nature provided sources of inspiration for him. This was followed by a Q&A with the audience. A total of 162 people attended this event in the National Museum of Scotland. Visitor feedback across the festival was very positive: 96% of audiences were either satisfied or very satisfied with the Festival events they attended. Comments for the exhibition included: 'Couldn't be better - visually spectacular!' 'It highlights science in a very beautiful way; makes science of our world more appealing than it was at school.' 'I'm a teacher and I'm using this as inspiration for a lesson in my classroom on Patterns in Nature - I'm taking notes and photos so I can use these examples in my class.' 'Attending Edinburgh International Science Festival events has been invaluable in allowing my teenagers to learn more about the opportunities studying and working in science might hold for them. In addition it is broadening my knowledge and interest in current/future science and political issues.' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk |