ART × SCIENCE

“Science and art are the observe and reverse of Nature’s medal.” As Thomas Huxley indicated, science and art should never get into narrow paths and be considered as incompatible with each other. How could we help eliminating the bias and exploring the concept? We think it would be significant to get deep into the world of scientists and artists, through idea collision and sharing, set up the basic concept of blending art with science.

(i) Relationship between Art and Science

Art and science share the same essence, we should never set them apart. no matter scientists or artists we had talked with, agreed with this idea. But they also expressed worry on this idea’s unacceptable among the public. From the perspective of science, Prof. LIU from Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science thought that “Science derived from philosophy, thrived after the Renaissance, any of its crucial period was indivisible with art.” With examples of classicism, impressionism and modern art, we firstly considered it from the historical sight. While from the perspective of art, artists from Art and Science Research Center said, “Modern art always seeks to blend in other elements. By means of science, we can create artworks that are different from present artistic forms. Scientific process means a lot for the final presentation of art.” We could find that for experts in both fields, the inspiration from the other one is of great significance.

(ii) Meaning of Combining Art and Science

“They are connected by imagination and supposed to inspire each other, develop mutually. Nowadays, modern artists have begun to think scientifically, even try to present their work with scientific methods. Science promotes our understanding of nature, always takes advantage of art’s fantastic imagination. Conversely, advanced scientific technology broadens the horizon of art.” Our deep talk with Prof. LIU from Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, showed us the firm connection and the significant meaning jumped out of just the performance, but go deep into the same essence they share.

(iii) Key Point to Combine Art and Science

Imagination.

Recommended by Prof. LIU from Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, we read the article A Well-Hung Horse: Sired by Knowledge and Imagination, published in Cell in 2015. The writer, Dr. Joseph L. Goldstein, indicated that “The most original scientist (and artists) in our day discover newness by blending existing knowledge with imaginative thinking.” Imagination was also the original initiation of our story. “The key is that you need to explore the novelty of the project.” Prof. YU from Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Science also encouraged us to make utmost of our creativity and imagination. A science mind and an art heart are not the key, but it is imagination that combine them with each other.

(iv) Process that We Involved in

Curiosity, Observation, Inspiration.