Art meets science
What is your idea for the major transformations of our time? This question was the focus of the Berlin University Alliance's “Art Meets Science” ideas competition – and it was answered during the Long Night of Science: in an exhibition and a talk, the winners of the competition presented their projects and their artistic interpretations.
Making the invisible visible
To kick things off, Claudio Rimmele, founder of the Observism agency and creative director of the THE OPEN LAB campaign, explained the visual concept behind the campaign. By placing oversized research objects around the city, the aim is to draw attention to science. He also provided insights into the intensive collaboration with artists NAOWAO, Liam Schnell, Robin Lochmann, and Hannelore Braisch, who translated scientific ideas into 3D artworks during the course of the campaign—visible in urban spaces, online, and now also at the LNDW.
The projects at a glance
Five winning projects from the categories of social cohesion, global health, climate & water, quantum technologies, and innovation & transfer showcased the diversity of current research in Berlin—and how artistic perspectives can create new approaches.
- Tiziana Guerra (Innovation & Transfer) presented her “indicator plants”: genetically modified plants that start to glow when infected with fungus – an early warning system for greenhouses. What she particularly liked about the competition was that it allowed her to present her research beyond scientific accuracy.
- Marco Stucki (Quantum Technologies) was represented by his colleague Maarten van der Hoeven, who brought along a model of the so-called “sawfish cavity.” He explained how diamond structures are used in their research to generate, manipulate, and transmit qubits.
- Nico Marquardt (global health) spoke about his work to reduce maternal mortality – a key goal of the United Nations. He emphasised how important it is to put existing AI systems into concrete applications. Political decisions, such as the US withdrawal from the WHO, would make it noticeably more difficult to achieve this goal.
- Silvan Hornstein (Social Cohesion) is developing an app to combat loneliness among young people. He highlighted that mental health issues are widespread – one in two people experience them at some point in their lives. However, because loneliness is not a recognized diagnosis, many people are denied access to support, which is why offerings such as his app platoniq.health are so important.
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Irina Engelhardt (Climate & Water), who was already involved in Open Space, is the coordinator of the SpreeWasser:N project, which develops strategies for sustainable water use in Berlin and Brandenburg. The aim is to provide tools and concrete solutions for the fair and sustainable distribution of water resources.
The talk showed that when science communicates openly and enters into dialogue with art, space is created for new perspectives—and for people who might otherwise not have access to research.