Art and Science break boundaries in The Garden of Earthly Delights

[摘要] Science is considered to be a highly specialised discipline that can be hard to grasp for a lay audience. Asa consequence, the general public usually feels quiteremoved from science and rarely gets involved in thediscussion of scientific concepts. But what if a differentlanguage were used? What if the audience were givenan entirely different perspective of science?The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) inBarcelona, Spain, initiated the Artist in Residence programme to explore this possibility. The programmeprovides a unique opportunity for artists to immersethemselves in the scientific community for a freeexchange of ideas and to explore, learn and form relationships with scientists. Its aim is to inspire artistsand scientists alike. Initially, it is just the artist and thescientist who benefit from this experience, but then,once the project has materialised and is exhibited, itextends its reach to the lay audience. ‘Our aim is toget hold of a broader audience, involve people whoare not originally interested in science, and might notcome to an open day that we organise’, says MurielArimon, Public Engagement and Science EducationOfficer at IRB Barcelona, who coordinates the programme. ‘If they find science within another context,they might develop a new interest in it. Once we havetheir attention, we can interact with them’.