Art & Science
Art & Science combine as an effective way to disseminate research outcomes
In November 2018, I participated jointly with Kevin Lim, a young talented Panamanian artist, in a two-day interdisciplinary workshop “Flash LAB 2019”, organized by Estudio Nuboso (https://estudionuboso.org). The aim of this event was to seek innovative strategies for scientific dissemination through joint work between scientists and artists. The effort made during this workshop resulted in the drafting of a proposal that was submitted to the Korean embassy and to the British embassy to obtain support funds. The project involves the use of multiple inventive platforms to expand the scope of the research outcomes regarding human invaders Aedesmosquitoes and the diseases they transmit to people in Panama.
The artistic platforms are: (1) An itinerant exhibition created with diverse communities that would help people understand that our own actions are the core of the whole problem of mosquito-borne diseases; (2) An interactive installation in public spaces that would allow people to understand the impact of these diseases in the society and specifically on vulnerable communities; and (3) An educational program with which we would expand students’ knowledge about concepts related to the Aedes mosquito and how to combat them effectively.
The project as a whole would educate people, and some of the interactive facilities would generate useful data for the development of future scientific research on this topic.