Course syllabus
Sound Forest. Details of the interaction with a sensorized string emitting light and sound, part of the Sound Forest installation at the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts
Welcome!
Communicating Science Through Art and Art Through Science is a course at the Department of Media Technology and Interaction Design (MID), EECS, worth 7.5 ECTS credits. It is given in period 2.
Science and art have historically always been interlaced with each other, but this is rarely proposed in education, and especially in technical universities.
This course aims to fill this gap and invite students from all areas of education to use, discuss, and problematise different perspectives on art, technology, and design. This will be done by reflecting on and comparing different basic methods and techniques in art, technology, and design, as well as reflecting on the different student roles in these areas.
This will be achieved with a practical and multi-disciplinary approach by working on and creating projects whose main purpose is communicating science through art and art through science.
The course is organised into 6 modules.
Module 1: Introduction to art, technology, and design
Introduction to the intersections of art, science, technology, and design.
Historical and contemporary examples of how art and science inform each other.
Module 2: Art, technology, and design methods
Comparative analysis of research methods in science (e.g., hypothesis-driven inquiry) and methods in art(e.g., process-driven creation, narrative inquiry). Design thinking: how both areas approach design and innovation. Creative experimentation methods.
Module 3: Techniques in art, technology, and design
Practical workshops on different techniques:
Introduction to data visualisation, scientific illustration, sonification of information, and lighting design.
The basics of visual storytelling, immersive technology (XR), interactive installations, and the use of metaphor in artistic communication.
Module 4: Student roles in art, technology, and design
Discuss the roles of scientists and artists when working together. How do competences change in such collaborations? What power dynamics are at play?
Case studies of multidisciplinary teams analysing how individuals from both fields contribute and communicate.
Module 5: Project development - Communicating science through art and art through science
Each student group develops a project that integrates artistic and scientific methods. The project will be designed to engage the scientific and artistic community as well as the general public.
Groups will have access to experts and receive guidance on both scientific rigour and artistic expression.
Peer feedback: For presentations, students will provide constructive criticism of each other's projects.
Module 6: Project presentation and documentation
Group project presentation: The project is presented in a public exhibition, with students explaining the scientific and artistic elements to an audience.
The project is presented in both a popular science format and an artistic format.
Group project documentation: Each group submits both a scientific report documenting the concept, method, results and analysis, and an artistic report describing the creative process, aesthetic choices, and how it communicates scientific principles.
Places
- The lectures of the course are in room FANTUM, room 1537, VIC Studio, Circus Hall, and The Cell
Please note that the links below are available only if you are attending the course:
About the final project (TO BE UPDATED - MATERIAL FROM ANOTHER COURSE)
Other (TBA):
- Useful Programs and Resources
Course summary:
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