While most individuals pursuing academic careers in scientific research focus on publishing in disciplinary journals, which are often inaccessible to the general public, the importance of engaging the broader public is becoming increasingly evident. Making academic knowledge and research-based information available to everyone is crucial, for example, for raising awareness of scientific topics and encouraging science-oriented thinking and decision-making. In recent years, we have been promoting various earth science topics to the public through a range of media, including video, popular articles, and children's books. A key aspect of these efforts is presenting complex ideas using simple text and artistic expressions that are suitable for engaging the public and effectively communicating scientific concepts. Here we highlight insights into promoting scientific knowledge to the public through illustrated children's books, designed to convey “big” and “complicated” scientific terms in a way that is accessible to diverse audiences, by carefully considering how text and illustrations complement each other. Examples of how scientific concepts and terminology can be simplified using straightforward language and illustrations will be presented as well, depicting how self-made art and professional illustrations can be used in children's books depicting earth science. Recommendations for collaborating with artists, will also be discussed, highlighting some of the dos and some of the don’ts.
How to cite: Ben Dor, Y. and Yasur, G.: More than words; some notes on art design in earth science children’s books, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1436, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1436, 2025.
We made a three-episode docuseries called “Sharing Minds” to show the backstage of the geodynamic research behind risk management. Through contemporary cinematographic language, in collaboration with a professional director, we showed the craft of the research, both analogue and digital, done by walking and modeling at the same time, connecting past and future. Our goal was to introduce a young adult audience to STEM disciplines and the essential role of a science without barriers. We wanted to underline the choral adventure of a transnational and transgenerational way of doing research on the earth’s dynamics. Overall our goal was to make the general public more aware of our shared vulnerability as deeply earthly beings through artistic expression. The first two episodes are set in two special locations of Italian geology: Etna and the Emilia Romagna area affected by the 2018 earthquake; the third is set at the Experimental Tectonics Laboratory of the University of Roma Tre. Lights, shadows, landscapes, music and interviews style were made to inspire new generations and serve as a powerful tool for cognitive learning to reignite the sense of beauty and shared responsibility for our planet.
“Sharing minds” was produced to promote Transnational Access as part of the MEET project (Monitoring Earth's Evolution and Tectonics), funded by PNRR, the Next Generation EU plan of the European Union and the Italian Ministry for University and Research, coordinated by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV).
The docuseries is on Youtube: SHARING MINDS_Ep1 - Sampling rocks; Ep2- Liquèfaction; Ep3- Experimental Tectonics
How to cite: marzioni, M.: “Sharing minds”: a mini docuseries for an open science in an open world, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-6207, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6207, 2025.
In late 2024, the International Ocean Discovery Program’s Expedition 405 embarked on a mission to further investigate the physical conditions and the geologic processes behind the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake. Alongside groundbreaking scientific research, the expedition prioritized public outreach. Comics were one of the media utilized for this purpose.
These comics simplified complex scientific ideas, experiences of life aboard the Chikyu research vessel, the collaboration between multidisciplinary teams, and the geologic data acquisition methods used during the expedition. Developed in partnership with the science party and crew, the comics drew on visual references and detailed notes to ensure accuracy. The comics used humor and engaging visuals to simplify scientific concepts, while portraying researchers as approachable and relatable individuals to inspire young readers to explore geosciences.
Published in English and Japanese, the comic book aims to inspire a diverse audience, sparking curiosity in Earth sciences and fostering early STEM identity development. Digital versions in English will also be freely available on the JOIDES Resolution website to ensure global accessibility. This initiative demonstrates how creative storytelling through comics can make complex science accessible to young learners.
How to cite: Schuba, N. and the IODP Expedition 405 Scientists: From Research Vessel to Comic Pages: Inspiring Middle-Grade Readers Through IODP Expedition 405, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-7636, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-7636, 2025.
Hydrogeologic training and work experiences give me the ability to read earth’s revealing “stories” told in inter-bedded rocks, streams, fossils and landscapes. I look for stories of people in places I have worked allowing those stories to inform my photographs. Themes such as the environmental impact that food production, energy extraction, and sustainability have on peoples’ lives, are woven into my images.
As an artist, I elevate the everyday mundane subject into the sublime. During exposure, I choose what to reveal and conceal when composing an image, bringing awareness of common things often overlooked. In exhibitions, my environmental photographic work opens a space for reflection, dialogue, conversation, questioning and insights.
My “3000 Miles of Acid Mine Drainage in My Backyard” images of chemical sludge and polluted water create abstract beauty as irony. Color, lighting and composition along with important layers of information imbedded in each image, make them so compelling. As Diane Stoll (Aperture) noted, “Katarin Parizek’s unsettlingly gorgeous close-ups of sludge” are pleasing to the viewer yet also grotesque.
Selected in juried exhibitions, shown in gallery settings, and used in an applied way, these images are presented at scientific meetings and congresses directly impacting society by bringing awareness to environmental and social issues. My images critique political climates, question viewers, create dialog and social awareness. Environmental impact that food production, energy extraction, and sustainability have on peoples’ lives are woven into my photographs. I worked with the US Embassy, Bolivian Ministry of Culture, National Ballet of Bolivia, tribal elders in the United States and Bolivia, Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt and FRONTERA EASTERN in The Republic of Georgia and served as the official photographer for a six-person USAID team, photographing nuclear impacted-waste lands of Chernobyl.
My images communicate the importance of dewatering projects to non-English speaking Egyptian villagers, who try to protect their homes and survive off their salt-encroached land. Ministers, high official decision makers with money and power who rarely leave Cairo, to travel to isolated villages to see these problems firsthand. The water-related damage is not only impacting villages and farmland, but also permanently destroying ancient antiquities along the entire Egyptian Nile Valley and Delta. Villagers share their problems and allow me to photograph dying date trees, salty sugar cane fields, opening their mudbrick homes showing the destruction created by rising groundwater. These images are embedded in permission papers and reports, used as evidence to visually communicate problems to the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Reports are sent to the Egyptian ministers concerning water resources, housing, drainage, agriculture, and antiquities. These images illustrate problems that words cannot describe. They expose and reveal the hidden, giving voices to the voiceless villagers. Here, my images shift from photography as illustration to photography as social activism. These reports go to decision makers with the ability to fund projects that create change in Egypt. They bring social awareness to problems that need resolution. In this manner, image making turns into discourse that creates awareness and informs public policy at an international level.
How to cite: Parizek, K.: Environmental Visual Story Telling: Facilitating Discourse that Creates Public Awareness and Potentially Changes Public Policy at an International Level., EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-14727, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-14727, 2025.
The convergence of art, science, technology, and society in the 21st century has redefined how knowledge is created and communicated. This evolving interplay is driven by global challenges such as climate change, technological advancements, and the imperative to foster inclusivity and equity in science communication. This presentation explores the dynamic interactions between these fields, emphasizing their transformative potential for public engagement, environmental advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
A central theme is the role of art in enhancing ocean literacy and environmental awareness. Examples include collaborative efforts such as visualizing oceanic data through art, crafting engaging infographics, and using artistic mediums to depict the impacts of climate change. Initiatives like the "Mission Azul" video game and the "Ocean Challenges" documentary series demonstrate how gamification and storytelling can connect with diverse audiences, making complex scientific concepts accessible and inspiring. These projects blend scientific rigor with artistic expression to stimulate learning and action.
Particularly innovative is the use of art for cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in science outreach. Collaborative projects, such as coloring books with QR-linked science talks during the pandemic and performances like "Blue Fear," exemplify how art can amplify marginalized voices, bridge cultural divides, and elicit emotional connections to scientific issues. By integrating visual arts, digital media, and performance, these initiatives create a participatory space where audiences become co-creators of scientific knowledge.
Moreover, the presentation examines how significant global events, such as the 2008 economic crisis and the 2019 pandemic, have accelerated the integration of art and science. These turning points have driven a shift from purely representational uses of art to a more intricate relationship where art serves as a critical tool for exploring complex issues, promoting sustainability, and challenging societal norms.
Finally, the presentation underscores the importance of measuring the impact of art-science collaborations. Quantitative metrics, such as audience reach and interaction rates, complement qualitative insights from participant feedback, providing a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of these efforts. This dual approach ensures that science communication strategies remain adaptive and responsive to the evolving needs of society.
By showcasing examples of eco-art, urban art projects, and interdisciplinary collaborations, this presentation highlights the growing significance of the art-science interface in addressing global challenges. It calls for continued exploration of this nexus to enhance public engagement, inspire collective action, and foster a more inclusive and interconnected understanding of science and its societal impact.
How to cite: Mohamed Falcon, K. J. and Rey, D.: Bridging Worlds: The Transformative Interplay of Art, Science, and Society for Global Challenges, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-9533, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9533, 2025.
The intensifying climate crisis necessitates innovative approaches that extend beyond conventional education and behavioral strategies. This study integrates Living Lab and artistic frameworks to empower children to transform climate science into actionable narratives. From 2023 to 2024, six role-playing workshops titled “Traveling Without Rockets: A Journey to the No-Litter Planet” were held in art museums in Seoul and Changwon, adapting the framework for participatory contexts. This research examines the potential of reframing climate discourse to make it more relevant to children by addressing micro-level, everyday issues. Through the workshops as a case study, it explores the artistic experimentation of developing and applying practical solutions at individual, group, and community levels.
Existing information-based climate education often emphasizes the severity of the crisis, inadvertently instilling fear, anxiety, and helplessness in children. This study addressed these limitations by shifting the narrative to a future-oriented perspective, asking, “How can we design and act for a climate-ready future?” This shift moved the discourse from fear and risk to imagination and proactive preparation.
Children engaged in a scenario-based methodology, leaving a devastated Earth to explore the fictional No-Litter Planet. Acting as researchers, they gathered evidence to address climate-related challenges and collaboratively reimagined Earth’s future. This scenario-based methodology went beyond traditional knowledge dissemination, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
The workshop design was grounded in a scientific literature review, emphasizing coexistence, empathy, and collaboration as essential values for addressing the climate crisis. The Living Lab framework was adapted to include storytelling and role-playing, enabling children to collaboratively create and test climate adaptation solutions in an experiential and supportive environment. Symbolic activities further enhanced children’s understanding of climate-induced inequalities and the critical need for cooperation in building resilience. Furthermore, the workshop was intentionally designed to involve parents, fostering intergenerational dialogue and engagement. By facilitating shared experiences, the workshops extended their impact from children to families and communities, encouraging collective discussions on sustainability and resilience. This focus formed the basis for designing the workshop specifically for children.
This study highlights the potential of integrating Living Lab methodology with artistic practices to enhance climate adaptation education. The findings demonstrate how combining scientific knowledge with emotional engagement cultivates resilience, imagination, and collaborative action. This interdisciplinary approach offers a scalable model for addressing global challenges and fostering community participation.
Keywords: Living Lab, Climate Adaptation, Art-Science Communication, Role-Playing Workshop, Children, Stakeholders, Co-Creation, Problem-Solving, Artistic Imagination
How to cite: Kim, J.: Reframing Climate Adaptation Education: Integrating Living Lab and Artistic Frameworks to Engage Children, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15567, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15567, 2025.
The Environmental Data Service (https://eds.ukri.org/), based in the UK, provides a focal point for scientific information spanning all environmental science domains. We support researchers and anyone with an interest in learning more about the natural world by hosting the largest collection of environmental science data in the UK.
Describing the importance of data and digital skills with members of the public can be difficult. Conversations can be challenging (data isn’t seen as interesting), demotivating and negative (environmental issues can feel too big or depressing).
Noting these challenges, staff members (specialists in atmospheric and earth observation domains) designed an art-based activity to inspire more transparent and motivating conversations about climate data. The interactive activity, in the form of a ‘climate mosaic’, was suitable for all ages but particularly aimed at the next generation and their influencers (i.e. caregivers).
The data behind the artwork was provided by creation of a new tool which allows people to create personalised climate stripes. People can choose global locations and time periods to view warming stripes, and choose their own art mediums to express their thoughts, concerns or actions for change.
We piloted the tool at Harwell Open Week 2024; hundreds of school children and families added pieces to a mosaic artwork depicting the warming climate in Oxfordshire over the last four generations, with action slogans.
The hands-on activity created a safe space for conversations on local issues and increased participants’ understanding of how national facilities collect, disseminate and analyse data. More institutions plan to repeat or evolve the activity for their communities and the tool has been made publicly available.
We will summarise how the artwork was co-created, the data and digital tools we made use of, the benefits of using non-traditional communication methods, and how we hope to continue inspiring conversations about environmental data.
Further information about this work, including links to the tool can be found here: https://www.ceda.ac.uk/outreach/
This work builds upon and was supported by the team behind the #ShowYourStripes global graphics: https://showyourstripes.info/
Image: the climate mosaic being completed by members of the public. Small coloured tiles were used to indicate different yearly average temperatures in Oxfordshire, UK. Red = warmer, Blue = cooler.
Image: The final mosaic measured 6.5 metres x 0.5 metre.
Note to conference team: if there is any available funding, it could be possible to recreate the artwork during the conference. Please contact us if this is something you’d like to discuss.
How to cite: Townsend, P., MacRae, M., Hall, V., Stephens, A., and Debski, A.: Climate mosaic: inspiring conversations about data through art , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4093, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4093, 2025.
Music has the creative ability to deliver information about climate change in an emotionally engaging way. There are numerous examples of converting climate change data into musical compositions. One well-known approach is the sonification of data by scaling and converting data time series to musical notes. The result may often sound dissonant (sometimes voluntary to raise awareness), and very challenging when several time series, hence musical sequences, are combined into one song. Another approach is to step away from the sonically display of climate information by interpreting the sequence artistically, hence freely.
One way to overcome the purely data-driven dissonance is to make use of harmonic scales for mapping data series to musical notes. The major advantage being that several sequences can be combined harmonically as long as they belong to the same scale. Such harmonic sequences are used as building blocks for songs, allowing for a creative approach to music based on the data series, while keeping the inner musical coherence. Besides data sonification, direct sound sampling (e.g., Pettit et al, 2015) or other types of measurements may also be the basis of music creation. We found that raw phase-sensitive radar returns (ApRES) produce a (noisy) signal within the audible range (0.1 - 10 kHz) and that different parts of the ice sheet produce distinct sound patterns depending on the radar return. While they cannot be directly mapped via sonification, we may use them as a rhythmic component.
Using both harmonic sonification of mass balance time series and radar pulse returns from the Antarctic ice sheet, we created electronic-based music. All songs have data-driven cryosphere change components through bass lines, arpeggiators and rhythmic patterns, and are further creatively harmonized. All sonification code is available through a toolbox.
References:
Pettit, E. C., K. M. Lee, J. P. Brann, J. A. Nystuen, P. S. Wilson, and S. O'Neel (2015), Unusually loud ambient noise in tidewater glacier fjords: A signal of ice melt. Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 2309–2316. doi: 10.1002/2014GL062950.
(*) The author is besides being a glaciologist and ice sheet modeller, amateur jazz piano, keyboard, bass player and composer.
How to cite: Pattyn, F.: The sound of ice: using radar data and sonification in music composition, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-10270, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-10270, 2025.
The Anthropocene is intertwined with questions of death, loss, grief and destruction. A lot of the death and loss that we discuss in the context of climate change is caused by humans and experienced by humans in different ways. Perhaps part of future loss and death can also be prevented or alleviated by us. For this to be possible, we need to better understand our relation to death in the context of our environment. This is not only a philosophical or theoretical issue but also something that is useful to discuss in the context of transdisciplinary methodologies and art to improve the social impact of scientific research.
Art plays a crucial role in making sense of complex emotions and roles that we have in relation to climate and death as academics - and as humans. This presentation looks into the importance of creating open, non-hierarchical spaces for exchanging research results from different fields and artistic expressions help to deepen understanding and spark collaboration. They also help to create a cognitive environment where emotions and challenges are met with care, which creates a base for transdisciplinary trust. As part of the presentation, I provide practical examples of how previous climate & death-themed discussions have sparked interest and discussion across fields and evolved into transdisciplinary events, including the transdisciplinary seminar Climate & Death 2024 [1]. The event provided a common, welcoming space for scientists, artists and practitioners to share information and discuss, showcase artistic work and hold workshops.
Climate change, sustainability and death overlap in many areas, such as extreme weather, air quality, health & well-being, security, ethics and culture. Whether or not we succeed in mitigating climate change, environmental destruction, biodiversity loss or other related problems, humans face inevitable death, loss and grief. These aren't only part of crises, but life in general. Furthermore, talking about death and other 'fundamental' issues is important to transform ourselves and our systems to be more sustainable. Talking about hope should include discussions on death, loss and grief, as well. The seemingly dark topics are simultaneously fundamental for discussing what we find meaningful and joyful in life. Discussing such issues helps us to connect beyond labels as humans when faced with existential questions related to climate change. It can also help us to develop useful methods for science communication and for taking climate action together.
The presentation is based on work done in the Safer Climate network, based at the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at the University of Helsinki as part of the Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC) Flagship Program funded by the Research Council of Finland.
[1] https://www.saferclimate.org/about-climate-and-death, https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/sustainability-science-days-2023/biographical-information-climate-death
How to cite: Rantanen, R.: Climate, Death and Art: Creating Shared Spaces for Understanding and Action, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-16315, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-16315, 2025.
Society is facing large sustainability challenges, that can only be solved using an interdisciplinary systems thinking approach. Progressing towards a sustainable and resilient future requires systems change, including re-establishing the relationship between humans and nature, and sustainability education. To reach sustainability transformation, higher education must teach students not only being able to adapt to change, but also to build their capacity to shape and create change. One way to achieve this, is to teach at the interface between the arts and sciences to promote affective as well as cognitive learning objectives and practical skill development.
One example of such interaction is the project ‘Harmony in Complexity’, which is a musical data sonification of one century of climate data (1924-2024), including an optional participatory performance. Through a science-art cooperation, we combined scientific knowledge (head) with practical engagement (hand) and emotional connection (heart). Inspired by a student brainstorm, we created a musical experience by sonifying the distinct and important global datasets of CO2 concentrations and planetary temperature anomalies. The CO2 concentrations are mapped to frequencies which are perceived as a musical tone, and the temperature anomalies are divided in three different zones in the Northern Hemisphere (tropical, temperate, northern) and converted to musical notes. This resulted in a dual layer composition, integrating both the steady rise in CO2 concentration and the correlating temperature changes. To engage with the data and the data-sonification, we developed an optional guided musical audience participation with an embodied experience. After presenting the musical piece including spoken explanations, the audience is invited to participate with body percussion mimicking natural elements like rain and wind, and vocal engagement.
The musical piece including audience engagement has been presented to an audience of over 200 people. People in the audience indicated afterwards that they were emotionally moved by the musical piece. In the engagement part, the audience that consisted of people of all different backgrounds, age, gender, and discipline, felt connected and positive about the solutions that can be found if we engage together. Insights from this project will be integrated in the sustainability programmes at Utrecht University. By integrating arts and sciences, we aim to develop holistic education programs that empower students to become agents of positive change in a rapidly changing world.
How to cite: Rebel, K. and Van Nispen tot Pannerden, T.: Harmony in Complexity: Engaging Head-Hands-Heart towards a Resilient Future , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4061, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4061, 2025.
To promote the students’ ability to perceive how the climate has been changing and to understand how it is likely to change in the future is an essential base for the Climate Change Education (CCE) in ESD (Education for Sustainable Development). The change in the climate in each area could be recognized rather easily with the “distortion of the seasonal cycle” there also by the non-experts.
It should be noted that the detailed cycles show rather different features from region to region, even within middle and higher latitudes. Thus, in the CCE, deeper understanding of the detailed seasonal cycles themselves would be also necessary. By the way, interdisciplinary approach with cultural understanding education such as music, and so on, sometimes gives a great help for understanding of the regional climate including the detailed seasonal cycles. In addition, selection of the study areas or targets which are not so familiar to the students in their usual lives could also provides considerable advantage for deepening the students’ perception of the heterogeneous others. Based on the above concepts, we have continued the interdisciplinary studies as summarized by Kato et al. (2023).
This time, interdisciplinary approach including the lesson practice for the university students with the above concept was made on a topic of the climate and songs of spring/May around Germany. Around Germany, there are so many songs and literature works in which “May” is treated as the special season. However, without knowing the detailed seasonal cycle around Germany, it seems rather difficult for the people in the other regions, such as in Japan, to realize why they celebrate not simply spring but especially “May”.
According to our analysis, May is the very month when the appearance frequency of the days with daily mean temperature corresponding to the ordinary summer days increases rapidly, while the intermittent appearance of the extremely low temperature days terminates completely around the end of March. With considering such climatic backgrounds, musical expressions of spring/May in several German lieder, such as “Im wunderschönen Monat Mai” (In the especially wonderful month of May) by Schumann, “Andres Maienlied (Hexenlied)” by Mendelssohn, “Trockne Blumen” by Schubert, and so on, were analyzed for demonstrating the importance of the word “May” in these lieder for the interdisciplinary lesson at university. In the lesson practice, details of the climate and seasonal cycle around Germany in association with the seasonal feeling of the special season May were firstly presented, by comparing with those around Japan. Then, several German lieder, a film music, etc. were appreciated, paying attention to the relation between expressions of the songs and their climatic backgrounds. It seems that the students were able to realize the characteristic expressions of the songs relating to the seasonal feeling of “the special season May” around Germany, mainly from the song lyrics, although how to promote further the students' deepening of such perception including musical expressions themselves together with the climate data is a remaining problem.
How to cite: Kato, K., Nagaoka, I., Kato, H., and Otani, K.: Climate and songs of spring/May around Germany: Interdisciplinary lesson practice at university on the regional variety of the seasonal cycles and seasonal feelings as an important base to perceive the changing climate, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-11104, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-11104, 2025.
I have a visual mind. Already at primary school, I felt that pouring something I learned into the right image, gave me an increased level of insight. It also helped me communicate with others. In my scientific career at the interface between soil science and hydrology, the urge to draw, sketch, sculpture, and build has always remained. In the beginning, I found rare opportunities to create my own illustrations in talks, posters, or a popular science exposition for the university. However, not being a professional artist, I often felt limited, as if the idea in my head did not always get the chance to crystallize into the right form. In this presentation, I will illustrate the synergy that comes into existence when scientists engage with artists. I will highlight some collaborations with various artists throughout the past year resulting in illustrations for an opinion article, a book chapter, an illustrated children's book and more. The conversation on how to visualize or create something from an abstract idea results in a wonderful cross-pollination between the artist and the scientist. It teaches us how things come across with other people, and how this in turn creates something new. Something exciting. Something that trickles down into society and builds bridges. I will bring some material and hope to open the conversation with you on your next idea!
How to cite: Garré, S.: The synergy between art and science: a testimony from a soil scientist, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-2060, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-2060, 2025.
The Arctic is warming at three times the global average, significantly impacting people, place, and the environment. In Alaska these impacts are felt in very real ways. Yet, for various reasons, much of the science explaining those changes does not reach the people and communities most impacted. The one benefit that we have, however, is our interconnectedness. We prevailed upon those connections to create a unique collaboration of Arctic research and original musical compositions that brought the sounds of this changing Arctic to our Alaska communities most affected. Recognizing that music can inspire far beyond data, we paired 7 Arctic researchers from Fairbanks AK with composers in Juneau AK to create original chamber music compositions. Music inspired by features of particular Arctic research. To critical acclaim, we hosted three concerts featuring these unique compositions with the aim to reach and inspire those affected by these environmental changes, and to connect communities on common issues affecting us all. Additional visual artists were featured in association with the concert showcasing their own interpretation of our changing home. We produced a feature documentary capturing the process, the place, the science, and the people. Bringing together people with quite different mindsets for this collaboration required new thinking -very much out of the box. The collaborative success reached far beyond our original idea with significant press attention and demonstrated catalytic effect for building community.
How to cite: Alexeev, V., Doranz, C., Dowgray, S., and Brix, K.: Sounds of the Changing Arctic, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13864, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13864, 2025.
We present Arboreal Futures, a transdisciplinary exhibition project at the boundary between climate research and art, with the overarching goal of communicating about climate change with the general public. Through the example of this exhibition project, we explore the role of art in science and vice versa, along with the positive outcomes that can arise from working at the nexus of these fields.
Art, through its influence on the sensory experience of large audiences, plays a significant role in shaping the collective imaginary and the public discourse. Artists are increasingly considered as agents of importance in communicating science to broader audiences. There are mainly three different ways to envision art and science collaboration, namely 1) art to illustrate and translate science, 2) art as inspired by science for its artistic expression, and 3) transdisciplinary cooperation between art and science to ask questions, design experiments, and formulate knowledge.
The transdisciplinary approach is of particular interest in the context of climate change, since addressing climate change as a society requires building up bridges between - and making interact - various forms of knowledge, including scientific as well as non-scientific forms, that tend to evolve in separate contexts.
We organized two artist-in-residences at the Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), EPFL in summer 2023. The artists stayed at the lab for two and four weeks, respectively, and worked in interaction with the researchers in their research projects, helped them, and accompanied them in field research experiments. We selected the two participating artists, Maja Renn and Krzysztof Wronski, through an international call for artists.
As outcomes of the residences, the artists initiated new works and pursued them further for over a year after their residence at PERL. Maja Renn developed a series of performative works translating the phenomenon of phenoplasticity she discovered at the lab into choreographic forms. Krzysztof Wronski developed a new series of artistically driven interventions that reflect on the current and emerging needs of trees and forests and question the role technology and human management should play in light of them.
An exhibition presenting the completed art works together with PERL’s research took place at the Pavilion on the EPFL campus from November 2024 to January 2025.
In this talk, we will discuss the broader context of this project, the artists and the researchers’ experiences, and the outcomes with a glimpse at the Arboreal Futures exhibition.
How to cite: Bourqui, M., Rohr, B., Renn, M., Wronski, K., Johnson, K., Bachofen, C., and Grossiord, C.: Communicating climate change through the lens of art and science transdisciplinarity, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-2332, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-2332, 2025.
"Portraits of Climate" brought climate research and art together for a one-year long cooperation. Art has the unique power to touch people and evoke emotions and reactions. The connection between art and climate research unfolds a remarkable power – it sharpens our awareness of climate change, evokes emotions, and connects us in profound ways. Art and science stem from the same curious, investigative, and creative nature of human beings. Once upon a time, these two fields were inseparably interconnected, and "Portraits of Climate" provides an opportunity to explore the synergies between them. This project is not just about exchanging information, but also about creating something new together that integrates both artistic and scientific perspectives. Each artwork you will see here reflects the cooperation and co-production between artists and scientists, their passion, commitment, and their unique perspectives on the world around us.
What potential does the "Co" in cooperation and co-production hold? What influence can art have on research, and how can both disciplines enrich each other? Do we remain in the roles of the artist or the researcher, or do we go beyond? Are we pushing boundaries? What role has art in education?
Journey Through Time and into the Future by Jenni Schurr and David Nielsen
Participants:
Dit Coesebrink, Daniele Alef Grillo, Carl Maria Kemper, Nana Petzet, Jenni Schurr, Prof. Dr. Jörn Behrens, Dr. Martin Döring, Prof. Dr. Michael Köhl, Dr. Cleovi Mosuela, Dr. David Nielsen, Dr. Jan Wilkens
How to cite: Pagnone, A.: Portraits of Climate, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17759, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17759, 2025.
As global societal, economic and environmental challenges intensify, there is an urgent need for finding new ways of thinking and communicating both in science and in arts. The Science Meets Art (SMA) association fosters collaborations between scientific experts and artists, creating a dynamic network where new perspectives are introduced, resulting in interdisciplinary projects that reach broader audiences and evoke deeper emotional connections to topics such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
The mission of Science Meets Art is to break down traditional boundaries between science and the public by fostering spaces where both artists and scientists can explore, collaborate, and present their work. These collaborations open up new ways of thinking about science, challenge stereotypes and biased knowledge, not only making it more relatable but also enabling artistic responses to scientific data that resonate with diverse audiences. By organizing public events and supporting joint projects, SMA actively promotes scientific outreach and facilitates a deeper understanding of the environmental issues we face. We acknowledge that artistic expression cannot be forced but must be nurtured through reflection and improvisation, providing artists with the freedom to explore new topics while contributing to public discussions on science.
In this session we will showcase some of the past SMA activities, including three exhibitions in scientific institutes, collaboration with performance art and artivism on climate and environmental issues. We will present our principles and manifesto and open the doors for inputs and new collaborations.
How to cite: Vinca, A.: Science Meets Art: Vienna-based association and network for trans-disciplinary projects, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-20223, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-20223, 2025.
In an era of pressing environmental challenges, the fusion of art and science offers a powerful medium for deepening individual and public understanding and emotional engagement with global issues. This presentation explores the intersection of climate science and art through the collaborative efforts of a climate scientist and a painter/teacher. Building on the scientific findings of the SEARCH project, which investigates rates of change in past warm climates, we are using the emotional and cognitive power of art to promote a deeper awareness of climate risks and the goals of the European Green Deal (GreenSCENT project), and to contribute to the education of the next generation of scientifically literate and emotionally engaged young people.
Our approach integrates the principles of Intuitive Vision Painting, an art form we have developed, inspired by the method founded by Michele Cassou, which emphasizes unrestricted choice and spontaneity in creative expression. By engaging participants through painting examples and video demonstrations of this form of spontaneous painting, we aim to make the scientific complexities of climate change more accessible and relatable. This method serves as a catalyst for participants to connect emotionally with the urgency of climate action, increasing their receptivity to the scientific narratives and policies surrounding climate adaptation.
Through this interdisciplinary collaboration, we demonstrate how combining scientific data with artistic practice can break down barriers to understanding and create a shared language that bridges the gap between abstract scientific concepts and personal, emotional experiences. Our presentation will include a brief overview of the results of the SEARCH project, examples of Intuitive Vision Painting, and hopefully an interactive discussion on how such artistic interventions can enhance public engagement and drive more effective communication strategies in the face of climate change.
References and Notes:
Advanced Climate Risk Education https://www.acre.blue
Mudelsee M (2014) Climate Time Series Analysis: Classical Statistical and Bootstrap Methods. Second Edition. Springer, Cham, xxxii + 454 pp.
Mudelsee M (2020) Statistical Analysis of Climate Extremes. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, xii + 200 pp.
Ólafsdóttir KB, Schulz M, Mudelsee M (2016) REDFIT-X: Cross-spectral analysis of unevenly spaced paleoclimate time series. Computers and Geosciences 91:11–18.
This work has been funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), project number 468589022 (SEARCH), within the SPP 2299, project number 441832482; and by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036480 (GreenSCENT).
How to cite: Mudelsee, M. and Mudelsee-Künkler, F.: Embracing Climate Change through Painting: A Scientific and Artistic Collaboration, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-8389, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-8389, 2025.
Submersion illuminates the future evolution of glaciers and ice sheets, whose melting significantly contributes to sea-level rise, affecting coastlines and coastal regions worldwide. This multimedia triptych, blending printed and digital imaging technologies, invites audiences to explore glacial environments, immerse themselves in potential futures shaped by sea-level rise, and understand the individual actions that most influence glacier and ice sheet melting.
Commissioned by the European research project PROTECT (Projecting Sea-Level Rise: From Ice Sheets to Local Implications), Submersion serves as a science-communication initiative to bridge research findings with public engagement. Led by the Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE-CNRS), PROTECT focuses on understanding and projecting the impacts of ice-sheet dynamics on future sea levels.
The exhibition is a collaborative production involving PROTECT, ESAD Valence, and Alizée De Pin, a graphic artist and illustrator-in-residence. The residency integrates research-creation processes. Through four workshops, students and faculty from ESAD Valence’s Graphic Design program contributed to the project, fostering innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
As part of PROTECT’s work on communication, dissemination, and research output exploitation, the project emphasizes the creation of an artwork rooted in scientific findings. Submersion aims to raise public awareness of the critical issue of cryosphere melting and sea-level rise, encouraging audiences to reflect on the environmental impacts of their actions and to envision a sustainable future.
How to cite: Chapuis, A., Durand, G., De Pin, A., and Cunin, D.: Submersion: an art-science collaboration on the cryosphere and rising sea level, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17126, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17126, 2025.
A long-standing intellectual partnership between Franco Siccardi (1942 – 2024) professor at University of Genoa and founder of CIMA Research Foundation, and artist Beppe Schiavetta has allowed for the exploration of the relevance of historical narratives in the context of today’s environmental crises. One significant collaboration resulted in the "Lament of Ur," an ancient Sumerian text recounting the destruction of the city of Ur, likely caused by drought and social unrest. Schiavetta translated this historical tragedy into evocative paintings, while Siccardi drew parallels to modern issues like climate-induced migration and resource scarcity.
Modern challenges such as climate change, drought, and ecosystem degradation require innovative solutions that blend scientific insight with creative engagement to inspire action. The CIMA Research Foundation exemplifies how interdisciplinary collaboration between science and art can effectively communicate complex environmental issues and drive societal change.
This partnership highlights the shared cognitive processes between art and science, both of which rely on the brain’s capacity to create vivid imagery and construct narratives. By intertwining scientific analysis with emotional resonance, their work engages audiences intellectually and emotionally, enhancing the impact of their message.
The relevance of this collaboration extends to global efforts by researchers from various countries, such as the World Drought Atlas, which highlights the systemic impacts of drought on ecosystems, economies, and societies. These findings underscore the urgency of integrative approaches to risk communication that combine data with creative expression.
Through The Lament of UR paintings, but also exhibitions, lectures, and projects, the CIMA Research Foundation demonstrates how art can transform scientific findings into accessible, emotionally compelling narratives that inspire empathy and action. The potential of such interdisciplinary collaborations to engage communities, raise awareness, and drive transformative solutions to global challenges such as droughts represents a new way of exploring different languages. By uniting science and art, we can create powerful tools to address climate change and other pressing issues, fostering a deeper connection to our planet and promoting a sustainable future.
How to cite: Mantini, M., Polo, L., Alessandri, B., Visigalli, R., and Ferraris, L.: Lament of Ur: Addressing Drought Through Art, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19404, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19404, 2025.
The capacity of art to create new media content and to approach non-intuitive concepts makes it a powerful tool to communicate research. However, deploying art as “a communication” tool comes with the risk of producing a work of limited artistic interest. Finding the right balance between these two goals is a complex challenge.
In this presentation, we will describe the conceptualisation and realisation of the project Liquid Strata, a project led by an oceanographer, Joan Llort, and the artists Entangled Others and Daphne Xanthopoulou, that sought to reflect on the visual representation and the limitations of observing the mesopelagic ecosystem. Liquid Strata is a digital sculptural installation curated by Lluis Nacenta first presented in the 2024 SonarMies edition under the Sonar+D Festival program in Barcelona (Spain). It was designed as a gate into the mesopelagic, a vast ocean ecosystem covering the global oceanic layer between 200 and 1000 meters deep. The mesopelagic, also known as the Twilight Zone due to the dimmed sunlight that reaches it, is one of the largest and least well-known, yet already threatened, ecosystems on Earth.
The main conceptual challenge of this collaboration was to produce a digital visualisation of a region and a phenomenon (the “marine snow”) that is extremely hard to observe. The scarcity of visual data imposed an alternative approach. The strategy applied by the Entangled Others and Joan Llort was to model the dynamics of the particles and fauna populating the mesopelagic, similarly to what researchers do when modelling the ocean carbon cycle but with an artistic purpose. This paradigm change forced us to review the literature and identify mechanisms that can be visually attractive despite not being the dominant drivers of the carbon cycle. The installation also made explicit the limitations of observing the deep ocean and how research tries to explain and understand an ecosystem that is so vast that is almost inconceivable for the human mind. Throughout the work we purposedly drifted away from pure aesthetics, trying to visualise the scientific concepts rather than embellishing them. In this sense, the soundscape was generated based on data acquired from underwater sonar but only working with infrasounds and avoiding the sounds of whales and other marine mammals commonly used in outreach.
The presentation will describe the concept and the methodology behind the artwork as well as some of the many challenges faced during this interdisciplinary collaboration. The last two minutes will showcase a video of the installation accompanied by an immersive soundscape.
How to cite: Llort, J., McCormick, F., Crespo, S., Xantholoupoulou, D., and Nacenta, L.: Liquid Strata installation: art-purposed modelling of the ocean’s Twilight Zone, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4101, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4101, 2025.
The collaboration between art and science is essential in addressing environmental inequalities and promoting environmental justice. The exCHANGE [1] project was born precisely out of a desire to explore this potential, seeking to combine different perspectives to address complex social issues such as inequalities. By combining their powers, art, and science can create immersive experiences using augmented or extended reality to communicate the consequences of climate change. Under the activities of exCHANGE [1], the THEMIS concept was born to propose an immersive experience (by means of augmented and/or extended reality) that aims at creating conscience and awareness in the audience about the actual and final consequences of climate change in alpine environments. THEMIS aims to give voice to the voiceless, promote environmental justice, and contribute to educating people through effective communication. These two approaches are connected to the purpose of a shared project that will see the creation of an immersive experience for the public.
The extended reality experience is based on the four basic elements of nature (water, air, earth, and fire) as a complex, intricate, and very delicate system in balance. These elements produce and maintain life, but they also destroy it. All living things have been adapting and evolving for thousands of years to this harmony, but the accelerated changes in climate do not give them/us any chance to quickly adapt to the new conditions.
THEMIS is inspired by the GEOPARC Bletterbach [2], which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its geological and paleontological significance because of rock layers dating back over 280 million years, an open-air geology book that shows us the life of the planet through sedimentary rocks, fossils, and traces of ancient environments, including evidence of tropical seas and volcanic activity. We recreate these elements inside an environmental simulation chamber, and we organize dedicated sessions with heterogeneous types of audiences to observe, experience, and understand our self-relation with them in life.
[1] exCHANGE, Exploring Pathways of Art-Science Collaboration, Eurac Research 2024.
https://www.eurac.edu/en/institutes-centers/center-for-advanced-studies/projects/exchange
[2] GEOPARC Bletterbach. 2025. https://www.bletterbach.info/en/
How to cite: Mejia-Aguilar, A., Hell, S., Kustatscher, E., Daldos, P., Parin, R., Weisel, Z. K., and Isetti, G.: exCHANGE and THEMIS: A symbiotic approach to tackle inequalities due to climate change in Alpine environments, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-6180, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6180, 2025.
ArtEO is a non-profit initiative established with the simple aim of bringing Earth observation (EO) and other environmental data closer to artists and creatives. The mission of ArtEO is to facilitate easier access to data and imagery for artists, musicians, storytellers and creative professionals who wish to engage with climate change and environmental subjects. In the first phase of the initiative (‘Pioneer Phase’), ArtEO has worked with a diverse range of multidisciplinary artists who have produced work in many genres, ranging from large scale sculpture to immersive projections, movement-based performance art to video work, software-based sonification to powerful musical composition. These works have been showcased in a number of major art-science events, and in climate communications and innovation contexts, including the Ars Electronica Festival, MTFLabs, EGU, IAC and elsewhere.
ArtEO takes a specific approach to supporting artistic and creative engagement with EO data that is often distinct from other forms of science communication, data visualization and infographics. However, there are some overlaps and they share a common goal of achieving greater reach, visibility and impact with the data. There is an opportunity for cross-learning between all of these areas and this session will provide an insight into the process and methodologies undertaken by artists working with EO in the ArtEO Pioneer Phase, and what this has revealed about the challenges for the wider public of engaging with EO data and imagery. and about ArtEO’s aim is to achieve significant public reach with both the artworks themselves and the data utilised.
How to cite: Kapur, R.: ArtEO - Environmental Data for Artists: Lessons from the Pioneer Phase, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13115, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13115, 2025.
The Earth’s magnetic field is invisible and cannot be sensed by the human body. Yet, it plays a crucial role for life: besides its most prominent role in navigation, it serves as a protective shield against harmful solar and cosmic radiation. Among the most dramatic variations of the Earth’s magnetic field are reversals, marked by a significant decrease in field intensity and a complete flip of the magnetic poles. Geomagnetic reversals are well-documented in paleomagnetic records spanning Earth's geological history. They are considered a natural characteristic of the geomagnetic field and occur very irregularly, on average, a few times per million years.
To make the drastic, global changes of the Earth’s magnetic field accessible to a general audience, we present an audio-visual representation of the most recent reversal, known as the Matuyama-Brunhes reversal, which took place 780,000 years ago. Both the visual and sonic depictions are based on a global model, resting on an extensive compilation of global paleomagnetic sediment records.
Building on our previous experience in engaging audiences through outreach projects (e.g. Nielsen, K., & Hayes 2025; Schanner et al. 2024; Nielsen et al. 2022), we find that the combined audio-visual format provides an intuitive, corporeal, and immersive experience – one that to a far better extent than text and graphs can capture the attention of the general public.
Nielsen, K., & Hayes, L. (2025) The Sun, https://www.instagram.com/p/DEZqSqANIjN/?img_index=1 (approx 228K plays)
Schanner, M., Kervalishvili, G, & Nielsen, K. (2024) Sonification of the Laschamp event, https://www.instagram.com/p/DBJVujeIC-T/ (approx 61K plays)
Nielsen, K., Linden-Vörnle , N., & Kloss, C. (2022) The scary sound of Earth’s magnetic field, https://soundcloud.com/esa/the-scary-sound-of-earths-magnetic-field (approx 1.15M plays)
How to cite: Nielsen, K., Schanner, M., Mahgoub, A., Panovska, S., and Kervalishvili, G.: Sound Reversal – Hearing Earth’s magnetic field switch poles 780k years ago, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-3279, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-3279, 2025.
Climate change is one of our most urgent challenges and new communication strategies are needed to raise awareness and inspire humans’ action. As a complex phenomenon, climate change is often insufficiently explained by traditional scientific communication methods like articles and reports, which often fail to reach non-expert audiences.
To address this gap, we developed SEAMAN (Synthesized Earth Monthly Anomalies), a software translating climate data into a nocturnal seascape, which offers an immersive and emotional way to explore climate data over time. SEAMAN (https://github.com/GeoModelLab/seaman), uses NASA-Power climate data (1984–2022) to draw an interactive digital canvas to visually and audibly represent climate anomalies. The sea, with its dynamic waves, reflects temperature anomalies through changes in color and movement. The moon's size and position symbolize precipitation rates, while the stars' position in the sky illustrates aridity patterns. Together, these elements create a dynamic and evolving digital canvas that enables users to intuitively explore and understand complex climate data.
SEAMAN is designed for educators, researchers, decision-makers, and the general public, enabling them to explore climate trends, analyze historical data, and see the effect of temperature and precipitation changes. By combining scientific clarity with artistic expression, the software fosters a deeper understanding of the urgency of collective climate action.
How to cite: Del Cavallo, E., Bregaglio, S., Bruno, M. R., Calone, R., Carriero, G., Poggi, G. M., Rossi, E., and Bajocco, S.: SEAMAN: Imagining Climate Data in a Sonified Nocturnal Seascape, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-16558, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-16558, 2025.
“Sky Islands: a past time travel in the Andes mountains” is a short film based on the scientific publication “The flickering connectivity system of the northern Andean páramos”[1], which was selected for a special virtual issue in the Journal of Biogeography (July 2021) as one of the highest citation rates of papers published since 2009. This film used digital art, photography, 3D animation, and scientific data visualization to understand how the high-altitude ecosystems of the Northern Andes, the páramos, evolved in time and space. It displays how the shifting elevational distributions of the páramos were caused by changing temperature conditions driven by long-term climate fluctuations and how speciation could have increased exponentially under these dynamic conditions. Additionally, it provides key insights in how the present-day biodiversity, which was built up during several million years, is deteriorating in just a few decades of devastating human activity. The film has now been shown at different public events, is available in Youtube ([2] over 10,000 views since 07-2018), and an updated version has been the official selection of international environmental film festivals, winning several awards in addition [3]. The results of this outreach approach have had a significant impact in various ways. First of all, decades of knowledge on the evolution in Andean ecosystems has been integrated, providing a much-needed interface for multi-disciplinary research between paleoecology, phylogeography of plants, and pollen-based reconstructions of paleoclimate. Secondly, strong information graphics trigger new initiatives in mountain research globally, elucidating the origin of biodiversity in an unprecedented manner. Thirdly, science visualization is increasingly being considered as a vital tool in communicating key scientific development. In addition, it helps students to better understand the history of the páramos, and high mountain ecosystems in general. Finally, the visualization is relevant for a large public including scientists and universities, filmmakers, new media artists, schools, policymakers and governments, stimulating outreach to the community also through the use of social media tools [4,5]. In this talk, we will elaborate further on the process of making a scientific film from a scientific publication, and the challenges of “translating” a scientific story into a work of public outreach and art.
References
[1] Suzette G.A. Flantua, Aaron O’Dea, Renske E. Onstein, Catalina Giraldo, Henry Hooghiemstra 2019. The flickering connectivity system of the northern Andean páramos. Journal of Biogeography 46(8), 1808-1825. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jbi.13607
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wcp18vBDK4
[3] https://www.catalhinagiraldo.com/sky-islands
[4] https://www.instagram.com/skyislandsandes/
How to cite: Flantua, S., Giraldo, C., and Hooghiemstra, H.: A 3D visualization of the elevational dance of the Andean high mountain biome in the Pleistocene arena , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-18222, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-18222, 2025.
Scientific outreach is often made through visualisation: graphic design, filmmaking etc… As a seismologist, I often thought that seismic waveforms could look a little bit unappealing to the eye (some may strongly disagree with me). Fortunately, there have been recent efforts to use sound to visualise and listen to earthquake data, making for unique outreach exhibitions. Here, I propose to go beyond by transforming and arranging seismic data into electronic dance music. On this poster, I show the workflow behind ‘Tremors’, a melodic techno track (made under the moniker of LEARTH), which was produced with almost exclusively processed seismic signals. I present the link between a variety of seismic signals and musical instruments frequency responses and show how the track can be built with Python, Ableton and Touch Designer. I also made an abstract music video that exhibits the range of processes we can record at the Earth’s surface. Meet me at my poster to listen to the music or watch the video. I will also bring my sampler with pre-loaded Earth sounds: come along if you want to do your own track !
How to cite: Illien, L.: Making electronic dance music with seismic data, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-5710, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-5710, 2025.
The Earth's dynamic processes shape the landscapes we inhabit and underpin the delicate balance of life on our planet. However, the complexity of geoscience topics often creates barriers to engagement, particularly among younger audiences. In my recent book, How the Earth Works, I aim to bridge this gap through the integration of accessible writing and evocative illustrations, crafting a narrative that invites children—and their families—into the wonders of our planet.
This project combines the rigor of scientific accuracy with the emotional resonance of artistic expression to make complex concepts relatable and engaging. The vibrant illustrations are not merely visual aids; they are tools for storytelling, designed to ignite curiosity and foster a deeper connection to Earth's processes. It is a book that educates by stealth, and demonstrates that science stories, when told well, can light a spark of curiosity even on those a-priori not interested in science.
In this presentation, I will discuss the creative and interdisciplinary approach taken in How the Earth Works—from translating geoscientific knowledge into visually compelling artwork to crafting a narrative that resonates with children and adults alike. I will share insights into how art can foster curiosity, create emotional connections, and encourage dialogue about environmental challenges. In addition, I will share some of my journey into becoming a scientific author and illustrator, hopefully inspiring others who wish to take their science to the next level…through art!
How to cite: Perez-Diaz, L.: Educating by Stealth: Art and Narrative as Tools for Science Communication, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-9582, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9582, 2025.
Environmental challenges such as climate change, natural hazards, and compound events demand interdisciplinary approaches beyond traditional scientific methods. The PerfectSTORM project studies the risk of cascading hazards of extreme rainfall after drought, focusing on hydro-social feedback to guide the future management of drought-to-flood events. We explore both the positive and negative potential of rainfall in mitigating drought impacts and causing flood impacts. By integrating theory from data science, hydrological modelling, sociology, and behavioural and cognitive sciences, the project employs a mixed-methods approach to develop qualitative and quantitative storylines. These storylines are constructed through narrative interviews, mental simulation workshops, socio-ecological modelling, and novel data visualisation techniques, ultimately identifying global hotspots and pathways for managing drought-to-flood events.
Within this framework, art-science methods have been employed not only as tools for communication but as integral methodologies throughout the research process. Creative approaches have enabled deeper engagement and richer insights, from preparation and brainstorming to data gathering, analysis, and communication. For example, narrative interviews and mental simulation workshops are enhanced by participatory art sessions, where drawing and visualisation/materialisation help participants express complex ideas and lived experiences.
The poster will highlight the role of art-science collaborations within the project, focusing on three ongoing art/science activities. (a) The Travelling Suitcase is an interactive, portable exhibition that engages diverse audiences worldwide. The exhibition integrates multimedia storytelling, visualisations, and artistic installations, fostering dialogue and bridging cultural and linguistic barriers. (b) The Limited Documentary Series delves deep into the dynamics of drought-to-flood events, weaving together scientific insights, historical data, and human stories. These films highlight the cascading impacts of drought-to-flood events through scientific analysis and human narratives. (c) The Drought-to-Flood Atlas is a cornerstone activity of the project, combining art, science, and community engagement to create a comprehensive and interactive resource. This atlas aims to bring the complexities of drought-to-flood events to life through scientific data, creative visualisations, and participatory storytelling. The web Atlas includes interactive maps and visualisations of the models, timelines, and graphs; these features will help convey the cascading nature of hazards and their impacts on various scales, from local communities to global patterns. This participatory design ensures that the atlas evolves as a living, inclusive document that reflects diverse voices.
Combining art and science, the PerfectSTORM project transcends traditional research boundaries, creating new pathways for understanding and addressing global environmental challenges. With this poster presentation, we aim to demonstrate how interdisciplinary collaborations can inspire deeper connections, bridge gaps in understanding, and promote actionable solutions to the world’s most pressing sustainability issues.
How to cite: Van Loon, A., Kontou, D.-M., Mendoza, H., Weesie, R., Matanó, A., and Torrenga, D.: Art-Science as a Multidimensional Tool: Exploring the socio-hydrological interactions of drought-to-flood events, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-11374, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-11374, 2025.
Interweaving scientific research with artistic practice, Glacial Hauntologies is an intra-disciplinary art-science collaboration that translates, subverts, and repurposes tools from many disciplines to explore geophysical data and glaciological archives. We are interested in how ice - past ice, current melt, and future glacial disappearances - reoccurs as a persistent hauntology across 21st century landscapes, scientific data, and day-to-day life.
Working across print, sound, textile, movement, archives, programming, and math, our work confronts male-dominated, colonial histories of Antarctic research by centering expansive, embodied, collaborative practices that create alternative relationships to, histories of, and ways of doing research about glacial change. This work includes recordings of dripping meltwater overlayed with sonified seismic data, large-scale, sewn cyanotype fabric collages, zines of body outlines for recording deep field experiences, interactive glaciological data presentations, and other multimedia work.
We will present work generated from this collaboration, propose a framework for intersectional, transdisciplinary creative research, and discuss the outcomes of doing integrated artistic and scientific research.
How to cite: Case, E., Hoffman, A., Mode, H., and Rai, T.: Glacial Hauntologies: an intra-disciplinary collaboration between glaciology and artistic practice, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13671, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13671, 2025.
In academia, science often seems disconnected from art, creating knowledge that is isolated or distant from society. However, this connection is essential and can be fostered through various artistic forms, including the figure of the clown. Since 2019, through an action-research project, we have been exploring the integration of the clown’s universe with that of science, enabling what we call a “back-and-forth” dynamic. This term reflects the bidirectional nature of the interaction: society benefits from receiving presentations that convey scientific ideas in an accessible way, while the artist-scientists on stage experience the challenge and practice of sharing knowledge in a playful, unpretentious manner rooted in fun. In this work, we present a diagnosis and consolidation of this initiative through the performance “A Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which involves researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, high school teachers, and staff, demonstrating how the union of art and science can enrich both academia and society.
How to cite: França, G. S., Barreto, P. S. C. S., Gosling, G., Bertollini, J., Moreira, G., and Feo, . S. C.: The Clown Merging Art and Science., EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19859, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19859, 2025.
