Science in the City is now in its second year after a hugely successful first edition. Edward Duca tells David Schembri that the mixture of science and art isn’t just to make science pretty.

Last year’s installation by Norbert Attard. Photo: Eliza von Brockdorff

Science is sometimes invoked as the answer to all life’s questions, as being able to supplant everything from art to religion to philosophy in humankind’s quest to find meaning in life.

Science, we are told, is the real deal, giving us all the explanation and meaning we may need. After all, it is science that gets things done; science that makes medicine, computers, space travel possible.

What follows from this mindset is that when science and art mix, it is science that is being diluted, science which is stooping down to the level of the masses who don’t understand calculus and relativity, but who like nice shapes, colours and sounds.

Edward Duca, the man behind the Science in the City festival, disagrees. “The art isn’t there just to dress up science. Art shouldn’t be a dressmaker,” he says.

“Science in the City is a science and art festival. We want to bring artists and scientists together to create something new, something special. Through art, I believe we can see science in a different light, maybe appreciate it more, understand its meanings better,” Duca, who holds a PhD in genetics, says.

“Art can also criticise and shine a new perspective on science. Science, after all, is a tool and how humanity uses it defines whether it improves our lives or makes it worse.”

As an example of big questions society needs to face, he cites GMOs, stem cell research, advanced artificial intelligence and robotics.

“Art can raise a much more interesting debate about science. It can look into the future and get us thinking about how these advances affect us, be it through art installations or science-fiction books. By talking about these issues now and learning the real facts behind them, society as a whole can take a better decision. I hope it’s the right one,” the organiser says.

Apart from raising ethical discussions, “art – from dance to paintings – can be a source of wonder. It can be appreciated for its aesthetic value but can go much deeper and provide multi-layered interpretations. I think this overlaps very strongly with science”.

This sense of wonder is perhaps the unifying link between artistic works and scientific findings, between artists and scientists.

“Scientists’ findings about the world can be eerily beautiful. Three-dimensional images of proteins can be stunning to view, as is the gorgeous swirl of DNA. The Hubble telescope’s deep-field images showed us snapshots of stars whose light is nearly 13 billion years old – stunning the world. By learning more about the world around us and how it works, I feel I find it more beautiful and value it more,” Duca says.

Scientists’ findings about the world can be eerily beautiful

Science and art have converged on more practical levels: “Before science figured how brains perceive the world around us, artists were turning 2D art into 3D landscapes using perception techniques. The Impressionists took advantage of the fact that our brain finds images more pleasing when it has to interpret a picture, rather than seeing the obvious. Dalì’s Slave Market with Bust of Voltaire captivates us with its two-paintings-in-one optical illusion. By observing and trying things out, artists figured out how to take advantage of our brain before neuroscience,” Duca says.

A duo playing outside the Biblioteca. Photo: Eliza von Brockdorff

Science in the City is not happening in isolation; it takes place on European Researchers’ Night, when other European countries celebrate the role research plays in society. The idea of a science and art mingling is not exclusive to Europe either.

“All over Europe and America, artists are invading science festivals, while at the Glastonbury Festival, Guerrilla Science invaded with a decontamination chamber,” Duca says.

“Scientists and artists are coming together more frequently and I see a great opportunity for Malta to contribute to this up and coming development. Malta’s small size and hyper-networked mentality could work in our favour.”

Throughout his studies and afterwards, Duca has shifted from doing actual science to working on making it more relatable on a wider level. While in Edinburgh, he took part in Café Scientifique; upon coming back to Malta, he founded and launched the Maltese arm. He also runs Think, the University of Malta’s research publication.

“The festival is a great way to communicate science. Malta is still trying to get used to the idea of science communication rather than popularisation. At Science in the City, we don’t want to just talk at people but have a conversation and listen to their interests.”

An installation at St James Cavalier heralded one of the exhibitions held last year.

He has also been personally involved in working with Mcast students on Infectious, one of the projects at this year’s fair.

“I went to speak to the students, talk to them about sci-art concepts and examples, different interpretations of what infectious can mean. I think they really took the concept and expressed it in a challenging way. Stark white hands will invite visitors to a virulent handshake, as swarms of metal mosquitoes threaten overhead and edible, worm-shaped sweets confuse. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of their teacher, Ruth Ancilleri, and the go-ahead by Mcast director Stephen Vella,” Duca explains.

Artists Stiefnu Debattista and Sarah Maria Scicluna came up with the ideas, which were then supplemented by input from a scientist to add extra layers, interpretation or a source of knowledge for the artworks.

In Zargo Comes to Earth, Scubed students will be using performance techniques to create a story intertwined with experiments.

“By telling a story and explaining live experiments, you can learn a thing or two about science – plus have a good laugh.”

Science in the City is taking place on Friday in various locations around Valletta.

www.scienceinthecity.org.mt