Below, we would like to launch a call for members of the Academia Europaea, the Academia Iuvenum of the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and the Young Academy of Europe to co-create a unique Art & Science exhibition at the Building Bridges 2024 Conference in Wroclaw, on the 26-28th of November 2024.

Nowadays, art and science are considered divergent realms and often portrayed as polar opposites. While science seeks to unravel the mysteries of the universe through empirical observation and logical deduction, arts explore the depths of human experience through creativity and imagination. Despite their different methodologies, both disciplines are driven by curiosity and a desire to make sense of the world. In science communication, very often, a dynamic interplay between arts and science is present, where each enriches the other in a reciprocal relationship of inspiration and innovation. Arts have the ability to simplify complex concepts, evoke emotion, inspire curiosity, and transcend cultural barriers. Thus, by harnessing the communicative potential of visual arts, researchers and educators can engage and empower lay audiences to explore and more deeply appreciate the beauty of the natural world and the complexity of science.

This arts and science exhibition aims to showcase and, at the same time, embrace the diverse Art & Science-related activities of the members of Academia Europaea, the Young Academy of Europe, and the Academia Iuvenum of the Wroclaw.Tech.

In this open call, we would like to ask all Academia Europaea, Young Academy of Europe and Academia Iuvenum members to submit a maximum of three of their high-resolution Art & Science related images. Along with the submission, authors should provide the title of the image(s) and a short description of each of their works (max. 2-3 sentences, 500 characters with spaces, including the scientific ‘story’ behind the given image and the used microscopic technique) to Arts&Science2024@yacadeuro.org before the 10th of October 2024. Due to the limited space for exhibition, we will not consider other types of artistic representations this time, so please do not send drawings, graphical abstracts or illustrations. Please note that submission of the images means that the submitting author holds the necessary copyrights or authorization to publish those images and is consenting to the transfer of those rights (i.e., to the use of those images, with proper credit to the author, by the organizers of the BB2024 Conference for this exhibition).

A jury of members of the Organizing Committee of the Building Bridges 2024 Conference and of the participating academies will then select the final images to be showcased in Wroclaw based on criteria of scientific and artistic excellence and diversity. Selected images will be printed and exhibited on poster stands at the conference venue and showcased on digital screens available at the venue throughout the conference.

Organizers:

Katalin Solymosi (YAE, biologist, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, https://katalinsolymosi.elte.hu)

Bernardo Cesare (MAE, geologist, University of Padova, Italy, https://microckscopica.altervista.org/en/)

Slawomir Czarnecki and Anna Dzimitrowicz (Academia Iuvenum of the Wroclaw.Tech)