Science & Fiction: Depicting Science in Art

The close link between music and mathematics dissolves the artificial boundaries between art and science. But what about poetry and chemistry? Blurring the lines between these disciplines, my poetry and creative writing use the properties of elements and chemical reactions as metaphors to illumine and make sense of the events of our lives. This style of creative writing was inspired by the writings of the Italian chemist and writer Primo Levi, especially his autobiography The Periodic Table, where he told the story of his life through the lens of the chemical elements.

This talk brings comic book writer Sara Kenney and historian of medicine Harriet Palfreyman together in conversation to discuss Sara’s work creating scientifically and historical informed comic book stories that tackle real-world issues. From antibiotic resistance to the effects of COVID-19 on young people and beyond, this discussion will consider how to create speculative visions of our future that are grounded in scientific reality and that use art and storytelling to address key scientific issues of our time.

Celestial themes have enchanted poets for eons, but in an age where the stars are within humanity’s grasp, is there a responsibility for artists to accurately depict science, or is there room within creativity to bend fact? This presentation speaks on the choices in writing with scientific influence through the lens of an astrophysics graduate turned folk-rock artist. Is music affected if lyrics come with footnotes? Is public understanding of scientific concepts affected if misconstrued through song? Where is the line drawn between ensuring scientific accuracy and artistic expression?