If science is a musical instrument you can play, a creature you could touch, a wonder you could watch, a rainbow you could paint on milk, a food you could make and taste, a piece of jewelry you could make for your own and write your name on it, then, do you still think science is boring.
Back with deep impression of innovative ideas behind each exhibit in Wisconsin Science Festival, I made my first project for my multi-media class, based on the moments that touch me, the moments that I could see the marriage between science and art. I named the project: When Science Married Art.
Title Page of Multi-Media “When Science Married Art”
(Please see my multi-media on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs0srNAfTC0)
Due to the time limitation of my project, I am trying to condense a large festival into a small piece of multi-media work. But there are indeed too many impressive exhibits during the four days, so many and so attractive that I could not include all in a short one-minute project. Thus, I am thinking of finding something in common. I keep asking myself what impressed me most during the four days, the innovative idea behind each exhibit, the interesting talk with people, the smile on the face of children and parents…among these, there is one thing impressing me all the time and through the whole festival, that is, art. I could find the sense of art in almost every exhibits, and the organizer has made science become something one can touch, feel, taste, hear and practice. When science married art, it becomse so close to people’s daily experiences, thus approachable. The most important, people can learn how science applied in our life and what we can use to solve daily problems or beautify our life. Examples exists not only in large lecture or exhibits, such as the feature exhibit ” How Chocholate Is Made,” but also small ones, such as “Milk Rainbow.”
When I went to the exhibit telling how chocholate was made, there are many people of different ages showing up. Elder people went there because they like making chocholate at home and would like to learn some tips, younger people even kids went there because they were more interested in tasting the hotly made chocholate after the lecture session. Both audiences have learned something, both are satisfied, which could been found from their smiling faces.
And the “Milk Rainbow” is a simple exhibit, which shows how soap works to get rid of dirt. But instead of using soap and dirt, the exhibitor drop different color dye into milk, and then drop dishwashing liquid, the dye drops then suddenly mingle together and form a “rainbow.” Many kids are attracted by the colors and the “magic,” and as they crowded to see, they know the reasons behind the “magic”, and know how the soap work to clean oil and dirt in kitchen. Is that an amazing way to arise kids’ interest in learning science?
In front of the table of “Measuring molecular forces” exhibit, I even find a physicist from Italy, she was also quite interested in taking part in the activity and guess which liquid has largest molecular forces. The more interesting thing is, the physicist also didnot guess the right answer until she really tried the experiment. Because sometimes, no one could completely know every real-world stuffs until doing some experiments. The physicist said she also felt attracted by the experiment design, simple but effective to allow people find answers. Similarly, I also find many old people trying to figure out bumble bees’ living habbits and seeing insects exhibits. Some of them told me that they came to this exhibit every year, and although they have already known many general science knowledge, they still think they can learn a lot from science festival. Thus, the festival is for all ages and all professions.
The art element in each exhibit definitely draw science close to art, arising people’s interest and allowing people to see beauty of science and art simultaneously.
When science married art, it is so close to us and easy to touch.
Zhengzheng Zhang 