Under the spotlights

About the SciArt project

SciArt mission

SciArt was established in January 2016, with the objective of triggering innovation in research and bringing together science, art and society. Hosted by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s in-house science and knowledge service providing independent scientific advice to inform EU policy, the programme enables scientists, artists and policymakers to meet and work together. 

We discuss, investigate and explore the wide intersecting plains between art and science, with a shared drive to generate insights that can meaningfully influence our collective life and policymaking.

SciArt process

We broker, curate, and communicate transdisciplinary exchanges among scientists, artists, and policymakers around topics of shared interest. Every two years, these actors meet to explore, dialogue, and sometimes disagree, yet through this process, they discover unexpected affinities in intent, method, and scope despite their differing approaches. Together, they experiment with ways of questioning, investigating, and representing reality.

SciArt outputs 

SciArt outpts include a wide range of activities, artefacts, and experiences emerging from collaborations at the intersection of art, science, and policy within the SciArt initiative. They include exhibitions such as NaturArchy, art-science residencies, performances, installations, collaborative projects, and multimedia works, alongside documentation and reflection through catalogues, media archives, and publications that capture the creative and conceptual processes behind them.

More than just final products, these outputs embody a spirit of experimentation, offering a safe haven for speculative exploration, testing ideas, embracing possible failure, and developing new ways in which art and science can jointly engage with and address contemporary societal challenges.