In Malaysia, people always think that art is just art, and the same goes for science, causing many not to know about art science.
For that reason Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) hopes to break the norm by changing people’s mindset towards art science with the ongoing ArtScience Prize 2022 exhibition at Balai Seni, Menara Maybank here.
According to the ASM ArtScience Initiative chairperson, Emerita Professor Tan Sri Dr Mazlan Othman, art science is a subject that motivates people to look at the human experience of nature and society in two different worlds, the artistic and the scientific.
“For example, we look at our galaxy. If you are a scientist, you not only see it as beautiful but you also know that there are massive black holes at the centre of this galaxy that you cannot see with the naked eye.
“So if you can express the presence of these black holes through an artistic interpretation, then it’s called art science but we (people) do not have enough exposure to that or even a platform for the talents to showcase their artwork,” she told Bernama.
Through the exhibition, themed “ArtScience Lens on Planetary Health’’, ASM hopes the public will be able to experience and celebrate the amalgamation of art and science as it showcases the artworks of the 23 finalists of the ArtScience Prize 2022. The exhibition is being held from June 19 to July 7 and admission is free.
Mazlan said the exhibition is a continuation of the first edition launched in 2020, and for the 2022 edition, ASM received 58 artworks submitted by individuals and groups from various backgrounds and disciplines, with submissions categorised as visual art, time-based art and new media.
The ArtScience Prize winner will receive RM20,000, a certificate or plaque and a residency attachment while the Rising Star Award winner will get RM10,000, a certificate or plaque and a residency attachment.
The People’s Choice Award carries a RM5,000 prize together with a certificate or plaque. The winners are scheduled to be announced on July 4 at an event to be attended by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang.
Maybank Foundation is the main sponsor of the initiative while Balai Seni Negara, Multimedia University, Monash University Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Yayasan TM and Toccata Studio are supporting partners.
Maybank Foundation chief executive officer Izlyn Ramli they believed in investing for the future, where art has the remarkable ability to evoke emotions, challenge perceptions and inspire action, while science provides people with the knowledge, tools and insights to understand the intricacies of our world.
“By fusing these disciplines, we can create a powerful force that drives meaningful change and spurs collective action. At the same time, by applying this medium, we have become more creative and agile in our approach to everyday problems. It teaches us to be closer to our customers and issues that we want to help solve using our expertise, financial services,” she said.
Universiti Putra Malaysia science faculty lecturer Associate Professor Dr Faridah Qamaruz Zaman said her entry ‘Aquascape’, produced using the herbarium specimens method, is aimed at creating public awareness on the dangers of invasive plant species.
“In Malaysia, an example of invasive plants is weeds mostly found on water surface. They can disturb the habitat of other organisms and need to be controlled, but on the other hand scientists can use these plants to produce biofertiliser and the like,” she said.
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) creative industry lecturer Nai Vongsuthep Wong Sowat has attracted attention with his coral reef sculpture garden which was built using cockle shells and stones containing calcium carbonate.
“Construction of the sculpture garden began in the middle of last year as part of my research on the importance of marine life conservation through the sustainable development agenda,” he said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency