Understanding insects: Why explore through science and art?

Visualising the world of insects is at an exciting and innovative stage. New resources and technology allow exploration of intricate and complex detail at the miniscule scale of internal and external microscopic examination. In this project, a unique collaboration between a scientist and an artist has unified scientific and creative research interests in visualising insects from the Australian National Insect Collection. This intersection of science and art, within the fields of computational informatics, material science and entomology has provided a creative catalyst for imagination, ideas and innovation, particularly through the technical and aesthetic processes in which scientist and artist collaborate. In general, science art collaborations are conducted in order to create an artwork which has elements of science within the work. However, this project used art to illuminate the science for the purposes of research. We discuss the results of this science and art partnership,including the resultant challenges and benefits for a large interdisciplinary research organisation and for nationally exhibited artworks. This collaboration provides a model for mutually beneficial science/art explorations in related fields.