News

2026 Creative collaboration - new ideas at the interface of art and science

The latest events in our Art–Science platform, BSI Create, brought together creative professionals and scientists for two exciting workshops to share and explore scientific research concepts from new perspectives.

In June we welcomed a diverse group of contributors, including artists, filmmakers and games designers from across the UK to meet our researchers from Durham University. Participants presented short snapshots of their work, sharing scientific ideas alongside creative projects, often revealing unexpected connections across the disciplines.

The event encouraged wide-ranging, exploratory conversations, fostering new connections and supporting participants in identifying shared themes that cut across both creative and scientific practice. Scientific topics covered in the session included cell division and the dynamic role of the cytoskeleton, the unusual fluid properties of saliva, and VisualPDE, an accessible tool that allows non‑mathematicians to explore mathematical patterns and natural phenomena.

United by shared curiosity

A key feature of the workshop was curiosity, and its role as a driving force for exploration across the different disciplines. By bringing together these individuals who shared a common interest in exploring scientific ideas in different ways, the event created a very special space in which creative and scientific perspectives could connect seed new ideas.

Building on this momentum, the BSI will support the next phase of activity through its seed scheme, designed to foster cross‑disciplinary conversations without predefined agendas. This initiative will provide a platform for continued dialogue and collaboration, enabling participants to form new connections and explore ideas freely, without expectation of specific outcomes.

The event reflects the our ongoing commitment to enable innovative, interdisciplinary interactions, demonstrating how bringing together different ways of thinking can open up new possibilities for both scientific discovery and creative practice.

InsectNeuroLab – Strike Collective workshop

Earlier in June, a more targeted workshop introduced members of the Strike Collective to Dr Lena Riabinina and researchers from her group including Iman Muktar, Pooja Mahendran. The session took a deep dive into her research on insect sensory neuroscience, through an exploration of the amazing images of bees and mosquitos collected through her research.

Image above: This brightly coloured image shows the arrangement of cells in larval mosquito antenna. 

Find out more

• Event page and programme 
• VisualPDE
• BSI Seed funding 
• Our heritage of Art-Science 

2025 Online Exhibition - Art Inspired by Science

The online gallery is based on the 2025 Biophysical Sciences Institute’s "Art Inspired by Science: An Interactive Exhibition," which was held in the Durham University Botanic Garden in April 2025.

The Art Inspired by Science exhibition featured a collection of scientific images collected by Dr. Robert Banks during his 30-year career teaching and researching at Durham University. As a renowned researcher in comparative neuroscience, his work explores the intricate structures and processes at the junction between muscle and nerve cells.

These images inspired artistic interpretations, which drew parallels between scientific exploration and ways of visualising biological structures, to the exploration of new ways of thinking and the innovative use mediums to represent concepts which are central to artistic creativity. In the online exhibition these responses have been curated and are displayed alongside the scientific images.

Link to online gallery

The responses were curated from submissions from both esteemed professional artists, amateur adult artists and under 18-year-olds. Amongst the pieces exhibited is Crow & Tree (or Dust of Snow by Robert Frost), created by North-East based artist and academic Marianne Wilde, inspired by an image of a neuron, a Purkinje cell, and conversations with Dr Banks about shared experiences of visualisation across biology and artistic practice. Another contribution is "Curved Straight Lines" by eight-year-old Harrison Drummond, who used straight lines to create an optical illusion of curves, reflecting the complexity and beauty of scientific phenomena.

Image above: Crow & Tree (or Dust of Snow by Robert Frost), Marianne Wilde  

Image above: Curved Straight Lines, Harrison Drummond (8 years old)

For more information about the exhibition and the Biophysical Sciences Institute, visit our Art-Inspired by Science website.

Find out more

• About Biophysical Sciences Institute Research
• Biophysical Sciences Art-Science Activities
• Art Inspired by Science webpage

2025 Interfacing - Prize winning film resulting from BSI art-science collaboration 

Interfacing explores the dynamic world of membranes and interfaces through a fusion of science, art and the experiences of those undertaking this research. Developed with support from a small fund from the Biophysical Sciences Institute, the film draws inspiration from conversations with Dr. Staykova and visual material from her research. It combines creative coding, experimental data, and the testimonies of scientists including Dr. Staykova and Professor Kislon Voitchovsky, both from Durham’s Department of Physics and BSI, to create a unique snapshot of this area of research.

The film has also been selected for several prestigious international festivals. It was featured at the Science New Wave Festival XVII, hosted by Imagine Science Films and Labocine in New York in October 2024. Most recently, it was showcased at the Sheffield International Film Festival in May 2025, further cementing its impact across both scientific and artistic communities.

Dr. Patel’s film highlights the innovative research taking place within Durham’s Animate Materials research theme, offering a poetic and visually rich interpretation of complex scientific ideas. Through Interfacing, she opens a dialogue between disciplines, making cutting-edge biophysical research accessible and engaging to wider audiences. View Interfacing below and find out more using the links beneath. 

• Dr. Daksha Patel
• Dr. Margarita Staykova 
• Professor Kislon Voitchovsky
• Our research into biological and biomimetic interfaces 
• Oregon Documentary Film Festival 
• Science New Wave Festival XVII
• Sheffield International Film Festival 

Creative Encounters 2025: Art Meets Science at Ushaw College 

Running throughout June, July, and August 2025, the exhibition is hosted in the Ambulacrum, an informal space adjacent to Ushaw's main gallery. It is curated by the Biophysical Sciences Institute, and extends our community's collegiate interdisciplinary approach to new collaborations with creative professionals.  

Two-Part Exhibition: Conversations and Inspiration

Creative Encounters is divided into two compelling sections: 

Creative Conversations 

Three unique collaborations between artists and scientists are showcased, each exploring a different scientific concept through artistic expression: 

• Mark Burden & Dr Andrew Krause (Durham University's Mathematical Sciences) came together to explore Alan Turing’s theory of morphogenesis. Mark then used interactive simulations using the VisualPDE.com platform to visualize how biological patterns form. His work uses these in a stylized print of Turing, layered with excepts from Turing’s publications which highlight their mathematical elegance. 
• Michaelle St Vincent (Lady M), Dr Alison Lane (Durham University’s Psychology), & Prof. Amanda Ellison (Durham University’s Psychology) together discussed the relationship between colour and smell. Lady M’s piece, Portrait of the Artist, features a gloriously colourful cross-section of a skull, inviting viewers to engage both visually and by “scratching and sniffing” the artworks – could you identify all the different scents?  
• Laura Benetton & Prof. Steven Cobb (Durham University's Chemistry Department) are exploring the basis and utilisation of colour in nature. Though the is still in progress, this exhibition offers a preview of the interactive installations planned for 2026. 

Art Inspired by Science 

This section of the exhibition features artistic responses to a collection of scientific images gathered by Dr Robert Banks during his research and teaching career in Durham. These works were originally curated for the Durham University Botanic Garden and the full exhibition can be seen online. Selected pieces were chosen for display at Ushaw College to reflect the wide range of interpretations, from abstract to representational, of the scientific imagery which had emotional resonance for many. 

A Growing Community of Collaboration 

Since 2022, the BSI has fostered creative partnerships through events and ongoing support, aiming to make our research more accessible and engaging and foster new perspectives. The exhibition not only showcases the outcomes of these collaborations but also invites the public to join the conversation. 

Creative Encounters is a celebration of the curiosity and creativity of our community, and the power of interdisciplinary thinking. 

Find out More 

• Find out more about Ushaw College and how to get there. 
• VisualPDE - A platform for exploring mathematics and science through interactive simulations 
• BSI Research Themes 

Opening of the Art Inspired by Science Exhibition 2025

The Art Inspired by Science exhibition features a collection of scientific images curated by Dr. Robert Banks, a renowned researcher in comparative neuroscience, and collected during his 30-year career teaching and researching at Durham University. His work explores the intricate structures and processes at the junction between muscle and nerve cells.

The scientific images have inspired artistic interpretations, highlighting the parallels between scientific exploration and artistic creativity. These responses have been curated and are displayed alongside the scientific images.

Among the responses is "Dance of the Cells" by artist Charlotte Bassadone (Image below), which takes inspiration from microscopic images of gastric glands to create four stunning watercolour paintings. Another intriguing contribution is "Curved Straight Lines" by eight-year-old Harrison Drummond, who used straight lines to create an optical illusion of curves, reflecting the complexity and beauty of scientific phenomena.

Image above: Dance of the Cells, artist Charlotte Bassadone. Image courtesy of Charlotte Bassadone. 

Visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to engage with the artworks and reflect on the connections between science and art. The event aims to foster a deeper appreciation of the natural world and the ways in which scientific discoveries can inspire artistic expression.

For more information about the exhibition and the Biophysical Sciences Institute, visit Durham University's website.

2024 Project building Funding Awards Announced 

Our second year of BSI Create, brought new participants and new ways of forming connections. We were able to fund two projects through our Project Building Funding.  

Project 1: Alison Lane (Durham, Psychology), Lady Michaelle St Vincent and Amanda Ellison (Durham, Psychology) met through our first ever round table Seed-mixer event in early 2023. Their project funded early in 2024 will explore the connection between the perception of colour and smell using scratch and sniff questionnaire cards.

Project 2: The second project funded in 2024 was a collaboration between artist Laura Benetton and Steven Cobb (Durham, Chemistry). The partnership will create an art trail to explore colour in nature, through a series of installations with interactive and informative guides. There will also be events for children during the summer holidays to further explore the themes of the exhibition. 

2023 Sharing Event

Our 2023 Sharing brought together our quickly growing community of art-science collaborators. The attendees shared their developing work as well as their experiences of working together, revealing new perspectives and approaches. This aimed to create a pool of shared experience and knowledge that will guide future interactions.  

Attendees included the Seed-scheme participants Julie Ward and Paul Chazot (Durham, Biosciences) whose conversations resulted in the publication of the Yorkshire Bylines article “Living Well With Pain”; and Alison Lane (Durham, Psychology) and Lady Michaelle St Vincent who met through our first round table Seed-Mixer in early 2023.

Project Building fund-awardees Andrew Krause (Durham, Mathematical Sciences) and Mark Burden spoke about the different and shared inspiration they had taken from the work of Alan Turing (image of the boxed artwork below). Fellow Project building awardee Helen Schell showed a series of artworks in development as well as sharing the virtual reality environment being developed with Ulrik Beierholm (Durham, Psychology) and Anthony Atkinson (Durham, Psychology). Other participants included Margarita Staykova (Durham, Physics) and Daksha Patel, whose work towards a short video exploring artificial membranes is in its final stages, and Robert Banks (Durham, Biosciences) and Judith Hurst (image below of the artwork shared at the event) who are at the centre of the 2025 Art-Science Exhibition planned for the Botanic Garden.

Find out more about our Funding Schemes

Find out more about the 2025 Art-Science Exhibition

Workshop with Durham Spray Paints

A group of Department of Physics Postdoctoral reserchers and PhD students took part in a workshop (image below). They were introduced to Lewis Hobson from Durham Spray Paints through the Seed scheme and a new mural for Physics is being planned. 

2023 Project Building Funding

Our second year of BSI Create, brought new participants and new ways of forming connections. We were able to fund two projects through our Project Building Fund: 

Project One - Mark Burden and Andrew Krause from Mathematical Sciences received funding to build a collaboration around using the new website VisualPDE.com. This free website gives users interactive simulations of mathematical equations (the image below is taken from a VisualPDE.com simulation “Turing on Turing”). Andrew and Mark plan to use VisualPDE to explore Turing's ideas about biological morphogenesis - a way of describing how the spatial structure of biological organisms are formed during growth. 

Project Two - Helen Schell and Durham Psychology’s Ulrik Beierholm and Anthony Atkinson are working towards creating a VR simulation to explore the visual effects people might experience on the moon. 

Alchemical Dreams

Following a Seed-funded conversation between Dr Maggie Parker and Professor Steven Cobb, early signs of a developing collaboration can be seen in Maggie’s exhibition at Ushaw College (2022). Alchemical Dreams shows the use of different additives to the eco printing process. In the artwork Ephemera, Maggie used copper sulphate as an additive as well as the traditional logwood dyes.  

Alchemical Dreams by Maggie Parker – Ushaw: Historic House, Chapels & Gardens

2022 Sharing

At the end of our first year of our Art-Science collaboration scheme, we brought together the participants to share their experiences. The Sharing was a forum for the creatives and academics to share their thoughts and developing outcomes from funding schemes. Attendees included the creatives Alexandra Carr, Maggie Parker and Helen Schell (image below: The Human Spaceship - A Slice of the Moon; Paper Collage and Paint, Size 1.10m X 1.10m, 2023 by artist, Helen Schell).