The Art of Physics

A large fair with marquees in a field

Lancaster physicist bridges the divide between science and the humanities

Physics researchers have provided the inspiration for artists, composers, actors and musicians to produce new works, influence leading figures in the culture sector and bring about an enhanced cultural appreciation of physics research to new audiences.

Professor Kostantinos Dimopoulos’s research into cosmology provided the inspiration for a national exposition of new works of art and a short film, shortlisted in 2017 as one of five best AHRC documentaries of the year. Research by Professor Aneta Stefanovska into biological signals formed the basis for original works of music by a pioneering composer, performed live to audiences and broadcast on television. Professor Roger Jones’s particle physics research provided the vision for communicating science at cultural festivals, most prominently leading to the World of Physics at the World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival.

  • At least 30,000 people worldwide have been directly impacted through leading cultural events in the UK, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Slovakia, and the USA, with approximately 14.7 million people reached through associated media coverage.
  • Stefanovska’s research was used to explore the ability of actors to ‘get into’ character for example, when acting anger their physiological response may change. Composer Professor Nigel Osborne MBE, used ‘sonified’ versions of the data to provide the accompaniment for the Greek play ‘The Bacchae’, which was performed to critical acclaim at the Ulysses Theatre in Croatia in 2018. Audiences totalled about 7,000. Excerpts were broadcast on Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian television, reaching 7 million people. The recordings also generated a new musical work, ‘A Short History of Polish Philosophy’, commissioned by the Donaueschingen Festival (which will take place 13-16th October 2022, after being postponed due to Covid).
  • Dimopoulos’ research into dark energy and cosmic inflation was the inspiration for an artistic exploration of ‘radical imperceptibility’. 56 original pieces were created by Dr Sarah Casey with Dimopoulos providing accompanying text and material, including photographs of his papers. The exhibition was staged at the University’s Peter Scott Gallery and the 2016 Being Human Festival (‘the UK’s national festival of the humanities)’ by over 900 people. Two of the drawings were also displayed in the exhibition ‘Beyond Perception’.
  • In 2016, Jones instituted the Physics Pavilion at the World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival. Footfall grew year on year with 8,000 visiting in 2019. The Physics Pavilion, which now includes a workshop area, discovery centre, planetarium and ‘accelerator in the sky’, became World of Physics. Jones, has run ‘aurora detector’ and ‘collider in your pocket’ workshops, and talked about topics including Higgs and matter/antimatter. Notable highlights include Steven Moffat OBE discussing science and Dr Who. The model has since gone global in USA, Denmark, Slovakia, Czech Republic with plans to export it to WOMAdelaide and WOMAD Auckland.