Science and art undoubtedly have a lot to offer each other. Working with artists can give scientists a new slant on their subject, and perhaps prompt them to formulate more original questions, or design more radical experiments. While science, with its vivid history, ever more startling advances, and attendant social and ethical conundrums, offers art myriad strange new worlds and meanings to explore.

But what does the average visitor get out of a science and art exhibition? Does the use of scientific spaces and themes add a new dimension to art that alters or enhances audience experience? How successful is art really in conveying scientific information and stimulating deeper thought about its wider implications? And how can one extrapolate from such essentially subjective and individual responses to assess the impact of an exhibition on its audience?

Difficult as it is to assess, it would be helpful to have some idea of what 'works' and what doesn't - what is positively received, and what inspires interest in science. It would offer practical guidance to organisations promoting public engagement with science, as well as to scientists and artists planning new collaborations.

To this end, the Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England commissioned TWResearch to conduct a survey of audiences attending four science-art exhibitions (see box below) at different venues in 2002. The findings offer insight into the key factors affecting the impact of science-art projects, and provide valuable information for those considering developing exhibitions.

Venue

One crucial factor is the exhibition venue, not just determining the nature of the audience but also influencing the impact of the exhibition.

Most visitors chanced upon the science-art exhibitions because they were visiting the host institutions, rather than because they were specifically interested in particular exhibitions. Interestingly, their expectations, and hence their reactions, were significantly influenced by the nature of the venues. A science-dominated environment such as the Science Museum is seen as providing answers and dealing in objective truth, while an art gallery is more about raising questions and eliciting a subjective, contemplative response. Introducing art into a science space or science into an art gallery, thus subverting the dominant associations of the host venue, can either be a pleasurable surprise that catches and holds audience interest - or it can be downright confusing.

Moving science from the laboratory to a gallery provides a 'softer' environment in which audiences can question and explore scientific issues without feeling excluded or intimidated by being in the territory of 'experts'. However, it can also minimise response to the scientific content: visitors to 'The Glass Aquarium' exhibition at the Design Museum, for example, tended to value the models as design objects, rather than scientific artefacts. Yet similar exhibits shown at the Wellcome Trust's TwoTen gallery, a space associated with biomedical research, were more likely to be appreciated as an aspect of science.

Sometimes a more neutral environment can work well. The Eden Project, which hosted 'Primitive Streak', is a holiday destination, free of the contextual and elitist associations of galleries or museums. Visitors were relaxed, and possibly in a more open and exploratory frame of mind than they would be in a gallery or museum - a mood heightened by the beautiful summer weather and inspirational outdoor setting.

Impact

Visitors to all four exhibitions spoke of the moment they 'got it' - a moment that transcended their first impressions, in which they entered into deeper engagement with the content and theme of the exhibition. This personal point of discovery, where something 'clicked', was a crucial factor in their enjoyment.

The exhibition that seemed to generate the greatest pleasure and enjoyment was 'Primitive Streak'. The first impression, of dresses and fashion, gave visitors an accessible point of entry, which was followed by the pleasurable realisation that the collection was more than a fashion show: it was inspired by human embryonic development.

Audience descriptions of 'Primitive Streak' as 'imaginative', 'beautiful', 'provocative' and 'inspiring' suggest that the transforming power of visual beauty - traditionally the territory of art - plays an important role in the impact of science-art collaborations, and can be used to communicate the often unseen excitement and extraordinary shapes, patterns, colours, stories and drama that constitute the world of science.

Science-art projects that are relevant to visitors' everyday lives also seem to achieve a greater impact. Again, 'Primitive Streak', with its clothes and exploration of human development in the womb, had a sense of relevance for most people. The biographical detail - the human story of the collaboration of two sisters, a scientist and a fashion designer - further helped to create a strong emotional connection between the audience and the content.

Interpretation

There is no doubt that having a moment where things 'click' enhances visitor experience and encourages further investigation and discovery. However, this connection is often determined by personal factors: pre-existing interest, experience and knowledge can help some visitors understand and engage with an exhibition. Others might not make the connection unaided, and as a result will have a less satisfying or 'enjoyable' experience.

Explanatory and interpretative materials, such as signs, banners, leaflets, posters and explanatory videos, can all help the audience move beyond their dispositions, prejudices and first reactions to make rewarding discoveries about the exhibition. At all four exhibitions there was a noticeable difference between levels of engagement and enjoyment reported by visitors who received explanatory material and those who didn't.

There is a caveat, however: the need to provide some explanation so that people don't feel excluded or alienated should be balanced against the need to retain the integrity of the experience. Enjoyment and impact come largely from giving
visitors the space to make a personal discovery - to feel things 'click' - rather than have interpretations and explanations thrust upon them. Indeed, sometimes the absence of explanation can enhance the moment of connection, or 'click'.

The level of interpretation tends to be determined by the nature of the venue. The Science Museum is expected to offer detailed explanations and could possibly get away with more than an art gallery. Interpretative strategies should also be sensitive to audience needs. Many visitors to the 'Clean Rooms' exhibition at the Oldham Gallery were unused to galleries and museums, and wary of exclusion, feelings that weren't eased by the (artistically desired) sterility of the 'clean rooms'. Here, where people felt particularly alienated, the artist-in-residence created an important, humanising bridge between the audience and the exhibition.

Genre

As yet, there doesn't seem to be a defined science-art genre with its own following. Audiences usually reacted to the content of the exhibition rather than considering the broader issues of science and art, unless prompted to.

When asked about the value of science-art collaborations, responses were mixed. On the one hand, people felt art could make science more accessible and appealing. It could also be valuable as a tool with which to critique science and make it accountable to the public - as shown by exhibitions like 'Clean Rooms', which invite the audience very specifically to think about the wider implications.

On other hand, the relationship between art and science was often seen as unequal. The artists were frequently seen as using science to provide a subject for art, rather than science having equal weight in the collaboration. This could have been due to the fact that exhibitions were shown in galleries and museums, rather than in scientific spaces such as laboratories, so the scientific contribution to the collaboration was less overt.

Sometimes there was confusion: people couldn't decide whether they were looking at science or art. An interesting question is whether this really matters. Indeed, it is possible that developing the notion of a science-art genre could limit something that achieves its impact by defying classification and challenging boundaries.

See also

• Head On exhibition
• Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka: The Glass Aquarium: Online exhibition

External links

• Primitive Streak (Details of fashion collection by Helen Storey inspired by human embryonic development)