Manchester: United

The science, art and creativity of Pulse

With Pulse funding, young people’s performing arts groups have tackled scientific issues. At a conference in Manchester, participants shared experiences (and sliced bread).

Blame it on Einstein’s hairdresser. Or Brains from Thunderbirds. Ask young people what a scientist looks like and they’ll describe a frizzy-haired, goggle-eyed boffin: filtered through a thousand science fiction films, they’re invariably seen as socially inept, more at home in the lab than the pub.

Similarly, scientists’ perceived inability to communicate their ideas in layman’s terms has served to further alienate them. As research scientist Nancy Rothwell colourfully put it, “When I go round secondary schools, pupils ask ‘have you ever had a boyfriend?’ because they think science is so dull. Scientists need to do more to interest people – they shouldn’t just hide behind their laboratory walls.”

The Wellcome Trust has done more than most to change perceptions of science and scientists. In 2003, Wellcome launched the Pulse initiative, a project designed to explore the possibilities of dance and drama in engaging young people with issues of biomedical science. The initiative encouraged youth theatres, dance companies and other organisations working with young people to look to biomedical science for inspiration in the creation of new performance arts projects.

The 23 funded projects tackled a broad spectrum of themes: from cloning to the bioscience of light, from eugenics to polio epidemics. In June 2004, Pulse held its first conference at the University of Manchester. Over three days, the conference enabled educators, artists and scientists to meet, debate, share ideas and view some of the exciting work that has emerged.

So what’s the secret to creating a successful Pulse project? The following tips may be useful to anyone considering a Pulse application:

Collaborate with a scientist

Keen to make his area of research more accessible, Dr Matt Cuttle, from the University of Southampton Neuroscience Group, approached Hampshire Youth Dance Company to see if they’d be interested in collaborating. The resulting show, Innervations, was an inspired journey through the state of the brain during different neurological disorders (epilepsy, dementia), mixing dance with digital imagery and a specially composed soundtrack.

“They seemed to have taken the ideas I gave them and interpreted them brilliantly,” commented Dr Cuttle, “and in ways I could never have predicted.” After the performance, there was a discussion; the most telling comment came from one of the dancers. “When I was 14, I had a brain haemorrhage. I never understood what caused it until I got involved in this project.”

Talk to young people

“Putting young people at the heart of a project is what makes it work,” noted one delegate. Innervations was created with input from young people, as was Wyrd Arts’ New Genesis, a research and performance project – developed in conjunction with 30 pupils from Chorlton High School in Manchester – which examined young people’s responses to human genetic engineering.

“There’s more to science than fizzing bottles,” quipped one boy. Another described how he had learnt more from one drama lesson than he had from seven science lessons.

Make it fun

The words science and fun are often seen as wholly incompatible. But the same can be true of other subjects,Nancy Rothwell pointed out, and it needn’t be that way. “Doing Shakespeare at school was boring for me – until I acted in one. Then it became exciting.” Added Maria Evans, Director of Education at the Royal Shakespeare Company: “There’s a fear in secondary schools that if it’s fun, learning isn’t taking place. But if you asked the kids involved in these projects if they’d had fun and learnt something, they’d all say yes.”

Be creative

Most conference delegates agreed that there are definite correlations between science and art. “Art and science are about pushing boundaries,” commented one. Does pushing boundaries include shredding sliced white bread? Sue Hill, Artistic Director at the Eden Project, certainly seems to think so: with ‘Don’t Play With Your Food’ – a practical workshop aimed at exploring people’s often fearful responses to new science and technology (in particular GM foods) – she asked participants to make sculptures from bread. The results included a bat, a DNA spiral, a house and a miniature Stonehenge.

Don’t use jargon

“Most contemporary science writing is appalling,” fumed one conference delegate. “I found that very frustrating when researching my project. I was so angry, I threw a book across the room.” Thankfully, it just missed her husband.

So, new partnerships are being created and the kids are getting engaged. But are the results actually any good? Definitely, said Daniel Glaser, an imaging neuroscientist and Wellcome Senior Research Fellow at University College London, sharing the thoughts of his talkback group: “We thought there was a pleasing shift away from Theatre in Education [TiE]; before, a lot of people thought TiE was less rigorous, maybe second rate. With Pulse, there’s the feeling that first-rate theatre is being produced. Really, none of us could think of a similar project that had attracted the talents of such a broad spectrum of people.”

Science Friction: A case study

Most of the organisations involved in the Pulse initiative attended the Manchester conference, showcasing their work, or running workshops and presentations. One of the most ambitious performances – certainly in terms of content – was Science Friction from York-based company Riding Lights.

One of the UK’s most productive independent theatre companies, Riding Lights has been touring shows nationally and internationally since 1977. Science Friction marks the first time the company has drawn on scientific research.

For writer Bridget Foreman, the project presented numerous challenges: “We needed to create something that was historically and scientifically accurate but also engaging, entertaining and rooted in human experience. Contemplating ‘scientific’ subjects tends to lead the mind into dry abstraction or fascinating – but completely undramatic – detail. You need to get through that and focus on people’s lives, and the impact that science has on them.”

Rev. Dr David Wilkinson – who has the unusual distinction of being both a scientist and a theologian – acted as adviser. In his programme notes, he describes the conflict between science and Christian faith, a model created in the 19th century by people eager to free science from church control.

But this conflict goes back even further. Foreman’s drama weaves together two narratives: in 16th-century Italy, Galileo makes a discovery that plunges him into one of the greatest religious – scientific controversies of his time. In the present, a research scientist finds her job brings her into conflict with not only her husband, but also her best friend and sister-in-law.

The play moves at a dizzying pace, throwing up ideas and debate like confetti. Foreman’s script is particularly strong on the ethical issues posed by contemporary medicine: the morality of discarding unhealthy embryos during IVF treatment; drugs companies using developing world countries for vaccine testing; the danger of scientists playing with fire. Yet Science Friction manages to balance the debate. As lead character Marion explains: “What a scientist finds through a microscope may change the way we feel about who we are.”

“The response to the show has been excellent,” continues Foreman.“The response from scientists has been particularly encouraging. They’ve felt that the show validated their experience and gave them a ‘voice’ seldom heard within the arts – scientists have been the greatest champions of the show. Also within the religious community, the response has been that here is a thoughtful piece that understands the complexity of the relationships between science and faith and doesn’t attempt to offer easy answers.”