The Superposition

Vessel: Collaboration
Through Commission
Dr. Paul Beales & Jim Bond
A different approach to art-science
collaboration emerged through a
commissioning process. This project
was externally funded as part of a
Research Council’s UK research grant
to increase awareness of the research
in the wider public.
A scientist’s view: Dr. Paul Beales
The decision to experiment with a
commissioning process was twofold:
(i) to give wider exposure of the
science within artist communities
and therefore, (ii) to receive a broader
spectrum of responses inspired by
the science. Communicating this
opportunity to artist networks couldn’t
have been done without the expert
knowledge of artists and makers in
the Superposition, in particular Andy
Wilson was instrumental in making
the commissioning process a success.
Over 50 entries were submitted from
artists, some of whom were based
internationally.
The challenge was now to pick one!
A commissioning panel of scientists
(PB and project partner Dr. Barbara
Ciani, University of Sheffield) and
artists/makers (Andy Wilson, Tom
Beesley and Lawrence Molloy) was
formed. Initially, the scientists favoured
submissions that were more faithful
to the science, while artists generally
were free of these constraints and
favoured pieces purely on their artistic
merits. However as the discussions
went on over three hours, consensus
was gradually reached as the artists
came to understand more about the
science and the scientists loosened
their grip on the necessity of scientific
accuracy to successfully communicate
these concepts through art. Finally,
unanimous agreement was reached to
award the commission to kinetic sculptor
Jim Bond, based relatively nearby in
the West Yorkshire region. And a great
decision this turned out to be!
Jim spent time in the lab and in
research meetings with the teams in
Sheffield and in Leeds. The goal was
to produce a piece inspired by the
mechanism by which a protein nanomachine
bends cellular membranes to
create new membrane compartments,
a microscale biological process being
repurposed by the research team to
create artificial cells. Having an artist,
a scientific layman, present in the
research environment made us reflect
on how we discuss and explain the
work we are doing and thereby
challenging our depth of understanding
that allows us to break down
complex ideas into more simple terms.
The resulting artwork produced by Jim,
Vessel, has been presented at ASMbly,
Light Night Leeds, been on display
in the School of Chemistry in Leeds
and, in the near future, will feature at
bioscience conferences at the Royal
Society’s Chicheley Hall and a Nobel
Laureate symposium in Leeds. Vessel
has proven an interesting centre
point for discussions of the project
with the general public as well as other
scientists, demonstrating the versatility
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