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Winners of Unfold Your World protein art project announced
The initiative attracted almost 150 entries, translating science into works of art.
EMBL announced the winners of its Unfold Your World protein art project this week at a glittering vernissage for the young artists, their families, and peers.
A total of 18 winners were selected from nine countries, with a judging panel of seven EMBL scientists and artists selecting winning submissions on the basis of their creativity and scientific interpretation.
“The winning entries showed remarkable diversity in terms of themes and media, including sculpture, paint, ink, digital media and textiles, but they all had a common thread – the artists’ unique vision of the science,” said Tabea Rauscher, EMBL’s creative team lead and one of the project’s judges.
A collaboration between the Protein Data Bank Europe (PDBe) and Science Education and Public Engagement (SEPE) teams, the Unfold Your World project was a key element of EMBL’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Its success offers a launchpad to continue developing EMBL science and art projects in the future. Entries came from nine of EMBL’s member and prospect member states: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Serbia, UK, and Germany.
“Unfold Your World gives students a unique opportunity to explore the beauty of proteins through art in a relaxed and creative way,” said Sameer Velankar, EMBL-EBI Team Leader and Senior Scientist at PDBe. “It removes the barriers for those who may not be drawn to science, allowing them to explore it through a different lens. I’m always surprised and inspired by the clever interpretations of science that the students come up with.”
Insights from the winners
The young artists provided background information to the inspiration that led to the beautiful multi-media creations within their submissions.
Aurora from Italy, a winner in the age 16-18 category, used ink to depict a spider spinning major ampullate spidroin1, a protein used to make silk. She said: “I’ve learned how to interpret complex protein structures and mesh them with my own ideas to create a piece that truly represents my artistic sensibilities.”
Ovalbumin, the main protein in egg whites, provided inspiration to Maia, from the UK, a winner in the age 14-15 category. She sculpted a ‘seemingly chaotic’ structure, using a 3D pen. Maia was intrigued by the way the protein acts as a binder to give food like souffles and omelettes their spongy structure.
Vladyslav and Nazar, from Germany, were struck by the deadly impact of hepatitis. They depicted the hepatitis core protein with a fierce skull and crossbones, melding collage and digital media to win in the age 14-15 category.
For Deimantė from Lithuania, the power of touch was a key theme. Her graphic piece, selected as a team favourite in the 16-18 category, offers a Renaissance-style depiction of Piezo1, a protein that acts like a pressure detector in the cell membrane. “The ability to be able to touch or hug others is a critical part in our lives and has a profound impact on our mental health,” she said.
A festive event to commemorate the winners
Around 200 young people and their families and guests attended the vernissage held in EMBL’s Advanced Training Centre, featuring both celebration and further hands-on art and science opportunities.
The evening kicked off with inspiring talks from the interim Head of EMBL Hamburg, Thomas Schneider, and EMBL’s creative team lead, Tabea Rauscher. A live performance from theatre group Space Potatoes was followed by a programme with ‘protein workstations’, where guests could fish for protein crystals or make their own protein structures with pipe-cleaners. A DJ set and dancing rounded off the celebrations.
Agnes Szmolenszky, SEPE team leader, was thrilled to see so many people enjoy the evening: “It is absolutely impressive how the young people have woven their themes and emotions into their artworks, learned new things about ‘their’ proteins, and then engaged with them artistically,” she said. “Through this, we as adults and scientists have gained entirely new and special perspectives on molecular biology and science. It inspires all of us.”
