From Science to Art: Interdisciplinary Exhibitions at UNSW Library
ArlisANZ (Arts Libraries Society / Australia and New Zealand) 2024 Conference BEING SEEN, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney; 28 November 2024
Abstract: UNSW Library’s Exhibitions Program establishes the Library as a cultural centre point on campus where students, researchers, and the broader community intersect. It is also an opportunity for students to encounter leading research and ideas outside their nominated disciplines.
This presentation will cover three recent exhibitions at UNSW Library, namely Sonus Maris (2023), Care is a relationship (2023) and Living Water (2024). These exhibitions draw on collaborative exhibition development and design methods to produce engaging multidisciplinary projects. UNSW’s key research outcomes address global challenges in fields like biomedical sciences, environmental sustainability, advanced materials, and social policy. We demonstrate how the Library’s Exhibitions Program gives visibility to this work by showcasing research that fuses art, science, and engineering through multisensory displays and related public programs such as talks, workshops, and object-based learning sessions. These collaborative exhibitions reconceptualise research by partnering with academics, creatives, and communities, making content accessible to a broader audience and creating connections between people, disciplines, and faculties across campus.