Popular science plays a very important role in scientific research. Not only attracting people to know what we are doing, but also motivating ourselves to thinking the significance of our research.
Recently, I faced a challenge about how to introduce my project to a 13 years old boy with no biology learning experience. I tried my best to let him know what is enhancer, why we research enhancer and how it can influence human health. The boy didn’t show interesting for my projects, excepting a picture instance I showed about mutation in enhancer influences human finger development.
Visel et al. Nature, 2009. Jeff Koons’ exposition in Mucem
It reminded me science in art format maybe impress people better if we find a good way. But how to link my research and art? And what is art? Occasionally, an exposition visiting experience in the Europe and Mediterranean Civilization Museum of Marseille made me understand art differently. It’s an art exposition of Jeff Koons, who is a very famous modern pop artist in the world. As a zero-level person in art, I was confused when I looking at Jeff Koons’ art works. Because many of his art works look like very common daily life product. A student who study in art explained to me, “Art could be anything. According to visiting an exposition of artist, you can know who is him, what is his story, what do he want to say. Sometimes art attracts people and becoming popular. Sometimes art shocks people and full of controversy. That is art! Always brings new idea and lead people to think”.
It opened my mind to art somehow. I’m still thinking how to coincidence my research with art. But cooperating with artist must be very interesting and exciting. We can provide materials and inspirit for artist. One tube of DNA or one DNA sequence also could be art source for them. And artists create art works attracting more attention from people to science research, even leading us to think the deep and far significance and influence of our research in the future.
As a part of ENHPATHY network program, Enhancer in Art is a novel and challenging work to introduce our work to outside world. I’m looking forward to linking enhancer study with art creating!
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860002. 
