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Images of Silence: a creative and artistic approach to communicating the findings of a seismic experiment in northern Chile
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  • Sergio Leon-Rios,
  • Diana Comte,
  • Catalina Moya,
  • Camila Calzada
Sergio Leon-Rios
Advanced Mining Technology Center, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile
Diana Comte
Departamento de Geofísica, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Advanced Mining Technology Center, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile
Catalina Moya
Freelance Science Journalist
Camila Calzada
Freelance Artist. Santiago

Abstract

Here we present a dissemination method that combines science and art to visualize a seismic experiment conducted in northern Chile. Through the expertise of an illustrator using digital watercolor techniques and a science journalist who contributed her expertise in creating plain-language keynotes, we created six visually compelling art pieces to summarize the progress and results of the first year of a project funded by Fondecyt-ANID. The artwork, called “Images of Silence” (Imágenes del Silencio, originally in spanish), plays with the concepts of silence and images. Here, the quitness of the desert is often interrupted by the loudness of seismic activity. Additionally, the illustrations - images to tell a story - offers a narrative for a seismic experiment that aims to image the Earth's interior. This artwork creatively incorporates indigenous pictograms found in regional rock formations, making a meaningful connection between seismology and the region's rich cultural heritage. Finally, Images of the Silence is an transdisciplany work with scientifics, journalists and artists to develop an unconventional approach to better communicate our results and remind us that science and art always go together.
21 Dec 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
27 Dec 2023Published in ESS Open Archive