A Graffiti Wall for Science

06.29.2018, by

On June 8th, the Brazilian Center for Physics Research in Rio de Janeiro inaugurated a mural that covers the entire surface of one of the institution's walls. It is entirely dedicated to science, technology and innovation. This celebration of urban art—unique in the world, due to its breadth and thematic—is part of a project to promote science in Brazil and invite the country's youth to take up a scientific career.

The Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF - Brazilian Center for Research in Physics), one of the institutes of the country's Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Communication—and a historical partner of the CNRS—develops activities in basic science, technology research and the promotion of science to a wider public. The CBPF created the Science-Graffiti to engage society at large and remind the general public that physics—a basic science—is an inherent part of our everyday life.

CBPF Communications Office - NCS

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For this project, the CBPF entrusted the Rio-based artist Gabriela L. Tores. During the phase of conception, the artist and the institute's board had the idea to insert puzzles in the visuals to encourage an interaction between the public and the wall.

CBPF Communications Office - NCS

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The Science-Graffiti is divided into eight specific thematic areas: i) abstraction and mystery; ii) curiosity and creativity; iii) building knowledge; iv) past, present, and future; v) from nano to macro scales; vi) Science builders; vii) the particle that changed Brazil; viii) Seeking more...

Luiz Baltar

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In all, the graffiti project—which took 600 hours—covered 240 square meters of a wall with 110 liters of paint in 324 spray cans, entirely painted by Tores alone. The section shown herein in the picture features 100 scientists, men and women from all disciplines, across history and countries. The “unknown face” is dedicated to all those who, in their own way, have helped push back the frontiers of science and change the world. This empty profile is also an invitation for future scientists (and to take a selfie).

CBPF Communications Office - NCS

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"This initiative comes at a time in Brazil's history where there is much discussion about the role of science, technology, and innovation in the country's future. The society we live in will have to increasingly rely on science and technology," explains Ronald Shellard, an experimental physicist in the area of high energy and the current director of the CBPF. The painting of the native boy on the ‘Science Graffiti Wall’ is a tribute to the knowledge of all those populations whose cultures deeply contributed to human knowledge.

Luiz Baltar

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From Nano to Macro scales. In this section, some technological applications have been chosen to illustrate the transformation of knowledge into devices and applications that underlie the well-being and economic progress of countries.

Luiz Baltar

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On the website (http://www.science-graffiti.cbpf.br), people can submit answers to try to solve the various puzzles that are hidden in the graffiti. These puzzles have a direct link to science and technology and rank from 'very easy' to 'extremely difficult.' The CBPF will reward those who manage to solve the most complex problems. Having designed a specific website is an important part of the project, since it is a key component to encourage interactions with the public.

Luiz Baltar

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In this section of the ‘Science Graffiti Wall,’ the artist has chosen to put a young man standing on books, looking inside a science institution—in this case, the CBPF. For the artist, this section is not only about shaping the future that we want as a society, but also about how curiosity leads us to turn existing knowledge into the next discoveries.

CBPF Communications Office - NCS

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Part of the section on abstraction. Scientific developments are closely associated with abstraction and the capacity for imagination. And imagination is possibly the deepest connection that artists and researchers share.

Luiz Baltar

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For Marcio Portes de Albuquerque, Deputy director of CBPF and head of the Science Graffiti Wall Project: "The Science-Graffiti Wall encourage people to wonder about scientific discoveries. It is important to remember that this disinterested pursuit —without immediate practical purposes —is the basis of great technological advances. Basic science is at the heart of every technological wonder that permeates our daily lives. For instance, computers, internet, cell phones, tomography, airplanes, cars, medicines, etc.”

Luiz Baltar

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