Ouroboros: Science, art and inclusion

Author: Karina Lupetti – Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil

Co-authors:

• Andre de Moura – UFSCar, Brazil

The mission of the Ouroboros Nucleus of Science Communication since 2005 is to perform cutting-edge research on the interplay between scientific communication and arts, as well as using the outcomes of the research to benefit the general public. This visual presentation is aimed at providing examples of how different Ouroboros projects have had a central role for 15 years now as a life-transforming driver for people engaging in these activities. Participants are led to communicate science in inclusive approaches by means of theatrical plays, musical performances and illustrations. On the one hand, protagonists are improving their personal skills in humanized projects that allow the management by competences, while on the other the limitations of each participant is always taken into account, since most of them are either visually impaired or have reduced mobility. Projects also include undergraduate and graduate students as well as professor from UFSCar, leading to a rich and diverse range of skills, training and worldview, rendering the creative process of each cultural product intrinsically dynamic and covering a wide range reflections about science and its importance to society.
Our practice with the public communication of science along these years has posed the challenge that empathy towards the participants from several different social backgrounds, especially those with physical disabilities, and the respect for their social demands should always be developed. The respect for the social diversity of the group over the years should be viewed as having a central role in defining how science and the many cultural manifestations are blended together and presented in plays, musical performances and other cultural meetings, always promoting different levels and types of discussion, fostering curiosity about science and scientists. In conclusion, these social technologies provided unexpected transformative paths, allowing people to be relocated in society.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Visual presentation
Theme: Transformation