Wildfires, floods, droughts, and the climate crisis: can art narrate the risk?

In the dialogue that the scientific community is called upon to have with society, art becomes an extraordinarily powerful tool for conveying information and knowledge. Through empathy and emotions, it can indeed help introduce and raise awareness among viewers about current challenges, the issues confronting the scientific world, the means it employs, and the results it achieves. It is no coincidence that numerous initiatives are flourishing everywhere, in various research fields, where the scientific message is, at least in part, conveyed through art. Environmental themes lend themselves well to this synergy. Throughout history, humanity has explored nature through its representation, among other methods. Natural phenomena have thus been well represented over time (think of the works of William Turner, Monet's winter landscapes, the Great Wave off Kanagawa, and so on). However, it is more challenging to find examples related to the study of risk management and mitigation.This is an incredibly topical field of research, exacerbated by the climate crisis, where floods, wildfires, and droughts are becoming more intense and frequent in various parts of the world, making it more urgent than ever to respond effectively, protecting communities and assets from these challenges.As part of its information and awareness-raising activities, CIMA Research Foundation has been addressing these themes through artistic means for several years, turning art into a vehicle for conveying messages and engaging society. Paintings and installations, photographs, and theatrical pieces have become a way to narrate drought, floods, loss of biodiversity, and the climate crisis to a broad audience of both young and adult individuals, transforming science into art and art into science. All initiatives and materials are collected on a website, making them as accessible and user-friendly as possible. Following this approach, we also contributed to the drafting of the guidelines for the development of the Museum of Science and Technology of Addis Ababa, where artistic language and participatory activities do not replace scientific knowledge but become a fundamental support.Can art help us engage society on these pressing and complex issues? Can we translate knowledge into awareness and, subsequently, action? Through the activities carried out by our "Art and Science" project, we aim to address these questions.