{"id":72501,"date":"2024-12-13T13:26:19","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T12:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/?p=72501"},"modified":"2025-03-26T11:33:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T10:33:36","slug":"winners-of-unfold-your-world-protein-art-project-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/embl-announcements\/winners-of-unfold-your-world-protein-art-project-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"Winners of Unfold Your World protein art project announced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

EMBL announced the winners of its Unfold Your World protein art project <\/a>this week at a glittering vernissage for the young artists, their families, and peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 18 winners were selected from nine countries, with a judging panel of seven EMBL scientists and artists selecting winning submissions on the basis of their creativity and scientific interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe winning entries showed remarkable diversity in terms of themes and media, including sculpture, paint, ink, digital media and textiles, but they all had a common thread \u2013 the artists\u2019 unique vision of the science,\u201d said Tabea Rauscher, EMBL\u2019s creative team lead and one of the project\u2019s judges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A collaboration between the Protein Data Bank Europe (PDBe)<\/a> and Science Education and Public Engagement (SEPE)<\/a> teams, the Unfold Your World project was a key element of EMBL\u2019s 50th anniversary celebrations. Its success offers a launchpad to continue developing EMBL science and art projects in the future. Entries came from nine of EMBL\u2019s member and prospect member states: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Serbia, UK, and Germany. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfold Your World gives students a unique opportunity to explore the beauty of proteins through art in a relaxed and creative way,\u201d said Sameer Velankar, EMBL-EBI Team Leader and Senior Scientist at PDBe. \u201cIt removes the barriers for those who may not be drawn to science, allowing them to explore it through a different lens. I\u2019m always surprised and inspired by the clever interpretations of science that the students come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insights from the winners<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The young artists provided background information to the inspiration that led to the beautiful multi-media creations within their submissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aurora from Italy, a winner in the age 16-18 category, used ink to depict a spider spinning major ampullate spidroin1, a protein used to make silk. She said: \u201cI\u2019ve learned how to interpret complex protein structures and mesh them with my own ideas to create a piece that truly represents my artistic sensibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ovalbumin, the main protein in egg whites, provided inspiration to Maia, from the UK, a winner in the age 14-15 category. She sculpted a \u2018seemingly chaotic\u2019 structure, using a 3D pen. Maia was intrigued by the way the protein acts as a binder to give food like souffles and omelettes their spongy structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vladyslav and Nazar, from Germany, were struck by the deadly impact of hepatitis. They depicted the hepatitis core protein with a fierce skull and crossbones, melding collage and digital media to win in the age 14-15 category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Deimant\u0117 from Lithuania, the power of touch was a key theme. Her graphic piece, selected as a team favourite in the 16-18 category, offers a Renaissance-style depiction of Piezo1, a protein that acts like a pressure detector in the cell membrane. \u201cThe ability to be able to touch or hug others is a critical part in our lives and has a profound impact on our mental health,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A festive event to commemorate the winners<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Around 200 young people and their families and guests attended the vernissage held in EMBL\u2019s Advanced Training Centre, featuring both celebration and further hands-on art and science opportunities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening kicked off with inspiring talks from the interim Head of EMBL Hamburg, Thomas Schneider, and EMBL\u2019s creative team lead, Tabea Rauscher. A live performance from theatre group Space Potatoes was followed by a programme with \u2018protein workstations\u2019, where guests could fish for protein crystals or make their own protein structures with pipe-cleaners. A DJ set and dancing rounded off the celebrations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agnes Szmolenszky, SEPE team leader, was thrilled to see so many people enjoy the evening: “It is absolutely impressive how the young people have woven their themes and emotions into their artworks, learned new things about ‘their’ proteins, and then engaged with them artistically,\u201d she said. \u201cThrough this, we as adults and scientists have gained entirely new and special perspectives on molecular biology and science. It inspires all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n