Jack Cowley - DYCP Showcase
CREATIVE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Communicating science, ecology and natural systems has been the focus of my education and career so far. With a background in marine biology, wildlife guiding and grassroots conservation, my creative practice is heavily inspired by an understanding and appreciation for the interconnectedness of planetary systems and our place within nature.
My work ranges from editorial work about environmental issues to infographics on natural processes, educational posters to workshops with young people and summary artwork for marine research.
My latest work, Cornish Marine Wildlife, is an educational art poster depicting seven marine species that can be found in Cornish waters. The poster will be sold in shops in and around the Falmouth area with the hope of raising awareness of the beautiful diversity of marine life in this part of the UK.
This infographic piece, called Blue Carbon, shows seagrass as a sink of atmospheric CO2. The process displayed here is carbon sequestration, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere being assimilated into the tissues of the seagrass. This illustration highlights the importance of this habitat. This work was produced for the blue carbon initiative, a seagrass protection campaign by the Marine Conservation Society.
This illustration is in a more traditional diagrammatic style and shows the functional structure of a deep sea hydrothermal vent. This piece was self-directed and inspired by my love of encyclopaedias and fascination with deep sea ecology. As an example of the sorts of solutions I could build for SOI using resources from DYCP, this piece could be taken further, and turned into an interactive 3D model.
Campaigns are most effective when accompanied by imagery that aids in quickly and effectively communicating the essence of the message. This illustration was for WWF’s campaign, 5k for nature - encouraging the public to get out into nature and take part in a nationwide running event.
At the core of effective science communication is collaboration. Working with individuals and organisations and finding lateral solutions to visual communication problems can produce interesting and creative ways of conveying information that may initially lack dynamism and engagement. This piece, Interconnectedness, was created in collaboration with French Wildlife Photographer, Clement Brun. The project was an interdisciplinary exhibition of underwater photography and illustration - the aim of which was to showcase the marine ecosystem of the Norwegian Arctic.
This illustration on hydrothermal vents explores the boundaries of what an infographic can be. For the collaboration with SOI, I aim to use the opportunity to take risks in exploring the creative limits of science communication and measure where the line between informative and artistic lies.
A selection of illustrations that further showcase creative science communication in my practice:
