Joanna Henley, artist and scientist

I always loved Falmouth. We had family holidays here when I was a child, so when my partner was posted here five years ago I jumped at the chance to live here.  Being a marine biologist and a visual artist, I’m incredibly inspired by Falmouth’s spectacular coastline and marine environment, as well as its budding arts culture.

I believe that art and science should never be separate.  In the Renaissance you weren’t defined as an artist or scientist, you were just an expert.  Art and science are trying to achieve the same thing, that is, to find out more about the world and share that information with others.

I started SciArt Solutions as I wanted to make marine science more accessible and understandable, and I use my art background to present science-based concepts as visual narratives. I work mostly with the education system, creating various kinds of exhibitions and doing workshops with kids. The schools are very receptive to my work.  They’re crying out for cross-curricular activities, as are the museums.

Marine ecosystems are always on the agenda in the South West, and the consultancy work that I do addresses environmental ideas such as sustainable fisheries and climate change.  In terms of the future interplay between science and art in my work, my vision is to break into doing more consultancy work for the marine sector in the area of renewable energy.