Responses from MICA students:
We reviewed transcripts of the interviews with the students and we extracted some examples of the responses.
How much did the process of creating animation help you to learn about science?
Some students expressed that drawing out was a very effective way to learn about a science concept even if some of them found it challenging to stick to the science facts. Associating creativity with the research was inspiring to students, making them aware of their roles as artists connecting to science.
“Even though we have to use a lot of creativity in our work, the information has to be correct, so that’s the part we have to be sure of over and over again. I think that’s the really good part.”
“Drawing it out is always a good way for creative people to learn, some people write down notes but obviously when you're in art school you’re probably not like that. Being able to express what you’re doing through movement and imagery is pretty mind-blowing and helps you come together, coming full circle.”
“I think in some sense it clarified and reassured a lot about how I thought astronomical research goes.”
“I had no idea it was so open-ended. I was definitely someone who would see an artistic interpretation and say, ‘oh that’s what that planet actually looks like!’ I knew a lot of it was math and numbers and high intelligence understanding, but I didn’t realize the creativity that went into the career. I think it helped me understand my role in art, and how we can mesh together in a sense.”
Did your involvement change your perspective on the scientific research in any way?
Working with scientists made it clear for the students that they had a preconceived image of a savant when in fact scientists are similar to themselves as people. Some students noted that scientists need artists and creative people to show their research in a more playful and effective way and some saw an opportunity for art collaboration and science research. Although one student expressed that it was all about the science and one project was enough for them.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations going in, so it was really cool to learn about what they’re doing at NASA and how we can help them. I guess I didn’t expect them to need as much help as they did. I never thought about science and animation going together so much. They said, “Yeah, we really need creative people to help us show what we’re researching because we can’t make art and it can be difficult to explain things to people. Visualizing things is really where it’s at and it helps people to figure that out.” Visual explanations are really the key to explaining things to the public.”
How easy was it to reach out/collaborate with scientists?
“At first I didn’t want to sound stupid or give art students a bad reputation. I think most people think art school is kind of a cop out, so I felt like I needed to sound smart. At first everyone was really nervous to ask questions, but by the time we got to NASA everyone opened up a lot more because there was a whole room of NASA scientists who were making jokes the whole time. So it was okay, we saw that they were just a bunch of dorks, like us. I guess we get along pretty well.”
“I expected there to be a lot more of a gap between what they were explaining and what I would understand, but it was actually clicking really well. They enjoyed it when we brought our storyboards back to them. That was a really exciting moment when they were looking at every group’s storyboards. I wish we had more time to work with them because it would be so cool to do character designs with them.”
“The NASA scientists were very specific. They wanted to see things from an artist's perspective. It was funny seeing it from their perspective because I don’t think they knew what they wanted to see exactly. So we would present something, and they would say “that’s not how it works” so there was a lot of back and forth about how to merge style with information. I think that was the biggest challenge - merging creativity with what the scientists wanted.”
Did the experience change your perception of animation as an art form?
For most students, the experience reinforced their understanding of the scope of animation, having the potential to tell different types of stories.
“Usually in animation the work is about storytelling or fantasy, so in this type of work having to get information correct was difficult. You have to somewhat relate it to reality.”
Do you wish to work with scientists in the future?
Several students expressed their interest in working with scientists again. However, one student felt that they may not be the best fit, even if working with a scientist could be beneficial for their work.
“Yeah, I really do. It’s a very niche genre. I’m not so much interested in informational animation, but I like taking very complex ideas and condensing them into an animation that helps other people understand them. In that process I learn something, which is even more beneficial. I would love to work with stuff like that.”
“Honestly, yes, but I don’t feel like the kind of stuff I do would be a good fit for that. However, I’ve been heavily influenced by science fiction...and that’s been really impactful on my art and life in general. So getting accurate information that I can use in my own stories and own art would be really useful. Getting to work with the scientists would be so beneficial to my art, but to portray things factually I’m more on the fence about. Even though I had a really good experience this time, it was still out of my comfort zone.”
Comments about the class in general
Some students liked the fact that this class teaches them to apply animation to other fields. The amount of work seemed challenging for a few students, but most students felt that the overall experience was very positive for them.
“I really liked this class. I was most afraid of this class because it’s both studio and academic. Also, I’m terrified of space so I thought it might be an interesting time. It certainly has not been as challenging as I thought it would be, I thought it was manageable. I thought the idea was cool. I didn’t know space was so cool.”
“Back home I’m in the countryside, so when you look up it’s just tiny dots and then black nothingness, so I used to think, ‘that’s a lot up there.” Now I’m getting more understanding of that, which is making me love space more and more.”
“As I get to the end of making the animations I lose my concentration on the lecture side because I need to focus on finishing the animations. I feel we should have done more lecture at the beginning so we would have more time at the end.”
“This is an awesome opportunity to get outside of the artsy side of things and see how this can apply to the real world. It’s something I hadn’t thought of before, taking something and translate it in a new way that might not be a one to one direct translation. I think it’s important to note that super technical fields have a use for animation, especially fun animation”
On science class + studio work:
“I appreciate the fact that sometimes we have to do math in class. As someone who’s bad at math, I appreciate that it’s a lecture so I get to absorb the information a lot more rather than stress over doing more work done”
On the in-class experiences:
“I feel like it grounded the class really well. Especially with animation, you need to kind of do the movements to understand what it is. Being able to do something like spin in a chair to understand what angular momentum is helping to understand how to build that into an image”
