To make paintings that produce electricity is a feat of both scientific and artistic imagination. That is exactly what physicist Janne Halme and artist Bartaku achieved with their Blck Vlvt – an interpretation of a J.M.W. Turner painting in plant-based colors on dye-sensitized solar cells. The result is pure artscience: a thoroughly engineered piece of specialized components, realized in an artistic manner, generating both electricity and aesthetics. The Blck Vlvt project, which culminated in the creation of the solar mosaic painting in 2020, instilled in its authors an interest in continuing their playfully serious artscience collaboration.
The Painting Energies podcast carries on the themes from the project with a similarly transdisciplinary approach. Part of the Aalto University Podcast series and comprised of eleven episodes, Painting Energies explores the connections between light, color, plants, microbes, and electrical energy. Each episode features a different guest from wildly different backgrounds and areas of expertise. The aim is to showcase the range of art—science collaboration, and its transformative potential. The podcast is a stirring and eye-opening discussion that any scientist, artist, or student interested in new ways of combining art and science is sure to find fascinating.