The art of fusion – in conversation
Discussion | Environment & Nature, Materials, Technology, Envineering
Earlier this year, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) ran an Art of Fusion competition with the theme of sustainability. Alongside the competition, UKAEA worked with Oxfordshire ceramics artist Andrea Brewer, to create a unique piece of art inspired by the fusion mega experiments at Culham Science Centre and the hope of creating a more sustainable world. Come along to find out about the process of creating art inspired by fusion science and engineering.
Watch the recording of this live public event
held on 17 October 2021 at IF Oxford
From a young age Andrea Brewer has been a keen maker, and as a child also dreamt about becoming a scientist. However, having discovered at school that she was a poor physics and chemistry student, she gave up on that idea. It was only after taking a ceramics evening class in her twenties when she discovered an outlet for both her creative and scientific passions that she fell in love with the medium of clay. She loves the fusion of art and science involved in the process of ceramics. After a couple of years of informal adult ceramics classes, Andrea took a City and Guilds in Ceramics. It was there, and afterwards during a 3-year artist residency at a North London secondary school, that she developed her style of spiral-inspired, hand built sculpture and first started exhibiting her work. Her sculpting continued for many years as just a side-line, alongside full time work, but it was only in 2019 that she launched ABCeramics more formally and with the help of Oxfordshire Artweeks, started working as a professional, commissioned artist.
Sayo Adbonyan works as a graduate remote handling operations engineer at RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments), UK Atomic Energy Authority. The focal point of Sayo’s job is to create procedures and carry out safe operation of robot/ manipulator (MASCOT) and other remote handling systems used for remote maintenance of the JET (Joint European Torus) vessel. Sayo’s academic background is in Robotics and she loves travelling and adventures.
Ella Ashdown works for the UK Atomic Energy Authority in the Communications Team. She focuses mainly on internal engagement, event organisation, and site visits, as well as helping with various outreach events too. Ella has always had a keen interest in the Arts and studied English Literature and Theatre at university. She’s passionate about bringing her experience in these fields to the world of science and believes the two have many more similarities than people may initially think.
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