PNNL

Energy supply and the research that surrounds it often shapes daily life, but at a distance. Ocean technologies, grid systems, hydropower infrastructure, virtual power systems, and data-driven models often operate beyond everyday view.

PNNL is exploring how art can create new ways for people to engage with energy systems and research. Through workshops, artist residencies, visual storytelling, and creative collaborations, artists and researchers can work together to ask better questions, make complex systems more tangible, and invite broader public interest in science.

Art and science share core practices: observation, perception, visualization, experimentation, exploration, communication, and expression. PNNL’s work in this area builds from the idea that art can help bridge complicated subjects, offer new ways to communicate scientific ideas, and give researchers opportunities to reframe their work through metaphor, representation, and reflection.

Why Art and Energy Research?

Energy futures are complex. Explaining them well requires more than one communication method.

Art, metaphor, humor, illustration, and visual storytelling can help people connect with energy technologies, energy integration, and grid innovation. These approaches can also help researchers see their own work differently and create new entry points for public engagement.  

PNNL’s work in this area focuses on three questions:

How can art support energy research and innovation? How can art create space for complex socio-technical challenges? How can art help communicate energy science to wider audiences?

Explore This Work

Advancing Energy Futures Through Art Workshop

PNNL convened a two-day workshop in Seattle to explore the role of art in advancing energy research, innovation, communication, and public engagement. More than 50 attendees from the arts and sciences participated.