When Science and the Arts collide: PEARL × Writeback unite to launch anthology

Often arts, and science, are viewed as separate disciplines with little to no correlation, but as is constantly demonstrated by UCL Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL), these broad fields lean into each other, playing complementary roles that only enrich the outcomes they aim to produce. On the third of October 2024, this merger was put on display when PEARL hosted the launching of Writeback's book, Sensational. 

Months prior to the launching of the anthology, Writeback, a writing charity that caters to young adults domiciled in Barking and Dagenham, had entered a partnership with PEARL. On the cohort's first visit to PEARL's laboratory, learning about its ethos - a quest to understand the interplay between humans and their environment - teased out ideas even before a brief for the stories was created. In consultation with Writeback, the brief sought out to touch on multisensory writing, echoing the human senses of vision, sounds, taste, smell and touch. 

The partnership was in line with PEARL's continued inroads into its environs. Over the course of five months, different arms at PEARL, notably Community and Making & Production teams, provided and offered workshops and technical expertise to help bring the imaginations of young adults from Barking and Dagenham to life. 

Following Sensational’s launch, Sam Norwood, the founder of Writeback, had this to say: 

From the moment the group first stepped into PEARL it was clear what a profound impact this project would have on their imagination and creativity. The sessions in PEARL expertly led by David really deepened their sense of multi-sensory writing. David, Helen and Sara - the care that you then took in creating a brief that gave scope to such varied and different stories has paid off in the anthology they created - I hope you enjoy reading it. It was then beautiful to see the young people’s vision for the cover so beautifully realised in your design Sara and it felt so in keeping with all the collaboration with PEARL that it centred the young people’s words and ideas.'

The sciences and the arts —or perhaps, the arts and the sciences —  often do collide with beautiful results. The creation of Sensational, in its 'small way', proved that research and artistic collaboration can bring new dimensions to storytelling.