Researchers
Can you beat an AI at its own game? King’s researcher Mike Cook offers demos of Puck - an AI that can design games by itself - at Friday Lates: Machine Mythologies, 2023. Photo: George Torode
Are you a researcher at King’s College London interested in engaging with artists and the public?
As King’s flagship gallery in the heart of London Bridge, Science Gallery London exists at the exciting threshold between the university and the public.
The work we share emerges from dialogue and collaborations between communities of artists, academics, students, young people, activists, local organisations and the wider public.
Our themed annual seasons provide insightful, critical and creative perspectives on contemporary challenges, with many opportunities for researcher collaborations: from panels and platforms to live research to creative R&D opportunities. Read about Air Giants’ residency in King’s robotics lab, or Heartificial Intelligence - a collaboration between artists TripleDotMakers, King’s researchers, and young people from the heart charity ECHO Teens.
Throughout the year, we support creative approaches to public and community engagement – from hosting events in our Workshop or Theatre to mounting temporary exhibitions for public audiences at a variety of scales.
Science Gallery London is part of King’s Culture, the university’s knowledge exchange institute for collaborations with the creative and cultural industries.
Here are some of the ways in which we work with researchers:
Performer at Spit Game Sessions at Science Gallery London, 2024
Creative Collaborations: Just Futures x King’s Researchers
Researchers have responded to an open call by The Spit Game UK, our first Just Futures resident artists. The young collective will collaborate with these researchers to create new film works for display in their summer exhibition.
Fran is one of the carers photographed by Allie Crewe
Public Engagement: Dementia Journeys
Gallery 1 sees a new exhibition that reveals the human stories of caring for loved ones dying with dementia. Dementia Journeys forms part of the public engagement programme for EMBED-Care – a six-year research collaboration between King’s & UCL that aims to generate a step change in how end of life dementia care is provided.
RE-STAR Youth Researcher at Science Gallery London. Photo: Paula Siqueira
A Home for Participatory Research
This spring, participatory researchers at King’s will curate an exhibition for Science Gallery London’s Takeover Space. Experts by Experience: Who Knows Best? will explore the importance of involving people with lived experience in this approach. The researchers will work with public engagement specialist to develop engaging displays and events.
Bat Night Market promotional image by Rain Wu, an AI assisted image created with Midjourney
Creative R&D: Bat Night Market
Combining speculative design and science, this new commission for LIFT 2024 was developed both in Taiwan, and here in the UK at Science Gallery London. The lead artists collaborated with King’s researchers in tissue engineering, anthropology, health intelligence and biosecurity to design this imagined future.
A visitor listens to the audio installation, Does AI Care? Photo: Summer Dean
Live Research: The AI Doctor Will See You Now
Throughout our 2023 season AI: Who’s Looking After Me?, radiologists Professor Vicky Goh and Dr Carolyn Horst from the Cancer Imaging Group used the opportunity to understand public attitudes towards the increasing use of AI in healthcare settings.
A visitor to the AI Forum, 2023. Photo: George Torode
Platforms for Researchers
The AI Forum was a series of informal lunchtime presentations by King’s researchers, which explored trustworthiness, participatory design and AI’s potential to combat climate change. Three King’s researchers also took part in live recording of an AI special of the BBC Global News Podcast broadcast to a worldwide audience.