We ZJU-China 2022 recognize the importance of inclusiveness in the fields of art and science. We are committed to lowering the threshold of art and science, so that more people can feel the beauty of science and art, to approach and embrace the beauty of science and art.
In many interviews with community residents and young students, many people talked about science and art, thinking of very grand and remote topics, and said that they may not be able to contact and talk about topics in the corresponding fields, and few people tried to understand the corresponding content. However, such estrangement has resulted in that a very wide range of groups have no opportunity to know whether they have the corresponding talent and ability to conduct in-depth study, and they have lost the opportunity to have some pleasant experience from the heart that they should have. We believe that topics such as science and art are important topics in today's society. Although they are complex, they are not out of reach. We hope that through our efforts, more people can understand and think in these fields.
At the same time, our team also conducted many interviews with scholars engaged in scientific research, art museum staff and others working in the field of inclusiveness. When talking with a professor of the College of Art and Archaeology, she suggested that the key is to break the stereotype of the public about science and art and other topics, and make the public experience the beauty of art and science in an attractive way. In general, all the interviews gave us the ultimate inspiration. Different from previous projects, we focused on all public groups, not just on special groups, hoping to promote the in-depth experience of all people who have never experienced the beauty of science and art. But at the same time, we have also designed a promotion model rich in inclusiveness for special groups.
In 2001, the Taliban bombed the Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan, attracting the attention of the world. Built in the sixth century AD, the Bamiyan Buddha is a classic work of Greek-style Buddhist art. The West Buddha is 55 meters high and is the largest carved standing Buddha statue in the world. It is listed as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO. The Buddha of Bamiyan was a fusion of religious, philosophical and Greek artistic values, so when it was bombed by the Taliban government it drew a strong condemnation from Unesco. Stone cultural relics are closely linked with human civilization.
The Parthenon Temple in ancient Greece has become a ruin and is still regarded as the origin of Western European architecture. The Pantheon in ancient Rome still echoes the echo and light of thousands of years. Many times, the disappearance of stone artifacts has become a foregone conclusion. However, can we freeze the artistic experience and aesthetic feeling that cultural relics pass on to us in our memory without going through the material itself? We hope that through our efforts, art and beauty can become a pleasant experience and deep memory without borders and thresholds.
We went deep into Chinese communities, where children usually have access to a large amount of information, but we think that most of the information is rigid and dogmatic, and we still have little access to cultural relics and the stories behind them. We took them some gadget we designed according to the cultural relics, and guided them to make corresponding paintings.
During a pandemic, it becomes very difficult to experience firsthand the sensations evoked. However, we always believe that words and images are also very powerful. In the temporary confinement of the epidemic, we choose to regularly recommend video and text resources related to cultural relics and art on official account. Also, we have set up a three-fold brochure with concise and clear content and badges, etc., hoping to attract wider range of audience and increase the inclusivity of our project in these simple and interesting forms.
Figure:The brochures designed by our team
Hearing the word "scientific research", many people will feel that it is out of reach. However, finding and solving problems is not as difficult as most people think. Our team hopes that more people can get close to science. While realizing the convenience brought by scientific and technological progress, we can also ignite the enthusiasm for science and plant a seed.
Our team hopes to deliver a laboratory life experience different from stereotype to the public through various forms such as vlog, painting, pictures, etc., so that more people can feel the fun of science and get closer to science.
At the same time, our team also went deep into high school, explained the principle of PCR to the students in an easy to understand way, and led them to carry out relevant experimental operations. click here to explore our education page
According to statistics, about 1 in 12 men are color blind. Symptoms of color blindness are often so mild that you may not notice them. And since we get used to the way we see colors, many people with color blindness don’t know they have it. The most common type of color blindness makes it hard to tell the difference between red and green. Another type makes it hard to tell the difference between blue and yellow. People who are completely color blind don’t see color at all, but that’s not very common. Therefore, the display color matching of our wikis and slides has specifically considered the needs of the amblyopia group. Black and white and grey and orange as the main colour scheme, which is not only color blind friendly, allowing them to see the same colors as normal people see, but also allows stone relics across the world to appear in harmony and unity on the website. At the same time, the orange color chosen for the website is close to the yellow color of the temples in Hangzhou, which also contain stone artefacts of interest to us. At the same time, the orange colour chosen for the website is close to the yellow color of temples in Hangzhou, which also contain stone relics we care about.
According to the United Nations Inclusive Language Guide, we choose to use gender inclusive language, which means that language and written expression will not discriminate against a certain gender, social gender or gender identity, nor solidify gender stereotypes. Since language plays a key role in shaping cultural and social attitudes, the use of gender inclusive language is a powerful tool to promote gender equality and combat gender bias.
This year ZJU-China recruited our team members in an open way. We publicize our plan on various platforms of Zhejiang University to ensure that as many interested people as possible have the opportunity to participate. When selecting team members, we strive to be fair and unbiased. The criteria for selection are the applicant's scientific research ideas, molecular biology experimental skills, and speech ability, rather than gender, religion, and specialty. click here to explore our amazing team.
ZJU-China is a team composed of members with common values, different personal characteristics, living habits and educational backgrounds. During the whole process of the project, we established an inclusive atmosphere. All team members can express their ideas freely and easily, but they can feel the sense of belonging to the team at any time. We allow different voices to exist, and encourage everyone in my team to put forward their views in the brainstorming and project design, so as to improve the productivity of the whole team.
