AquaMuse

02 / 04

Listening to science. Making it visible.

Project type: Institutional volunteer work
Organisation: Science Media Centre, IISER Pune
Category: Science communication and illustration
Contribution: Visual interpretation, illustration and composition
Scope of work: Session notes, illustrated research sheets, portraits and information hierarchy
Year: 2024–25

Fishbowl Discussions illustrated notes presented on a display stand against a green backdrop — Fishbowl Discussions: illustrated research notes presented on a display stand.

The communication problem

Research, beyond
the research room.

Water researchers from across India came together at IISER Pune to discuss different questions, methods and challenges. The organisers asked for visual communication that could make these scientific conversations accessible to a wider public.

My science background helped me follow the discussion, decide which ideas belonged together and translate technical material into an approachable visual structure.

Listening Circle illustrated water-journalism notes displayed against a pink and grey backdrop — Listening Circle: relationships between voices, questions and ideas brought into one illustrated sheet.

Listening, interpreting, composing

The drawing began
with understanding.

I attended the sessions, wrote notes in my own interpretation and sketched rough elements while listening. After each discussion, I developed the composition with text clouds, illustrations and portraits.

I organised the notes and drawings so readers could follow the discussion and see how the ideas connected.

Water Science illustrated notes presented as an angled sheet on a grey and blue backdrop

Illustrated water reporting notes on a pink, grey and blue backdrop

Review and publication

A wider life
for the conversation.

The organisers reviewed the completed sheets; most were approved without changes. The work was published on the AquaMuse website and displayed on screens at subsequent water conferences.

AquaMuse visual notes ↗︎