Engineers tap into creativity at the Engineering Art Show

(Edmonton) At the 6^th annual University of Alberta Engineering Art Show grand finale on March 29, students, alumni, and guests celebrated an often underplayed creative component of the engineering profession. As 37 participating artists were presenting their interpretations of art-from oil paintings and photography to sculpture, music, and dance-the room was buzzing with talent.

"Art and engineering cannot be separated, as much as engineers would want them to be," said Dylan Brenneis, a first-year master's student in mechanical engineering. "Having an artistic perspective helps you see a bigger picture and how things function together."

Brenneis is part of the BLINC research group that designs prosthetic systems. The work he does in the lab developing a natural-looking prosthetic hand transcended the realm of engineering and found its way into his art work: for this year's show, Brenneis submitted a pencil drawing of his project and a photograph capturing both the drawing and the prototype of the hand.

"In everything I design, I try to consider how it's going to look, not just how it's going to function," he said.

For Daniel Unsworth, a first-year master's student in structural engineering and a classical double bass player, music is what gives him inspiration to pursue a graduate degree.

"I like engineering because it's exact science, but it does not give you the whole picture of life. Music complements engineering," said Unsworth.

Although art is often what engineers do to get their minds off of differentials, the two seemingly opposite fields form a unique skillset valued in the profession.

"The best engineers have a creative mind," said Georg Josi, a principal with DIALOG, an Engineering Art Show industry sponsor.

Nurturing creativity in engineers is important, even more so in times when Edmonton is striving to re-paint its cityscape and re-vitalize its architecture.

"Historically, Edmonton has been a blue-collar city with rather heavy industries, so no one really cared how things looked. However, this is changing now. In order to attract new people, we need to have an attractive city," said Josi.

"Infrastructure, bridges, underpasses - they form a city, they give the city character. Every engineer should try to tap into their creative side," he added.

This year, the annual Engineering Art Show hosted seven events ranging from a Bob Ross paint night, to a sculpey night, to a singer-songwriter showcase, to an industry-led design challenge, catering to every artistic taste.

"The purpose of the Engineering Art Show is to create an open space for engineers to express themselves," said Mariel Cox, a fifth-year civil engineering co-op student and one of the event organizers.