Between Science and Experience: Art-Based Methodologies in Public Health | Alumni Association CSMCH

The Collaborative Research Working Group of Alumni Association of the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health (CSMCH), Jawaharlal Nehru University, warmly welcomes you to this webinar: "Between Science and Experience: Art-Based Methodologies in Public Health" This talk offers an overview of art-based research methods that intersect with scientific and social scientific inquiry, with a particular focus on health-related disciplines. It will examine a selection of international art–science projects on public health alongside the speaker's own practice-based research connecting the neuroscience of sleep, pain, illness, and disorders that shape everyday human experience. During this talk, the speaker will introduce phenomenology as a methodological tool for investigating creative and embodied meaning-making through art materials and gestural expressions, bypassing medical terminology around pain and discomfort. Attention will be given to the role of creative metaphor as a research method. How audiences, often coming from marginalized backgrounds, can reclaim their agency and create their own narratives around illness will also be explored. Such narratives created through art materials can facilitate communication, empathy, and solidarity in social contexts. The talk reflects on the possibilities of art-based methodologies for generating alternative ways of understanding, expressing, and engaging with experiences of health, illness, and suffering. Speaker: Asmita Sarkar Artist-Researcher, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology Date: 21 June 2026 Time: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM (IST) We look forward to your participation in this interdisciplinary conversation on art, science, embodiment, and public health. #webinar #Csmch #health #jawaharlalnehruuniversity #jnu #foundationday