Dataflow of Students I, BySinsel, 2021

The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) is home to several outstanding departments and institutions covering education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as the liberal arts and sciences. Within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, over 260 researchers and more than 2,700 students work on themes such as fundamental physics, circularity and sustainability, data science and artificial intelligence.

In 2020, the faculty moved into the building at the Paul-Henri Spaaklaan 1. To illustrate the rapid growth, Jules Sinsel visualized the growing number of students in a beautiful work of art, that is displayed in the stairway of the faculty building. This way, the art can be a daily reminder of the past, present and the ambitious future that the young faculty of Science and Engineering, strive for.

About the art work

The art work is 3 D printed and inspired by the data flow of the growing number of students of the Faculty which are carried by a tree with branches and leaves. On these leaves are small sculptures that playfully visualize the students of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The aim of the design is to intrigue the visitor and lead him or her through the stairwell, based on curiosity and inspiration. The sculpture can be read as a translation of the students' numbers with specific data. Each branch between the steps represents a program, Bachelor or Master of the year 2015 or 2020. These two years point towards each other to highlight the change through the years. On the explanatory boards near the artwork, a visualization is provided to indicate which program is on which floor located. By reading the branching, one can see how many students are participating in the program. Each colored ʻmini figure' on the sheets represents five students, with geographical references based on color. The elements that rise to the top are registered as female and to the bottom as male.

Jules Sinsel about his work:

 “My goal is to work from multiple perspectives by exploring and designing. It’s something that instils curiosity in people and appeals to them. For this, I use patterns, order and symmetry, which can be repeated in shape and color. These aspects also constantly echo in science and nature. Is that why it attracts us?”