Sciences Participating with Arts & Culture in Education

Uncertainty Theme Poster

During the Winter 2023 semester, in a co-curricular collaboration between SPACE and a 2nd year Illustration class taught by Marc-André Cright, students were presented with and discussed various aspects of the upcoming SPACE theme: Uncertainty. Under the guidance of Marc- André, the students developed proposals for the poster that would serve as the public visual representation of the 2023/2024 theme.

The proposals were reviewed by the SPACE team, and from 38 submissions 5 were chosen to present to the judging committee consisting of Illustration teachers Marc-André Cright and Mark Sy, and the SPACE coordinators and fellows.

As we are every year, the committee was impressed by the thought, attention to detail, skill and professionalism that each student displayed in their proposals.

Directly below is the winning poster designed by Léa Crépeau, followed by posters by four of the finalists: Juliette Lafleur, Justine Bouchard, Kimberly Mok, and Leanne Frechette.

Léa Crépeau 2023/2024 Uncertainty Theme Poster

When hearing the theme “Uncertainty”, I reflected on the place uncertainty held in my life and found that it was mostly present when I had to make decisions. To represent that, I wanted my final image to be an endless and Escher-like maze where each path represented different solutions and possibilities. In the maze, the characters all experience uncertainty differently depending on where they are and they can’t escape it. Wherever they go or look, uncertainty follows. 

Curious about my drawings? https://www.instagram.com/crepeaulea/?hl=fr

Juliette Lafleur-Loughrey, Finalist

This poster explores the idea of narrative uncertainty through a ‘’choose your own adventure’’ format.

Justine Bouchard, Finalist

To me, uncertainty meant an emotional or psychic space where anything can happen. When I tried picturing what certainty would look like in a spatial and visual context, the first image that came up was of a closed path, leading in one direction. Inevitably, uncertainty would then be represented as a wide-open space; a never-ending landscape, filled with shapes, creatures and forms that could be both threatening and welcoming at the same time. It would be an ambiguous world that is, most importantly, filled with life.

Kimberley Mok, Finalist

The overall concept for this poster can be described as “navigating topologies of potentialities”, as uncertainty implies navigating through life and making big decisions, armed with only a limited amount of information. In conceptualizing this poster around the theme of “Uncertainty”, I was inspired by mathematical ideas about probability and so-called “fuzzy logic”, and also by the visual language used in the field of data visualization. In the background, we see a mountainous landscape, composed of a type of graph called a probability distribution. Additionally, there are fuzzy elements in the composition to allude to “fuzzy logic”, which is a mathematical concept that expresses truth not as a binary ‘true’ or ‘false’, but as a non-binary continuum of non-discrete values. In a sense, we are like tightrope walkers, navigating through this field of fuzzy probabilities that we may or may not be aware of. We may live in our own ‘bubble’ of knowing, but beyond that edge of knowing is a vast and exciting universe of the Unknown.

To see more of Kimberley's work, visit:
https://collectivepsyche.com
https://www.instagram.com/collectivepsyche

Laurianne Fradette, Finalist

This design reflects the feelings one faces while confronted with uncertainty. It is a disturbing, uncomfortable pull on your heart and yet, you cannot help but be intrigued by the unknown. You'll never know what happens unless you take the plunge into the mysterious.

Léane Fréchette, Finalist

What is “uncertainty”? For me, it represents a change of perspective that forces you to look at things differently. So forth, I wanted to revisit simple concepts such as human interactions, and human DNA. In my illustration, the phone is the communication device linking us, with the wire, to an endless conversation. We are always interacting, conversing with each other, and putting one word after the other to continue a conversation to which we don’t know the end. Finally, the face represents a sort of human form that evolved, because the future of the human race is also uncertain.
"insta - leane.drawings"

Finn Caron

Uncertainty is like a fog in the brain making decisions and situations seem unclear. It can distort the true nature of a reality, making it melt into new meanings. This can be good or bad—it all depends on how the person utilizes and perceives the experience.

Tori Rosales

Personally, I found Uncertainty to be something visceral; it could be that cold sweat that permeates your body. It is the unconscious glancing around as you search for an answer; the multiple paths and possibilities, the doubt and the excitement.
You feel this all throughout your being: mentally, physically, emotionally, you name it!
This is why veins, the heart, and the body were important for me to illustrate this piece.
The letters themselves were each made of clay, to represent how elastic the word UNCERTAINTY can be.

For more of my work, you can find me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/virogo_art.

Annie Sinigur

My concept explores the theme of uncertainty, both for myself and others. Uncertainty, to me, encompasses perpetual doubt and the fear of taking the initial step. In my artistic exploration, I have chosen to center my focus on bifurcation, representing a split personality within a given space. Through the use of double lines, I aim to convey the ambiguity and indecision that permeate the choices we face. The presence of space and mountains in my illustration further enhances the intrigue of the unknown. These elements serve as captivating visual representations of the uncertainties we encounter in life. Overall, my artwork invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences of uncertainty, encouraging them to confront their fears and embrace the transformative power that lies within the act of making choices.

If you’d like to check more of my work, you can find me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/anniedrawhere