Poetry Trail: A Science Art Collision

Poetry Trail: A Science Art Collision

Hydrosapien poem, post number 14 on trail

The Poetry Trail is an outdoor installation featuring 14 poems, inspired by our researchers and technicians across the School of Life Sciences, composed by award-winning poet Sujatha Menon. Her new collection, Microscopia, was created during a transformative poet-in-residency programme.

The poems are displayed on specially designed posts installed along a trail through the woods and paths near the School of Life Sciences and beyond.

Each poem is inspired by Warwick research and paired with a prologue that reveals the science behind the verse.

Explore our beautiful yet often overlooked green spaces on campus through this unique experience blending literature, biology, and outdoor activity.

About the Poet

Sujatha Menon is a poet and musician with a working background in complementary medicine who bridges the worlds of science and art.

As Poet in Residence, she collaborated with scientists to reveal the emotion, curiosity and creativity at the heart of their research.

Sujatha said: “Collaborating with Warwick has been a wonderful way to explore how science and poetry can speak to one another.”

Professor Emeritus Kevin Moffat, former Director of Outreach in the School of Life Sciences said:

“Science and art are both about curiosity, creativity and seeing the world in new ways – which is why this collaboration has felt so natural.

Sujatha brought such energy, empathy, and imagination into our labs and conversations, helping to capture not just what our researchers do, but how they think and feel about their work."

Professor Miriam Gifford, Head of Life Sciences adds:

"Bringing these poems to life has been a process fuelled by imagination, bringing all kinds of creative ideas into both our labs and our conversations. The trail is a unique opportunity for the Warwick community to engage with scientific research through the voices, stories, and discoveries of female academics, technicians and researchers."

Navigating the Poetry Trail

Use the map and location references in the table below to help you navigate the trail around Tocil Woods and Gibbet Hill. Each of the posts has a map and QR code which links back to this page to help you.

Trail Locations

POST	SCIENTIST	POEM	LOCATION	REF ///what3words	DESCRIPTION
1	Dr Elisabetta Zanardini	The Biorestoration of Dorian Gray	Between Gibbet Hill and central campus	///radio.poems.hostsLink opens in a new window	Lakeside behind Health Centre car park
2	Professor Miriam Gifford	There is also Gossip in the Rhizosphere	Tocil Woods	///modest.copy.hatchLink opens in a new window	Set back from riverbank
3	Dr Emily Lane-Hill	This is not my father’s eulogy	Gibbet Hill Woods	///then.pits.bakedLink opens in a new window	Near mound that marks an intersection of three paths
4	Professor Elizabeth Fullam	Transcendental Eradication	Between Gibbet Hill Woods and central campus	///stay.chop.orchestraLink opens in a new window	Open grassland space
5	Dr Sarah Trinder	Accession	Clearing on bend in Gibbet Hill Wood	///allow.dish.couchLink opens in a new window	Wood clearing
6		Evisceration Day	Behind Gibbet Hill campus	///refers.snap.giantLink opens in a new window	Open grassland next to quarry
7	Dr Charlotte Allender	The First Farmers were Sheet Breeders	Grassland in Gibbet Hill approach	///gifted.jazz.cluesLink opens in a new window	Open grassland between the southern gap in the woods
8	Dr Louise Dyson	Matrihelical	Gibbet Hill campus	///cope.fails.sampleLink opens in a new window	Maths Houses behind School of Life Sciences building
9	Dr Aparna Ratheesh	Mimicry in G Minor	Gibbet Hill campus	///dangerously.smart.trapsLink opens in a new window	Pond area in front of School of Life Sciences building
10	Dr Emily Breeze	Reticulum	Gibbet Hill woods	///rungs.smiles.codeLink opens in a new window or ///notion.unable.gatesLink opens in a new window	Set back from wood, close to gate on Gibbet Hill Road in the wood
11	Dr Darius Koester	Cytoskeleton of a Spell	Tocil Woods	///orange.traps.metroLink opens in a new window	Path side about 100 yards from campus entrance
12	Dr Saskia Bakker	20 Ways to Skin a Spell	Tocil Woods	///loads.afford.shellsLink opens in a new window	Path side just before the bridge
13		Crones of the Underworld	Tocil Woods	///jungle.double.bravoLink opens in a new window	Path side just after the bridge
14	Jeanette Selby	Hydrosapien Neuropathy	Between Gibbet Hill and central campus	///reward.both.gatherLink opens in a new window	Lakeside behind Bluebell buildings 1 and 2

Interactive Map of CampusLink opens in a new window

To help find your way around the University campus, use our campus interactive map.

Sculpture Park Maps and TrailsLink opens in a new window

Find out more about our sculpture park and associated trails here.