A NEW exhibition opening in a Thornton gallery will look at the links between science and the arts.

STEAM ahead is a programme of exhibitions, workshops and events at the South Square Gallery exploring the subjects of science, technology, engineering art and maths.

Over the course of the two month exhibit, which started this week, visitors will be able to see how artists have used technology, science and maths to “open up” the artistic process, which is often seen as being far removed from the world of science.

Among the work on display is art created from geometric shapes, sculptures that use light to and pieces made using a 3D drawing pen.

There will be workshops for young people to try some of the artistic techniques, and next month there will be an event tying the event to The Big Draw - the world’s largest drawing festival.

On September 24 the gallery will host a night of music, art, activities and the Bare Plume pop up cocktail bar from 5pm.

Earlier in the day there will be a drawing activity session where visitors can take part in a variety of artistic creative strategies with artist and educator Cheryl Huntbach.

Yvonne Carmichael, artistic programme manager at the gallery, said: “The exhibition is about making sure the arts have the same priority as other subjects like science and maths.

“All the artists we have working as part of this exhibition are using other disciplines, and looking at art through the lens of science and maths.

“It is thinking about art in its broadest sense, working across disciplines and being open to collaborating.

“We have artists trying out using 3D drawing pens and other artists using mathematics to create art.”

Pieces on display include Fiona Grady’s large site-responsive drawings on walls, windows and floors using sequences of dispersing geometric shapes, and for the exhibition she has applied paint directly on to the walls of the gallery using an extended compass.

Rachel Barron is presenting a vinyl installation that spans across seven window panels at South Square.

Dominic Hopkinson’s geometric print series looks at pattern identification and how humans naturally look out for different patterns. The artist has worked with a range of scientists and mathematicians in order to explore this field.

Lawrence Molloy and Dr Mike Nix are presenting Ghosts; a display of clear shapes, such as cylinders and cuboids, which, when illuminated, cause objects made of light to “magically” appear within them.

In the Community Room the gallery’s current events and exhibitions intern Cat Scott presents her own science inspired artwork alongside artists she has selected with whom she shares interests.

Melanie King’s current research is concerned with how invisible celestial objects and abstract scientific theories can be represented using visual art practice.

Visitors will be able to use a new front entrance to the Grade II listed gallery for the first time for exhibition - previously entry had been through a rear courtyard door.

The exhibition runs until October 30, and the gallery opens from noon to 3pm from Tuesday to Sunday.

The Big Draw event, led by the gallery’s Young Roots group, takes place on Tuesday October 25 from 1pm to 4pm, and will offer an afternoon of experimental drawing.