Building resilience through a synergy between science and art
"At JBA Consulting, we’re driven by data. As far back as the late 1990s, we were pioneering flood modelling to develop the first national flood map, the ‘indictive floodplain’. Fast forward to 2025 and we’re still using data to generate flood extents, calculate risks and design assets. Science is our foundation, allowing us to better understanding the world around us and to describe that rationally for our clients.
But if we’re to build whole society resilience to climate change, then understanding alone is not enough. If we’re trying to foster awareness, cooperation, advocacy, equality and inclusion, we need to also connect with people. Connect beyond the numbers, the data, the evidence, the rational. And that’s where the arts and storytelling come in.

Understanding climate science isn’t easy, and for many these concepts are too abstract, difficult or just too dry to grapple with. But when we translate this into stories and art, we allow people to connect through sentiment and emotion. Even the youngest of children can be moved by a compelling story, film or picture. Our emotions and reactions are what make us who we are as humans.
Over the last few years we’ve collaborated with an array of artists, from Academy Award winners Aardman Animations to local collectives and freelancers. We’ve seen first-hand how creative approaches have enhanced our work, helping us to reach beyond the technical audience. Animations, live theatrical performances, films, photography exhibitions, murals and poems. We would still create the same output from our work without these, but would it be as accessible and emotionally resonant? Would it encourage us to take a different viewpoint or ask different questions? Would it inspire us to explore alternative, sustainable, resilient and transformative options?
For us, science and the arts aren’t opposites; they complement one another. That’s why we pledge to continue our investment with innovative collaborations with artists of all formats. We have bought together this online collection of our creative content, which we hope inspires you to join our pursuit for whole society resilience to climate change."
Discover how artist Raquel Durán used live scribing and illustration to capture our pivotal cross-sector roundtable event on climate resilience in an accessible, engaging and memorable way.…
Art and our scientific work are not polar opposites; they complement each other and are mutually supportive in making sense of the world for ourselves and the communities we work…
How can the arts engage communities in climate resilience? That's the question we asked groups at risk of flooding along the River Exe. Read on to find out what…
Watch BeFloodReady – Missy’s Tale, which was created in collaboration with the award-winning Aardman Animations to raise awareness of the importance of Property Flood Resilience.…