There’s too much great science-art happening right now to pick just one thing. If you’re anywhere near Montreal, Dublin, or DC in the next few weeks, don’t miss the chance to go see some amazing work.
Montreal, QC: De la Nature, through February 23 at Les Territoires
De la nature presents recent works by artist-researchers Kelly Andres, Brandon Ballengée, Claire Kenway and Alison Reiko Loader, four artists who engage seriously with science and technology in their works. (Ballengée’s Love Motel for Insects was previously featured here) According to the website, the group’s works “take on the form of a make-believe futuristic invention, a curiosity cabinet and a lab installation. The works presented in De la nature transgress boundaries between pure sciences, visual arts and media arts while redefining the viewer’s perception of living organisms. They borrow from various media such as sculpture, video and audio art as well as photography. Interactive and often immersive, the works will continually evolve through the passage of time and the visitors’ reactions. This process of constant change will defy nature’s cycles and the way we conceptualize their study.”
A symposium based around the event will take place on February 19th from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Bethesda, MD: Pulse: Art and Medicine, February 16-April 13 at Strathmore Hall
Pulse, a multimedia investigation of medicine as an inspiration for new artworks and art forms, features the work of over 20 artists in media ranging from painting to wood, glass, paper and even sound sculpture.
Curator Harriet Lesser explains, “from before DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man, areas of medicine have influenced aesthetic perceptions. This show, from Luke Jerram’s blown glass bacteria to Bruce Peebles’ wooden double helix installation to Satre Stuelke’s X-Ray scans of common objects, Pulse presents an ever-expanding scope of how something so essential to our daily lives can also be a source of artistic inspiration.”
The piece above, Pass It On, is a wire and pulp sculpture by Jessica Beels referring to the tangled brain cells of Alzheimer’s and the possibility that the disease is hereditary.
There’s a reception on February 19 from 7 – 9PM and art talks and tours for both children and adults on February 23.
Dublin, Ireland: Oscillator, Feb 16 – April 13 at the Science Gallery
Expect plenty of good vibrations from Oscillator, the new exhibit at Dublin’s Science Gallery. According to the gallery’s website, “From swinging pendulums to throbbing beats and harmonics, Oscillations are repetitive variations from one state to another that occur usually over time. Found in human-made systems and in physical, biological, and informational processes, they can arise, either by design or by accident.” Exhibits, experiments and events at Oscillator explore electricity, economics, pulsars, brainwaves, tectonic plates, musical harmonies, pendulums, chemical reactions, algorithms, heart beats and feedback. One that caught my eye was this piece by Nurit Bar-Shai, Sound to Shape, in which a “smart” bacterium reacts to sound waves by “performing complex social behavior” and creating gorgeous patterns.
Related events include an April 13 workshop on transforming old electronics into musical instruments.
The Finch and Pea 