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. Continue reading “The Art of Science: Three to See”
Caleb Charland’s photos explore many aspects of physics and chemistry to stunning effect – all without the use of photoshop. He uses a number of elaborate but essentially old-school techniques, including scanning and multiple exposures, to create his amazing images. One of my favorites is this relatively simple photo, Helix with Matchsticks, a DNA-style double helix engulfed in flame. Besides the obvious connection of the flames and life-force, could it allude to the fiery conflicts over evolution?
Charland, who is based in Maine, has recently been working on creating “photos” without a camera – using a burning candle to expose, and drip on, photographic paper. Before that, he used images to demonstrate unusual power sources, like using an orange to run a light bulb for 14 hours. He described his work in 2010 as being “like 5th grade science mixed with sculpture. It’s about being curious and playful. There is still a lot to wonder about.” (source)
You can see many more images at Charland’s website.
Last week, the Natural History Museum in London unveiled a digital archive of the letters of 19th century naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, the co-discoverer with Charles Darwin, of evolution by natural selection. The archive, introduced on the 100th anniversary of Wallace’s death, naturally focuses on his writings, but also contains some paintings and drawings. Wallace, who spent years in far-flung places collecting specimens, didn’t have the option of pulling out a camera to document his finds. He often sketched or painted his discoveries, including this lovely watercolor of a flying frog which he painted in Sarawak. It may not be Audubon-level in its artistry and detail, but it’s a useful scientific illustration which also has great personality and charm.
Australian artist Fiona Hall has often focused her work on the interaction between humans and their natural environment. For last year’s Documenta 13 show in Germany, she turned her attention to some of the victims of the ongoing struggle between man and land: endangered animals.
Hall created a “21st century hunter’s den” filled with mounted specimens – sculptures of animals on the IUCN Red List of threatened or endangered species. She made much of their “feathers” and “fur” from military camouflage uniforms from the animals’ home territories. This is an ambiguous choice – it suggests both the negative effects of military action on animal habitats as well as the natural camouflage that animals use to protect themselves. Some of her “taxidermied” creatures look disconcertingly chipper, too – like this Australian Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis / night parrot, 2009-2011). But her overall intent is highly serious: to remind us that one tragic and irreversible aspect of human conflict is animal extinction. Ultimately, camouflage may not protect any of us.
Joining land and sea, mollusk and mineral, cuttlefish bone casting is a method of metalworking that produces one-of-a-kind pieces. Cuttlefish are cephalopods with a unique internal structure called a cuttlebone, which is light, porous and easy to carve. Smiths have been using them as molds for casting small objects, usually in silver, for hundreds of years. (Here’s a brief overview of the technique)
One of the coolest things about cuttlefish bone casting is that the molten metal takes on organically-shaped ridges from the structure of the cuttlebone. Many artists use these as a design element, evoking their origins in the sea. Each mold can only be used once, so each cast object is unique. Australian artist Katrina Newman uses the technique to create pieces that fuse ancient and modern, craggy and sleek, as in this striking pendant called Post by the Sea.
You can see more of Newman’s work at her etsy shop and her website.
The Finch and Pea 