The Art of Sustainable Phosphorous

You may have missed it during the recent NASA bacteria arsenic furore, but Phosphorus was an important character. NASAs claim that it had grown an organism by feeding it deadly arsenic struck to the very core of the phosphorous dependant DNA of every living organism.

Looking back, one could be forgiven that NASAs attempt at science was more symbolic art, hinting at the pending peak phosphorous that threatens not our way of life, but life its self.

Taking this Phosphorous art a step further the Sustainable Phosphorus Summit, which as part of communicating the importance of sustainable phosphorous use has fostered a collaboration between artists and scientists coining the Phosphorus, food and our future Science Art exhibition.

Prominent Decomposers | Gouache and ink on Paper | Molly Danielsson and Mathew Lippincott

Changing Waters Info-Sculptures

You've heard of Infographics, now get ready for Info-Sculptures.

Nathalie Miebach creates amazingly informative sculptures fusing techniques from bascket weaving with the worlds formost sources of scientific data concerning a myriad of dynamic systems, particularly our weather.

I have just received an email from Nathalie about her most recent exhibit of a large scale installation of her work.

"Using data from NOAA and GOMOSS buoys within the Gulf of Maine, as well as weather stations along the coast, I am translating data that explores the seasonal variations of marine life."

- Nathalie Miebach

Gallery shot, various works | Changing Waters Exhibition | Nathalie Miebach

Into the Crucible of a Collaboration

Into the Crucibles of Nature
In what was 2009, the year of Astronomy, a unique partnership was formed between artist Fiorella Lavado and Scientist cum Author Arthur I. Miller to facilitate an exploration of the cosmos like never before. In concert with the Benaki Museum of Athens for the purpose of the exhibition, Into the Crucibles of Nature, Fiorella, with direction from Arthur have created a unique collection of art that recreates the science of the universe.

Fiorella’s weavings work particularly well with black holes. They contain a stillness that is unsettling which evokes a cautiousness to their exploration as the viewer. Likewise wormholes and nebulas which also feature are still very unknown quantities but there is reason to be very cautious about their exploration also, which is captured marvellously in these weavings.

Jaws of Darkness | Ultra Fine Wire Weave | Fiorella Lavado | Photography Noel Mclaughlin

Heretical Science: Parallel Universe Exhbition

The idea that our world contains more dimensions than the physical three dimensions of space and one dimension of time is both unsettling and fascinating. Not only can we not experience these dimensions, the very thought of them causes our brain to run in circles. In contrast, mathematics and computers have no problems adjusting to this realisation.

Ian Carlo Jaucian is not a computer. He is troubled by these same problems. If extra dimensions exist, what might they be good for? What do they look like? Why are some physicist focusing their entire careers on the search for these illusive dimensions?

To tackle these questions Ian has devised a unique collection of original art pieces which he has titled Heretical Science, which has been on display in the Parallel Universe exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from the 26th of August until 2nd of October.

The Undivided Mind Exhibition

When I saw the bellow pictures, I said, WOW!

This exhibition, sponsored by the Imaginary Foundation is probably the most outstanding example of science meets art I've seen thus far. I feel like I only said that this week, but I have a feeling I shan't be saying that for quite some time, now that I've found The Undivided Mind

Epic Art Science Exhibit & Exploration

I have just read about a new exhibition, Behind the Dawn featuring not one but four exhibitions and many events that deliver science and it's methods to the public through the medium of art.

A quick look tells me this is something I wish I knew about earlier.

Remember AIDS?

The following posters were kindly donated by James Lapides to Elizabeth Resnick, Professor and Chair of Graphic Design @ Massachusetts College of Art and Design who has organised the Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of International AIDS Awareness Posters 1985–2010.

Bellow are four of my favourite posters.

Art Imitating Hard Science

Inspired by the physics of Fermilab on a recent tour with physicist Teppei Katori, joint curators Chuck Przybyl and Edyta Stepien have encouraged a pose of artists to create an ensemble fit for showcasing the universe.


Hard Science - Any of the natural or physical sciences wherein facts or truths are derived from empirical investigations or experiments based on scientific method.
Unlike scientists of other disciplines, particle physicists perceive their work through mathematical equations, charts, models and various computer generated data sets. Whilst this method of communication is useful for those in the know, the message would be lost on anyone outside of this particular realm.

Appreciating this fact and the overwhelming drive to be able to visualise all this information Chuck and Edyta realised the potential of the theories and experiments of Fermilab to be communicated through contemporary conceptual art.

Bellow are some of my favourite pieces from the Hard Science Exhibit.

Art and the Atom

I came across a news release recently, via Google news and discovered that in Christchurch, New Zealand, there is an interesting exhibition merging nanotechnology and art.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the University of Canterbury and the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Material and Nanotechnology that aims to bring scientists and artists together in order to communicate a brilliant 21st century technology to the public.

Nanotechnology is the engineering of materials the size of 1 billionth of a meter. When materials are built at such a small scale and of variant sizes, different properties, that which don't appear in it's chemical makeup at macro sizes spring forward, often surprising the scientists at work: Nano silver is completely anti-bacterial, carbon nano tubes are execellent conductors of electricity.

The MacDiarmid Institute donated $2000 dollars to be awarded to the best nanotechnology picture of the exhibition.

David Garret | Towers of Vertically Aligned Nano Tubes

Khemia: Living Alchemy Exhibition & Workshops - Part 2 - Exhibition Run Down

The artists featured in this article were profiled in Khemia: Living Alchemy Exhibition & Workshops - Part I - Artists Introduction

Enter the world of Khemia, where separate and disparate things fuse to make the new and art and science are not as seperate as you might think.

Three artists: Niki Sperou, Angela Valamanesh & John Willanski.

Chimera - Niki Sperou
The centre piece of the exhibition, Chimera aims to drive a merger of biotechnology, material manipulations and ancient Greek cultural paradigms, using art as it's vehicle.

Niki Sperou | Chimera | Wall Mounted Photos

Khemia: Living Alchemy Exhibition & Workshops - Part I - Artists Introduction

Khemia is an exhibition celebrating the nexus of science and art through the talents of some of South Australia's established and up and coming artists.

Angela Valamanesh
Angela is a well known South Australian arist known for her striking yet simple and inspiring work with ceramics. Graduating from the University of SA in 1993 before continuing her studies in the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, curtosy of the Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship, Angela has since been established herself as an expert in her field.

Angela's work fits right in with theme of the exhibition, that being biological life forms as a lot of Angela's previous work has focussed on exactly that.