Sci-Art

In 1952 a young Research Assistant in King's College London took an X-ray picture of DNA molecules. This picture, called "Photo 51", was one of the basic experimental evidence on which Watson and Crick based the theory of the structure of the DNA and this Research Assistant was Rosalind Franklin*.

"Photo 51" of the DNA molecule taken by Rosalind Franklin

Apart from the structure of DNA, Franklin had a major contribution on the study of the structures of RNA, tobacco mosaic and polio viruses. She died from ovarian cancer at the age of 37, in 1958.

However, her work still inspires people and not only scientists.

At a random search on the internet I came across some really interesting pieces of art by Wyllie O Hagan. The artists were inspired by "Photo 51" and, breathing life into it, they transformed it into vibrant and stimulating artworks that have been exhibited at the Smith Killian Gallery in Charleston, SC, USA in 2007.

The titles from top left are: A Vision of Rosalind 1,  A Vision of Rosalind 2,

 A Vision of Rosalind 3 and A Vision of Rosalind for OCNA

Science seems to be a recurrent theme of their work as they have also done another exhibition titled "Transformation in Science and Art", created during an Arts Residency with the Cancer Research UK group in the Department of Oncology at University College London.
Here are some more pieces of their science-related work that have impressed me.

Moreover, a monumental 40 meter digital print of their work hangs in The Royal Mint Building in London.

My absolute favorite is the "Vision of Rosalind for OCNA". I just find it captivating. I am always amazed when people are able to look at science through a different prism and appreciate its beauty.


* Rosalind Franklin took the picture with  Raymond Gosling- a PhD student assigned to help her

** All the pictures were taken from Wyllie O Hagan's official site and copies for most of the paintings can be bought here.

A tale of the city OR The Big Bang Fair

Yesterday, i was here:

Big Bang Fair is a competition, more like a celebration as the organisers describe it, in STEM subjects. Pupils from 11 till 18 years old can take part in the regional Big Bang Fairs either as individuals or in groups and the best projects are selected to go through to the National Big Bang Fair.







It was great fun.
We made stools from newspapers:

Played with colorful solutions:

And with cards:

But also some serious science took place. There were hydrolic robots, screw drivers, projects on the life on Mars and the power of circular movement.

 And there were winners...

But what i loved yesterday was the enthusiasm in the eyes of the students when they were talking about Science and their projects. 

Yesterday i went to the Royal College of Arts Graduate Exhibition.

Every summer, the graduates from all the departments of the RCA show their degree projects to family and friends, art-world insiders and even potential buyers. The exhibition takes places across the College’s two campuses in Battersea and Kensington.

I went to the Kensington campus where the exhibition is massive covering all eight departments of the College. I was really impressed by the imagination and the creativity of all the students but i spent most of my time at the Innovation Design Engineering section.

Several projects tried to address sustainability issues, some attempted to develop new communication platforms while others tried to develop new materials. Most of them involved cutting-edge technology and all the projects were really really interesting.

Some of them made a particular impression on me:

David Stevens designed a new cast that could help the patients with fractures to heal faster and with less pain.

Ho-Tzu Cheng constructed a fume extractor aiming to protect more efficiently the health of the person that is cooking.

To be honest, i was completely ignoring the fact that cooking fumes are considered as a prevailing factor for lung cancer in non-smokers. Apparently there are several epidemiological studies mostly focused on Asian populations like this but also in the USA.

Another project that i found very interesting was the platform Genobi designed by Joel Trotter. This platform will help people understand their genetic background and make the necessary lifestyle adjustments to optimise their health.

Luc Fusaro constructed the SmartTouch, a smart and easy to use monitor for the glucose level in our organisms. Diabetics only need to have a smartphone where they adjust this small device. This project made me think of Peter Diamandis's TED lecture.

All in all, it was a very interesting evening and i can't wait to see all these projects being used in our everyday life!!