Microbial Worlds
- De:composition: Stephanie Rae Dixon and Mary Beth Leigh
“Decomposition” is both aesthetically and auditorily pleasing by combining many medium’s to show how decomposition can come full circle in science and the beautiful, natural world we are meant to live in. The artists successfully embodied their decomposition study done at the Kevo Subarctic Research Station. The videography and photo’s done of the scientist’s in the decomposed dresses to me is how the art tied the connection between science and life. This was especially emphasized by playing the video onto the sculpture, the decomposition site. Our natural world is constantly working to create life and decompose life; whether that be plant material or people. We all have to work together to keep the circle of creation, living, and decomposition flowing smoothly in the environment we live. This collaboration piece is beautiful. Very hard to accurately describe everything it makes you think about. - Mycorrhizae: Gail Priday
While visiting the exhibit I found myself drawn to many pieces done by Gail Priday. I love how she uses many natural colors, and creates a simple, beautiful, realistic setting in her art. In this piece she takes the very complex mycorrhizal system, and simplifies it. I believe that she did successfully embody the symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants she was wanting to portray based on her write up in this piece. In her write up she says, “This system of interdependence is a beautiful example of nature modeling for us the value and necessity of working together.” I find the piece to possibly be a little too simple when compared to the underground web that mycorrhizae creates, but that is also what makes the piece beautiful and relatable. - Veiled Unveiled: Mariah Henderson
This piece is a great example of how difficult seeing and discovering organisms can be without the aid of stains and the many technological improvements that have made discoveries in science a little easier. “Veiled Unveiled” shows that seeing an organism under a microscope can be aided by using a crystal violet stain, just like the one we used in lab. We also learned that a stain can show up differently depending on the organism based off of its cellular structure, which can also help scientists understand the organism. I love the title of this piece, gives a spooky/suspenseful spin on the staining process and using the microscope. - If I were an artist I would want to attempt to portray some aspect of prokaryotic cell structure and function, specifically phototaxis. I would combine painting and fabrics and create a piece with different textures, natural colors, with many shapes to make it fun. There would be bright sun/light, and then underneath the light have different shapes being lifted up or moving towards the light (organisms), and also showing some moving away and hiding from the bright light. As the organisms gets closer to the light they become bigger, and their flagella become more motile.
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