November 2012 NUI Galway Exhibits Art Inspired by Science

NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute is hosting an ‘Art from Science’ exhibition as part of the Galway Science and Technology Festival. The exhibition will open on Tuesday, 13 November and run through until the big festival finale at NUI Galway on Sunday, 25 November.

Science and technology inspired art is not a new concept, but increasingly art is being used as a medium that invites the audience to think about a scientific subject in a novel way. Julia Baer, a ceramicist and scientist who recently completed a Masters Degree in Botany at NUI Galway, explains: “Incorporating aspects of science and nature into artwork creates an opportunity for people to look at science in a way that they might not have before. My ceramic work includes images of marine life such as seaweeds and radiolarians. Radiolarians are microscopically small animals that occur in all the world’s oceans. People are often surprised to find out that the delicate prints on my work derive from the natural world they can potentially find at their doorsteps! I think those that view and buy my pieces also walk away with a greater appreciation for marine life that they may never before have thought of as beautiful or even knew existed.”

Julia’s work will be displayed alongside a number of other pieces and projects including ten large murals created by artist Brian Brennan for the recent Sea2Sky science event. Also on display will be a sculpture and paintings from Chemistry’s Distill Life exhibit, ‘Fascination of Plants’ photographs. Poetry by Moya Roddy and Pete Mullineaux, as well as artwork from Ryan Institute researchers will also feature.

The highlight for many will be the multi-room interactive installation known as the BEAST!, created for the recent Baboró International Arts Festival for Children. The BEAST! (Baboró Environment, Art, Science and Technology) project saw scientists from NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute and Baboró artists working with primary schools on issues related to sustainable living in the 21^st century. The resulting installation came out of the pupils reflecting on what they had learned from the scientists, and working with the artists to express their ideas in a very creative, and thought-provoking, way.

“The BEAST! project was such a unique way for NUI Galway researchers to connect with school children, and share ideas on all sorts of subjects related to environmental change, like sustainable fisheries, eco-housing, and power and efficiency”, said Professor Colin Brown, Director of NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute for Environmental, Marine and Energy Research. He added: “The artistic installation is a fantastic way to ensure that what these pupils learned can be shared with a much wider audience. It’s a beautiful and impressive piece of work and we are delighted to work with the Baboró team showcasing it on the NUI Galway campus.” 

The ‘Art from Science’ exhibition is located in a space adjacent to the Bank of Ireland Theatre at NUI Galway, in a building known as the Soils Lab.  It will be open weekdays only from 10am to 5pm, apart from Sunday, 25 November when it will be open all day as part of the Galway Science and Technology Festival Exhibition, also on the NUI Galway campus.  The exhibition is free and open to all. To book in a group for a guided tour please contact sarah.knight@nuigalway.ie .

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