Art of Science - Researchers at University of Bristol capture the beauty of science in unique works of art
Last updated 12/7/2011 1:31:32 PM
Art of Science - Researchers at University of Bristol capture the beauty of science in unique works of art
Fluorescent tissue cells, zebrafish and neuronal cells in the brain are just some of a selection of winning images inspired by complex scientific procedures that help bring the medical sciences to life in a new art challenge.
At first glance, some of these images for this year's University of Bristol-led Art of Science Competition look like unusual abstracts but they are in fact unique works of art produced by scientists who were challenged to capture the aesthetic beauty of their research.
The challenge aimed to encourage scientists to make their work more accessible to the public, and to appreciate the beauty behind the research they undertake every day, from fantastic fluorescent images of cells to photography of science in action within the laboratory.
Judged from over 100 entries, the winning photographs range from brightly-coloured snapshots of tissue cells used in neuroscience studies to a close-up of an ant antenna. Alongside these research images are photography of ‘science in action' in the laboratory, from the perspective of the researcher and their ‘native' environment.
The twelve winning entries are displayed in an exhibition at the At-Bristol café and will be made into a 2012 Calendar.
Becky Jones, from the University's School of Biochemistry, said: "The researchers were asked to look for aesthetic beauty in their experimental work. The competition was for the entries to be as innovative as possible whilst retaining a scientific or instructive message. The calibre of entries was extremely high ."
This year's competition was the most successful to date, attracting support from Wellcome Images, an international leader in science images, who wish to acquire 34 of the entries to their science picture archive.