science and art – Bridgette Mongeon

Molecular Animation?

By Bridgette | January 10, 2011 |

Art and Science are being merged in many different ways. It was not long ago that I interviewed Oron Catts from The University of Western Australia. In an online podcast. we talked about how they are combining artists and scientists in a collaborative research laboratory.

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) began to see the importance of this marriage of art and science as they presented the exhibit Design and the Elastic Mind.

As their website states, “Design and the Elastic Mind explores the reciprocal relationship between science and design in the contemporary world by bringing together design objects and concepts that marry the most advanced scientific research with attentive consideration of human limitations, habits, and aspirations. The exhibition highlights designers’ ability to grasp momentous changes in technology, science, and history—changes that demand or reflect major adjustments in human behavior—and translate them into objects that people can actually understand and use. This Web site presents over three hundred of these works, including fifty projects that are not featured in the gallery exhibition.”

And now biologist are working with animation to create what is known as a new field of molecular animation. As expressed in this new York Times article, Where Cineman and Biology Meet
Inside the New World of Molecular Animation

Now, wouldn’t it be fascinating if Harvard developed a program that would combine animators with biologists as The University of Western Australia has done with science and artists? Some biologists, like Dr. Iwasa, with a grant from the National Science Foundation, traveled to California to learn animation along side those hoping to enter Pixologic. Dr. Iwasa wanted the knowledge of the animation tools to depict biological information not to animate Woody!

My intrigue with this meeting of science and animation stems from my husband Mike delaflor, a medical illustrator. Mike’s desire is to make science more accessible and understandable. He is thrilled about the idea of this new field and would like to be a part of it.

I think it’s a gold rush right now. Because a lot of the things that we have shown, have never been shown.
Robert Lue, Ph.D. Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology Harvard University.

The posted movie “The Animators of Life” talk about this new and enticing field. We will be watching closely. So Harvard, open this relationship further and encourage this marriage of animators and biologists as The University of Australia did with science and art. By the way, bring on medical Illustrator Mike de la Flor.

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