When J. John Cohen peers through a microscope, he sees more than just cells, bacteria or viruses.
He sees art.
Cohen, an immunologist with the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center, earlier this month celebrated the opening of the “Art in Science/Science in Art” exhibit.
The 30-piece exhibit will be displayed at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science until mid-May. It will then move to the University of Colorado’s Given Institute in Aspen.
Cohen started the project about a year ago, asking CU medical students or artists with a connection to the school to submit entries. He received more than 200 pieces, ranging from photographs to paintings to computer-generated images that blended art with science.
“Art and science are often considered to be opposite extremes,” said Cohen, 66. “But there is a growing movement among artists to not just use the latest technology like lasers and computer painting, but to also illustrate scientific principles in their art. Some of these images are not just conceptually fascinating but visually stunning.”
Here’s a look at four pieces from the exhibit:
Name: “Cell-Portrait”
Artist: Marshall Dines, 26, a second- year medical student.
Using syringes to inject paint into bubble wrap, Dines created a self-portrait with a pattern of color-filled “cells.” At least a handful of the bubbles broke during the process, representing Dines’ “necrotic imperfections.”
“Like cells composing the body, these discrete, membrane-bound cells of color, when assembled together, give rise to something larger,” according to the blurb that accompanies the piece.
Name: “Infrared Kiss”
Artist: Lannie Pihajlic, 35, a professional artist based in Boulder.
This piece, which looks like an infrared image, was actually drawn with a pen and colored with the computer program PhotoShop. The brightest colors reflect the warmest areas, while the darker colors relect the coolest. The hottest point, where the two lovers’ lips meet, is colored white.
Name: “Flaming Oranges”
Artists: Dustin Grace, Marilyn Poon, Robert Neilson, Jessica Todd, all students at CU-Boulder.
This photograph was created by engineering and fine arts students for a course on flow visualization, which examines patterns produced by flowing fluids. This piece shows a blowtorch blasting the surface of an orange, causing the skin to glow red hot and peel away.
Name: “C DNA”
Artist: Brian Shucker, 27, a recent computer science graduate of CU-Boulder.
Shucker created a strand of DNA composed of thousands of tiny characters that collectively form a working computer program in the C language. If entered into a computer, the code will generate a self-replicating image, which, not coincidentally, is similar to what DNA does.
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-954-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com
Art in Science/Science in Art
ART EXHIBIT|Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.|Included with general admission to museum; $10, adults, $6 for kids and seniors|Through mid-May.
