infinite Beauty - Faculteit der Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen

sPeCial
24 origin - universiteit leiden
A few minutes later the foldout explains that we are
actually looking at a microscopic view of the Black Awl
(Dutch: Zwarte Els). This is a tree and one of the most
common members of the Birch family. The Black Awl
has a great variety of applications.
Since it is well resistant against rotting, it is used as a
material for assembling the pillars under the Rialto in
Venice and for a lot of buildings in Amsterdam.
The same kind of twofold can be found in the images
of the algae, which also decorate the cover of the exposition
and brochure. It are beautiful green structures
on a black background, available in different shapes
and almost completely symmetrical. The light blue
flow results in an almost magical colour reproduction.
If we zoom out, however, we observe an organism that
is currently used as a promising source for CO storage
2
as well as for biofuel applications. A last example is the
portrait of Nocordia Astroides. This portrait shows
a nice red, white and orange coloured structure with
spine-like bulges, surrounded by layer like structures.
A grey-like square plateau seems to have formed at the
top. The variety in symmetry, colour and shape will
mark this portrait into an attractive view. Whilst we get
more and more familiar with the identity behind this
beautiful portrait of the bacteria Nocordia Astroides,
we will notice that this is a bacterium, which can lead
to pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. This
portrait was created along with other images during
an investigation in which different settings of culture
conditions and microscopy techniques were used, gathering
crucial information. In short, this exhibition
aims at putting complex and serious images from a variety
of disciplines of science in a different perspective
for both uninitiated observers as scientists.
the compatibleness of art and science
As it is stated, it is possible to look with two glasses
to such a masterpiece: with a pair of glasses with an
artistic filter and a pair of glasses with a scientific filter.
According to Kant, the characteristics of the work
remain the same, but the impressions of the observer
change. This is supported by museum Boerhaave,
which states the following: “Science is a scouting expedition,
by means of affirming facts, to novel truths
of the reality”. Art creates its own reality and therefore
calls for emotions and a feeling of exquisiteness in the
observer.
This in itself is a remarkable thesis that science
and art are diametrically opposed to each other. It is
argued that art and science describe a different reality;
that one can never contain the other. It is stated
that they simply operate in parallel, without
boundaries and overlaps. However, we believe that
there is an overlap between art and science; there
is beauty to be found in science without the science
off the mind. Think of it: millions of researchers go to
work every day, passionate about a job that can both be
very positive or very negative. Have you ever had the
feeling of getting one negative result after the other?
Ever had the feeling of stopping an experiment and
going home? Still, there’s always light at the end of the
tunnel, a long-lasting positive result that could be the
answer to many, many questions. This difficult quest
of science is joined by so many people, driven by emotion,
and with passion for their work. They experience
beauty in science.
all illustrations are ProPertY of the BoerhaaVe museum, exCePt for the Garden
and the shell, WhiCh BelonG to WiKimedia Commons.