Reeves House
Visual Arts Center
734 Reeves St. // Woodstock, GA 30188
PRESS RELEASE download PDF
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: ART + SCIENCE
ON VIEW MARCH 2 - APRIL 30, 2023
Through the Looking Glass: Art + Science explores the intersection of art and science as seen through the lens of microscopes and telescopes. Beyond the striking visual congruences, this juxtaposition of macroscopic and microscopic worlds unveils the patterns and similarities in the natural world that transcend scale. With artwork ranging from 3D printed sculptures of viruses to crocheted cells, bacteria grown on Petri dishes, images captured by the Hubble Telescope, and a larger than life "Teslascope" that purports to communicate with other planets, this exhibit will inevitably spark your curiosity and sense of wonder.
By revealing realms long invisible to the human eye, telescopes and microscopes have dramatically expanded the observable universe. Although seemingly worlds apart, the connection between the stars above us and the bacteria within our bodies is closer than one would think. In fact, the smallest living organisms - microbes - may be the key to understanding the very galaxy we inhabit. Although we can’t see this microscopic universe with the naked eye, or feel it on our skin, our bodies are inhabited by over 10,000 species of microbes. There are more bacteria in our bodies than there are stars in our entire galaxy. These microbes that we unconsciously carry have contributed to clarifying the origins of life on Earth, guided thinking about possible life on other planets, unlocked evolutionary mechanisms, and helped explain the functioning of complex ecosystems.
As renowned astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson once proclaimed:
"We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically. The molecules that comprise our body are traceable to the crucibles of the centers of stars. These atoms and molecules are in us because, in fact, the universe is in us. And, we are not only figuratively, but literally, stardust. We do not simply live in this universe. The universe lives within us"
This puts our identities as humans in perspective, not only as being part of the cosmos, but as complex organisms living symbiotically with a microscopic world of bacteria and other microbes. In a visual journey from the smallest units of existence to the vastness of infinite space, viewers are encouraged to rethink the distance that separates us from one another and instead, focus on the connections between us that exist beyond our understanding.
Featured Artists:
Emily Barletta (Ellenville, NY)
Melissa Bolger (Oakland, CA)
Scott Chimileski (Woods Hole, MA)
Tal Danino (New York, NY)
Alan Bur Johnson (Jerome, AZ)
Eva Kwong (Kent, OH)
Nicole Lampl (Atlanta, GA)
Erin McIntosh (Flowery Branch, GA)
Renee Robbins (Chicago, IL)
Steve Wanna (Washington DC)
Mitchell Williamson (Knoxville, TN)
NASA Images from James Webb and Hubble Telescopes
Curated by Nicole Lampl, Director at Reeves House Visual Arts Center
For more information: https://woodstockarts.org/events/art_science/
These are the 4 artworks I have included in the exhibition.
Renee Robbins (Chicago, IL)
Buoyant Whispers 1, 2011
Buoyant Whispers 2, 2011
Acrylic on panel
12" W x 12" H Each
Robbins' work juxtaposes many observable objects on a human scale alongside invisible elements from the molecular and cosmic levels. By pairing the feeling of buoyancy with the soft sounds of whispers (as reflected in the title), the artist explores the power of connecting multiple voices together across a vast ocean - emphasizing the connection rather than separation of people. With that idea in mind, the intricate patterns woven throughout this painting are inspired by cellular division, which is simultaneously a moment of connection and separation.
Renee Robbins (Chicago, IL)
Buzzcut, 2016
Acrylic on panel
16" W x 16" H
Robbins creates detailed visual environments that consider the complex relationships between humans, nature, and the cosmos. Can a haircut reveal a cell, planet, and galaxy all at the same time? This piece is part of a chronological series of paintings with a beginning, middle, and end to an imagined universe. Through painting, she combines microscopic and telescopic viewpoints to explore the worlds of tiny cells to celestial bodies.
Renee Robbins (Chicago, IL)
Pocket Pod 111, 2009
Acrylic, colored pencil, and paper on panel
6" W x 6" H
Through painting, Robbins travels between tiny and monumental worlds to uncover an unseen universe. By creating associations between things that are seemingly disparate in scale and form, her work sparks a curiosity about the universe. Her images are a reflection of the diverse world in which we live and suggest a sense of place within the natural world by creating wonder.