DNA laid bare: Celebrities as you've never seen them
What makes a portrait? A scan of your brain or petri dish of your DNA? Sheena Hastings on a show that brings art and science together
YEAR 9 pupils from Archbishop Holgate School in York have been discovering the frontiers between art and science, how a machine developed to further medical diagnosis and discovery also delivers images that are artistically stunning and revealing.
These 13 and 14-year-olds have studied the history of the portrait, how photography, video and sound can contribute to portraiture, and discussed the ethics of using data such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images – usually used only in a clinical setting – as part of an exhibition which uses them with other media to give a complete "picture" of a person.
This exciting one year journey was jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England. The resulting multimedia exhibition, Me, Myself and MRI now open in York, has been created by arts partnership Geodesic Arts, who worked with the school and with York Neoroimaging Centre.
The teenagers studied each of the media techniques and chose six subjects for the exhibition – a nurse, a chaplain, a kickboxing champion, a playwright, a TV journalist and a scientist.
The subjects sat for photographic portraits and took part in video/audio interviews, as well as agreeing to have their brains scanned.
The resulting data and footage have been turned into a series of digital portraits providing a uniquely detailed representation of each subject. James Evans, head of science at Archbishop Holgate School, says the collaboration was exciting for all those involved at the school.
"It has engaged the pupils, teachers and outside agencies. It is an opportunity to celebrate the exciting developments in science, explore the ethical issues raised and marry them with the creativity and expression of art."
The young people worked with artists including videographer John Oxley and Dr Damien Murphy, head of music technology at York University.
The technology of the exhibition is such that as the observer walks towards each installation, the sound and imaging changes, so you move from looking at an external portrait of the person through to a more close-up photo then onwards to the MRI brain scan.
"The pupils were so inspired by the different ways a person could be represented and by discovering the technology for themselves, and the artists involved were very inspired by the ideas the teenagers came up with," says Kirsty Halliday of Geodesic Arts.
"The young people learned a great deal about cutting edge scientific imaging, but I think what they found most exciting was that there is an overlap between science and art, and there are ethical implications for how you use people's image, whether it's a photograph or a picture of a slice of their brain."
Me, Myself and MRI is at the National Science Learning Centre, York ,until March 24, then at Impressions Gallery in Bradford from April 8 until May 10.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
- Rival chips in with £500,000 to restore the original Harry Ramsden’s
- Visit from Princess as Serbian culture celebrated
- SportsTalk: Leeds United’s manager search, Super League and Calcutta Cup
- Libraries aren’t like supermarkets, they are magical places where dreams begin
- Strategic review will lead to job losses at Yorkshire Bank
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
