MA Art in Science students present at World Museum Liverpool

Art in Science master's students from Liverpool School of Art & Design have recently collaborated with World Museum Liverpool curators to present 'A New View: Silica', a temporary exhibit in the museum foyer's display case. 

While working together, Samantha Cooper and Luciana Hermida have created artworks from intertwined projects exploring the presence of silica in natural forms and its use in preserving plant specimens. Silica is a mineral compound made up of silicon and oxygen atoms in a crystalline structure. Commonly found in nature as quartz, silica is a key component in various materials such as glass, ceramics, and concrete. It is also deposited in many plant tissues, and some organisms secrete skeletal structures made of silica. 

Using the World Museum's Botany and Geology collections, Samantha and Luciana have examined two organisms, Radiolaria and Equisetum (Horsetail), under a microscope to reveal their cellular structures. Their investigation showcased silica's presence in both specimens' cells, a detail invisible to the naked eye. Through microscopy, illustration, and 3D printing, the artworks highlight the intricate structures of each organism and demonstrate how silica connects them. 

The exhibit opens in June and continues until September 2024. 

Luciana shared her experience: "Working alongside the curators at World Museum, Wendy Simkiss - Curator of Geology & Science and Wendy Atkinson - Assistant Curator in Botany, has been a great experience. They have not only enabled me to have a very close look – literally - at the specimens of interest related to my research (radiolaria) but have also ensured that I got the best out of the opportunity to put a museum display together. 

"The highlight was the time I spent trying to find radiolaria under the light microscope and the feeling of wonder experienced when I managed to find them with the help of Alan, the micro palaeontology volunteer. Re-discovering these wonderfully complex fossilized single-celled organisms and capturing them photographically was a challenge, one worth undertaking. Shining a light on the unseen structures of nature under the light microscope has enabled me to re-discover what lies beyond our eyes. I hope this display serves as a route to help us re-connect with nature." 

Samantha also reflected on the project: "It has been a privilege to curate a display at the World Museum, showcasing my practice-based research that aims to educate the public about the uses of commonly misunderstood medicinal plants and the biodiversity crisis facing them. Exploring the museum's vast herbarium was exciting, discovering rare and fascinating herbarium sheets, botanical transportation artefacts, historical botanical illustrations, and medical plant specimens like Horsetail. 

"While many of these items can't be displayed in public-facing cases permanently due to risk of damage, for our temporary display, I was able to incorporate a 70-year-old Horsetail specimen donated by passionate botanist Jimmy Chubb to give recognition to specimen donators. With the guidance of Art in Science programme leader Mark Roughley and plant physiologist Dr Rachael Symonds from LJMU, and in collaboration with botany curators Wendy Atkinson and Donna Young, I have really enjoyed the experience of curating an art display for the World Museum and sharing my research with their visitors." 

Mark Roughley, the Art in Science programme leader, commented: "This collaborative effort between a first-year (Hermida) and second-year (Cooper) MA Art in Science student is the result of ongoing efforts with World Museum Liverpool's curators to use art to explore their science collections, resulting in a fascinating art-science exhibit in the museum's foyer for all to see!" 

The MA Art in Science programme at Liverpool School of Art and Design brings artists and scientists together to collaborate across disciplines, facilitating transdisciplinary learning opportunities rarely available to those identified solely as 'artists' or 'scientists'.  

See past student projects at MA Art in Science and follow MA Art in Science on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @artinsciencema and Liverpool School of Art & Design @ljmuarts.