Dr. Peter N. Gray – Combining Art and Genetics at Metal-i-Genics

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted July 17, 2007 in DNA Fun, Personalities with DNA

DNA is not just about science. DNA is also about society and culture.

At Metal-i-Genics Studio, Dr. Peter N. Gray combines both sides of DNA’s importance in our lives by creating sculptures and paintings that reflect concepts from genetics, microbiology, and physics. Formerly head of the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine among other impressive scientific achievements, Dr. Gray is now a full-time artist. He’s also a part-time educator currently teaching an arts and science class at Dixon Elementary School near Chicago where children learn about genetics by isolating DNA from vegetables, participating in the National Geographic Genographic Project, and making science-inspired art.

From the Metal-i-Genics about page:

Each piece is designed to bring the artistic aspects of science into everyone’s realm. Current projects include the original Diaspora from 75,000BC. Would androids with Artificial Intelligence have an appropriate genetic structure and would a metallic alteration, similar to a genetic mutation in human DNA, create a mutant android?

As you can see from the many photos I use here at Eye on DNA (under Creative Commons), DNA is beautiful, inspirational, and thought-provoking.

How’s it going to change your life?

Photo credit: Point Mutation from the International Sculpture Center

Tags: peter gray, sculptor, sculptures, art, genetics, genes, dna, genome, genomics, science, education

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5 Comments

Comment by David Bradley

2007-07-17 16:06:16

Definitely, science and art are merely flip sides of the same coin

db

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Comment by Hsien

2007-07-17 16:34:33

I think so too but I can think of quite a few people for whom science and art are two different territories; one or the other being totally foreign to them or so they claim.

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Comment by David Bradley

2007-07-18 08:19:14

In my experience it tends to be that a lot of scientists are very interested in art and recognise the significant aesthetic value to be found in science, but fewer arty people are even vaguely interested in science and certainly don’t see it as beautiful. We should all be polymaths, it would save an awful lot of misunderstandings.

db

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Pingback by Bio-Artist Adam Zaretsky and Hybrid DNA

2007-07-19 14:39:23

[...] talking about art and DNA this summer. Yesterday at Grand Arts, bio-artist Adam Zaretsky extracted DNA from some very [...]

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Pingback by Dr. Peter N Gray, Scientist and Artist

2007-10-17 17:23:28

[...] by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei Posted October 17, 2007 in Personalities with DNA, DNA Fun This past summer, I featured Dr. Peter Gray of Metal-i-Genics Studio who was formerly head of the department of biochemistry and molecular [...]

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