Fourteen pieces of artwork from 17 students and alumni will be featured in UF’s “Codified II: Art + Genetics” exhibit, which opens with a reception at 3:30 p.m. today on the third floor of UF’s Cancer and Genetics Research Complex.
“There is a good cross section of art from sculpture, painting and drawing to videos and live performance,” said Bryan Yeager, exhibit coordinator. “It’s a wide spectrum — not just your typical painting.”
Winning artists will be announced at 4 p.m. Four pieces of artwork will be selected for awards that include cash prizes.
Melding the worlds of genetics and art is not a new concept, but Richard Heipp, interim director of UF’s School of Art and Art History, said the Genetics Institute was leery at first.
The first “Codified,” which was in conjunction with the 2011 Florida Genetics Symposium, was well received.
“Curiosity and inquiry isn’t discipline based,” Heipp said. “The sense is that this cross pollination happened across campus.”
This year, the Genetics Institute contributed $6,000 from its symposium budget to fully fund the exhibit. These funds were divided between fabrication grants for artists, logistical exhibit costs and award money, Heipp said.
David Tonnelier, a 21-year-old sculpture senior, created a 3D depiction of meiosis, the splitting of a cell. He said he was inspired by the lack of 3D representations of biological processes in science.
Tonnelier used Adobe Illustrator, a laser cutter, industrial foam and plaster to create his sculpture, which is 30 inches tall and 14 inches wide.
Associate director of UF’s Genetics Institute Connie Mulligan said her favorite part of the exhibit is the artists’ statements posted near each piece.
“It’s like a peek into the artists’ head,” she said. “I just see it as linking two fields that people would traditionally see as so far apart.”
“Codified II: Art + Genetics” is free and will be open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays through Jan. 22.
