This year marks the third annual “Science is Art” Competition at UCLA Science Libraries. All members of our UCLA community were invited to submit original artwork, images and photographs that highlight the artistic quality of scientific materials, processes, instruments, findings or data. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their fantastic work with us. Here are our 3 winners of the 2022 Science is Art Competition! To see the incredible art of the 7 runners-up for the 2022 competition, visit our Science is Art Webpage!

 

Winners:

 

The Spoon Fish.

Brianna Cronyn.

Undergraduate.

Neuroscience.

 

 

Description:

 

“I gathered recycled spoons and then molded them into the shape of this fish. The idea for this piece came as I was taking my Life Sciences 7B class during our discussion of evolution and anatomy of animals. We made phylogenetic trees based on certain physical attributes a group of animals have in common. One of the categories we practiced with was fish, with different fins. The Spoon Fish depicts a fun spin on the construction of the anatomy of animals. It also simultaneously heightens awareness of pollution in our oceans and how too often marine life are innocent victims.”

 

Painting the Galaxy.

Brianna Cronyn.

Undergraduate.

Neuroscience.

 

 

Description:

 

“Painting the Galaxy represents the fascination and innovation I had since I was young that sparked my passion for science. I always loved art and thought that space looked as though it was painted overhead. In creating this piece, I used spray paint for the white stars and acrylic paint for the galaxy on a large sheet of paper. I then separately drew the spray painter and the ladder and mounted it onto the first paper. The small splattered stars illustrate the depth of the universe, and the depiction of the galaxy being painted reveals a perspective of how small our world is in the universe. The piece represents the chaos, as well as the beauty, that is space and how it has sparked imagination through history, whether it be in songs, astrology, and even childhood ceilings. The fact that the spray painting is still in progress alludes to the evidence that space is growing through metric expansion.”

 

MUTABLE.

Jenn Hotes.

Undergraduate. 

Design Media Arts.

 

 

 

 Description:

 

“A coded visual synthesizer created using microscopy, watercolor, and p5.js. The program developed for this piece turns 40+ still images of green watercolor at 120x magnification into a stop motion microscopy film. The film features experimental sound made by me specifically for the piece. In order to trigger the sound, the user should click anywhere on the page. Once sound is playing the user is invited to que transformations to the visuals using keys q, a, and z in order to "play" color along with the sound. 

 

This piece is unique in that everything happening in the browser is live code. Given that quality, it may take a moment for the piece to load. You will know the piece is ready to play when a green circle appears on the page. Enjoy!”  

 

View and interact with the art film: https://editor.p5js.org/jenn.hotes/full/eTzv9pSvI

 

Mantis Life.

Tara Prescott-Johnson.

Faculty.

Writing Programs.

 

 

 Description:

 

“In November 2021 I found a praying mantis (Stagmomantis wheeleri =S. californica) in my sunflower garden. I’d never seen one this closely before and started looking for it every morning. Using my hands and the sunflowers for scale, I began documenting this amazing creature’s life cycle, taking photos and noting its behavior. 

 

By December, the mantis laid an ootheca – an egg case! In early April, the nymphs emerged. Day by day, I watched them grow, molt, change color, and progress through different development stages (instars). Some were eaten by other predators (spiders), others used camouflage to disappear into the sunflower stalks. It’s now May and I’m hoping that the mantids will mate and start the cycle again for next year.

 

This collage of photos captures the last 7 months of mantis watching, from ootheca to adult. I’m honored to have learned so much about these beautiful, otherworldly creatures.”

 

 

Make sure to visit our Science is Art Webpage to see the 7 other winning pieces!

 

Copy provided by Sciences Outreach Assistant, Lily Kiamanesh.