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"Habitat Group: Dining Room of an Amateur Scientist" (right half of window), and "Diorama Display" (left half of window)

"Habitat Group: Dining Room of an Amateur Scientist" (detail) Microscope, petri dish, glass vials, moss, pencil sketches, hand-sewn stuffed water bear, Dr. Who TARDIS mug, gold mylar disc, carpet, furniture, descriptive text placards, article printouts, books, chalk drawing of stars on paper

From placard text: ”Book, Micrographia, by Robert Hooke, published in 1665 by the Royal Society. The book’s lavish illustrations made by Hooke of his observations through various lenses made it extremely popular, and it was the first scientific best-seller. It encouraged great public interest in microscopy. Hooke emphasized the power of the microscope as a tool throughout the book, italicizing the word whenever it appeared and depicting observations within the microscope through circular orbs." "Book, The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World by Laura J. Snyder. The book catalogues the history of four Cambridge undergraduates in the early 1800’s whose vision for an inductive scientific method, external funding for scientists, and science as an instrument for public good, revolutionized science. This professionalization of the field also created the conditions for a sharp division between public and academic science, widening the gap between the average person and scientific knowledge."

From placard text: "Article printouts: Top (F): Foldscope schematic. A team of researchers at Stanford University designed a set of high-quality microscopes that can be printed and folded from paper. The team, at PrakashLab, says they are “focused on democratizing science by developing scientific tools that can scale up to match problems in global health and science education.” Until the foldscope, the microscope hadn’t changed much in hundreds of years, meaning that they are heavy, expensive, and difficult to transport. The foldscope puts microscopic vision in the hands of average people —health workers can diagnose illnesses in remote areas, people in poverty have access to faster self-diagnosis, and students in elementary and high schools can develop scientific skills at a low cost.” Bottom (G): ""Article clipping. Inspired by the nearly indestructible tun-state of water bears, technologies have been developed that mimic the water bear survival mechanisms in order to stabilize vaccines for transport without need for refrigeration. Previously, access to vaccines in remote areas was nearly impossible due to the need to maintain the temperature of the vaccines. Patented technologies called HydRIS and VitRIS vaccine stabilization technologies, sold by Nova Laboratories Ltd., are now available to public health workers around the world."

X-ray image of Alan Shepard’s Apollo 14 spacesuit (right) and microscope image of a tardigrade (left)

Television, still image of Carl Sagan from Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, television series, aired in 1980 on public TV. From placard text: "Criticized by many of his academic peers for being too populist, Sagan wrote for a general audience and argued for increased scientific literacy. Sagan also made considerable contributions to astrophysics and in support of climate change research."

Excerpt: "When conditions become undesireable, water bears shrivel into a tun state where nearly all metabolic activity stops and almost all the water in their body is replaced with a glass-like sugar that protects its cells. In this state, tardigrades can survive extreme conditions for many years, including temperatures at nearly absolute zero and over 300 °F, at pressures greater than the deepest parts of the ocean, in high salinity, immersed in acid, and exposed to x-rays over 1000 times the lethal dose for any other animal. Tardigrades can even survive the vacuum of space. In 2007, tardigrades were tested in space and not only survived, but laid eggs upon return."

"Diorama Display," printed backdrop magnified from an illustration in Pond Life: A Golden Nature Guide, published 1967, wooden stand, plywood diorama box

"Miniature diorama of Anton Van Leeuwenhoek’s fabric shop," Miniature Anton Van Leeuwenhoek, furniture, print of Vermeer's painting View of Delft through glass windows

Interactive print pop-up cards. During the opening reception, visitors looked through hand-assembled, laser-cut miniature microscope cards in search of tardigrades to win a prize

Live water bear specimens obtained for the opening reception

Viewing live water bears through a microscope at the opening reception, Photo: Megan Roche

Image taken by the artist of prepared water bears using scanning electron microscope, courtesy of a visit to the Beckman Institute.

2014

At a time where science's role in American culture seems especially contested, this project focuses on the tension between academic and popular science—examining the divide in access to knowledge caused by professionalization, the role of the amateur, the voices that inspire, and the politicized nature of science education and public policy through the story of an unusual and appealing microscopic animal called the water bear.

Installation in front window at Art Coop, Inc. art supply store, Lincoln Square Village, Urbana, Illinois.

Microscope, petri dish, glass vials, moss, pencil sketches, hand-sewn stuffed water bear, Dr. Who TARDIS mug, gold mylar disc, carpet, furniture, descriptive text placards, chalk drawing of stars on paper; books: Micrographia, by Robert Hooke (1665), The Biology of Tardigrades, and The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World by Laura J. Snyder; Article printouts: Foldscope schematic, vaccine technology and water bears; X-ray image of Alan Shepard’s Apollo 14 spacesuit and microscope image of a tardigrade; television with still image of Carl Sagan from Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (aired in 1980 on PBS); printed backdrop magnified from an illustration in Pond Life: A Golden Nature Guide (1967); wooden stand; plywood diorama box; miniature diorama of Anton Van Leeuwenhoek’s fabric shop.

Photos: Will Arnold, except where noted.

MARIA LUX

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