Green Lacewing
An exhibit that opened Friday at the American Museum of Science and Energy features artistic pictures of hard-to-see objects such as green lacewing larva and a blade of grass.
The 20 award winning photomicrographs are part of the 2011 Nikon Small World exhibition.
“Celebrating its 37th year, Nikon Small World has become the top forum for showing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope, and it celebrates the world’s best photomicrographers who create beautiful imagery while demonstrating a variety of scientific principles,” an AMSE press release said.
It said the exhibit recognizes excellence in photomicrography, “honoring images that successfully showcase the delicate balance between difficult scientific technique and exquisite artistic quality.”
Among this year’s top five images are the green lacewing larva and blade of grass, as well as Melosira Moniliformis/living specimen, intrinsic flourescence in liverwort, and a microchip surface/3D construction.
“My art causes a dissonance for its viewer—a conflict between the culturally imprinted perception of an insect as something repulsive and ugly with a newly-acquired admiration of the beauty of its form,” said Igor Siwanowicz of Madison, Wis., winner of the 2011 Nikon Small World competition.
Siwanowicz captured a common green lacewing when it landed on his hand and began “fiercely digging its mandibles” into his skin, the press release said. Rather than swatting it away, he removed a tiny test tube from his pocket and captured it as a potential photomicrography subject.
“My hope is that in some way, my photomicrographs prompt people to realize the presence of cultural programming, question it, and eventually throw it off as an illusion,” Siwanowicz.
Additional information on this exhibition can be found at www.nikonsmallworld.com.
AMSE is located at 300 South Tulane Ave.
For more information, visit www.amse.org.
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