Salt Bridges(01/06/2007) |
SALT BRIDGES The Department of Biochemistry at Oxford University is developing a commissioning programme for its new building designed by Hawkins/Brown Architects. The programme is led by Consultant Artist Nicky Hirst who was appointed in August 2005 to develop creative principles to underpin the art programme and proposals for artists’ projects, collaborations and commissions. Her approach draws an analogy between the relationship between art and the new building and the ordered and systematic processes of science, and the moments of chance and serendipity when a connection or discovery is made. “Chaos, chance and poetry can be layered onto the more controlled and analytical structure of the building. The artworks need to incorporate notions of beauty and pattern, what fits, economy of means and ideas of form and order. The artworks need to conflate the boundaries where the processes of art and science begin and end.” Nicky Hirst, September 2005 The programme includes commissioned works on glass by Nicky Hirst, a residency in the Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biochemistry Unit by Tim Head (Oct 2006 – July 2007) and a photography residency by Peter Fraser (2006 – 2008). The programme is supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Project Mangement: Artpoint/Louise O'Reilly Full project details and images will appear on the website shortly |