Come a Little Closer, And You Shall See… The parallels between artistic strategies and natural occurrences are many. Where Neo-Impressionistic masters, such as Paul Signac or Georges Seurat created divisionistic works, mimicking the separation of colour from light that our eyes mesh together to create an optical illusion of blended colour, now, with the endless possibilities of science, we can see similar ‘special effects’ in microbiology. Upon first observation, Dr. Daniela Malide’s photograph of connective tissue cells looks like a close-up of a painting by the aforementioned Signac or Seurat. Yet these connective tissues have been co-transduced with fluorescent proteins, giving off the vibrant colours seen in the image. The cells begin to connect with each other, sometimes meshing colours, but they are still reminiscent of the technique of painting with colour and light of the Neo-Impressionists. It’s just another, funny little coincidence, of science and art, coming together to both make something beautiful, and teach us about the world around us.   -Anna Paluch

Come a Little Closer, And You Shall See…


The parallels between artistic strategies and natural occurrences are many. Where Neo-Impressionistic masters, such as Paul Signac or Georges Seurat created divisionistic works, mimicking the separation of colour from light that our eyes mesh together to create an optical illusion of blended colour, now, with the endless possibilities of science, we can see similar ‘special effects’ in microbiology.

Upon first observation, Dr. Daniela Malide’s photograph of connective tissue cells looks like a close-up of a painting by the aforementioned Signac or Seurat. Yet these connective tissues have been co-transduced with fluorescent proteins, giving off the vibrant colours seen in the image. The cells begin to connect with each other, sometimes meshing colours, but they are still reminiscent of the technique of painting with colour and light of the Neo-Impressionists.

It’s just another, funny little coincidence, of science and art, coming together to both make something beautiful, and teach us about the world around us.  

-Anna Paluch

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Lisha Bai

This architectural installation at the National Academy in New York City by artist Lisha Bai is titled Undulate. These illusory floor tiles add dimension and movement to an otherwise overlooked space; a traditional setting is instantly made creative and contemporary. By playing with perception, Bai is able to reimagine the floor beneath our feet as a place of artistic potential and exploration.

For more of Bai’s work, check out her website here.

- Erin Saunders

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Magic Eye

Building off of yesterday’s post, here’s some optical illusion nostalgia to get your ‘90’s flashbacks flowing: Magic Eye. 

As many of you will remember, Magic Eye books flourished around the late 90’s and contained a collection of patterns (in technical language, know as “random-dot autostereograms”), which, when looked at with the proper technique, would reveal a secret 3D image. 

In my recollection, this technique involved something along the lines of staring off into the distance of the page and resisting the urge to blink. Another method I remember required you to begin with your nose against the page and to then slowly pull the book away from your face.

Apparently, the magic behind Magic Eye is that “the images have a horizontally repeating pattern which differs slightly with each repetition, therefore giving the illusion of depth when each eye focuses on a different part of the pattern”.

The explanation sounds so simple now. In the heat of the Magic Eye Moment, though, it really felt like we were on the brink of time-travel, or something. The Millenium was coming, after all. TLC was walking on the ceiling in their “No Scrubs” music video, and it was a BIG DEAL. The cool kids were wearing all-silver. 

Magic Eye holds this same aesthetic. I feel the anticipation of Y2K when I look at these pixelated aquariums and rosebeds, and I love it. 

- Melissa Daly-Buajitti

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