"Thinking outside the box" has become a bit of a cliché. But in science it is more important than ever. As the base of human knowledge propels ahead with lightning speed, it takes a special set of skills and knowledge to be on the cutting edge of innovation. When I was in graduate school, there... Continue Reading →
Our inner hurricanes
I have written earlier about whether or not it matters if the artist and the viewer put the same meaning into a piece of art. I would imagine that the chances that our points of view match are pretty low. Back then, I mostly thought about it from the point of personal taste, experiences and... Continue Reading →
Thinking outside the box
Sometimes I like to play around with pictures of my SciArt to see what else it could look like. The image of “Attraction” has always made me think of a fan. In reality it is actually based on an image of stem cells that give birth to neurons. You can read more about it here.... Continue Reading →
It’s 2021! Where is your life going?
2020 has made many of us pivot and change our plans and vision on the fly. Do you know what you are striving towards now? How did you turn and where are you going? This 6” x 6” card stock shows a closeup of a neuronal growth cone that follows a gradient of guidance cues... Continue Reading →
The Eye of the Beholder
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This phrase often gets thrown around when people compare their opinions of whether something (or someone) is attractive or not. Its most common interpretation is that the concept of beauty is subjective and different people may like different things. But can we put a different spin on... Continue Reading →
Attracting more people to find treatments for devastating diseases
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I used to work as a neuroscientist at a neurology-focused biotech company. Coming from an insulated environment of academic research, it was a truly eye-opening experience for me on many levels. While academic biomedical research is often driven by natural curiosity about... Continue Reading →
An embarrassing story of how it took me 20 years to interpret an abstract sculpture
The myth behind the sculpture When I was applying to colleges, I went on a campus tour at Columbia University. Columbia campus is gorgeous and I was drinking it all in. When we approached Columbia Law School, the tour guide drew our attention to the odd sculpture in front of it. We stood there for... Continue Reading →
How I approach art as a scientist
The last couple of weeks have been quite busy and I have not had much time to sit down with my beadwork. However, I still think about it all the time. Especially about the question of what makes art abstract and how it relates to each person's experience. Welcoming the "Orange Pleasure" abstract painting One... Continue Reading →
The brain sculpture is finally finished!
Just like pretty much all of my big art projects, this one took several months to complete. Maybe even a year if you count the brainstorming and incubation process. The idea was to take several sections (or slices) of the human brain from the Allen Brain Atlas and recreate them on slices of plexiglass out... Continue Reading →
How do you define and identify with abstract art?
My view of abstract art When I was about 10 years old, my family took a road trip to Florida. It was our first vacation in the United States and has left many fond memories. While we spent most of the days relaxing on the beach and by the pool, we also took a day... Continue Reading →
