Chemical design

Today I chanced upon 3 designers whom each has an interesting way or using chemicals or the adopted the idea of chemistry in their projects. And they are all good reference and helpful visual research.

1. Yoshitaka Iwamoto

 Yoshitaka was trained as a stone carver in Japan before studying Fine Art MA a Central St Martin's and his artworks are influenced by science. He has no science background but he uses books and his imagination to visualise ideas. Using these visualizations to make sculptures from textured glass. The textures are made from a chemical reaction whereby he will pour glass pigment as a liquid and oil onto an acrylic board with a syringe and then add in different colour. He will try to make some completely symmetrical but they spread out without his control.  

 

1. Klari Reis

Klari Reis has a very interesting project called The Daily Dish 2013. Using a Petri dish as her canvas, creating art that looks both like abstract painting and the results of a science experiment. "Working with epoxy polymer, her goal is to "depict electron microscopic images of natural and unnatural cellular reactions."

Her works are a great inspiration and idea for my first outcome that will deal with chemistry to articulate my design issue. Giving me the idea of using the petri dish and the random colours that could be a natural chemical reaction.

3. Cheryl Safren

Cheryl Safren’s art is created by chemical reactions on sheet metal, Chemistry on Copper . Artist’ Statement: My images are rendered without the use of any paint. Instead, dynamic chemical reactions on sheet metal form the basis of my process. Changing color through reaction, crystallization, fusing, and solidification are a few of the ways chemistry informs this work. 

 Light’s movement on the metal, as well as the viewer’s motion, are the kinesthetic forces that alter our perception. It is really cool to watch the color change as the day progresses and the angle of the sunlight shifts.  When lit obliquely, the color appears saturated, majestic, and even reverential. Chemical reactions are highly charged visual stimuli that have influenced my work for years.

My art is not created to explain chemistry, but to harness chemistry to create art. These works are not simulations or illustrations but, rather, art produced by chemical processes. Not art about chemistry, but art by chemistry.

Cheryl Safren's work is another brilliant idea and great combination of science and art. The colours achieved looks like magic and so attention grabbing. Maybe I can implement this colour idea into my chemical reaction test for the outcome one.