This exhibition features a range of works developed by artist Janice Aitken as a response to her engagement with scientists in the School of Life Sciences over the past 20 years. In that time she has worked on a wide range of projects from illustrations for major scientific papers and journals to exhibitions of digital works and an animated video learning tool based on the eukaryotic cell.
For the last 8 years her collaborations have focussed on projects supported by WCAIR.
Janice is an artist and educator based in Dundee and a Reader in Art & Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee. In addition to creating paintings inspired by biological science and illustrations of scientific processes and structures, she has facilitated workshops, created game props and tools for engagement activities and contributed photographic work to projects celebrating diversity in science.
For this exhibition she has created a body of work inspired by biological forms that also incorporates elements of synaesthesia, science fiction and psychedelia. Also featured is a group of works created in collaboration with Dr Mattie Pawolic whose lab researches potential treatments and prevention of cryptosporidium infection.
Janice says:
‘I find art/science collaboration to be a fascinating and rewarding activity. I genuinely believe that the creativity and speculative imagination necessary to be an artist are also key elements of scientific discovery. In this exhibition I hope that I have successfully communicated the positive effects of this ongoing spirit of collaboration.’
The exhibition is in the University’s LifeSpace Science Art Research Gallery and runs from Saturday 28 June 2025 to Friday 3 October 2025, opening 13.00 to 17:00.