Fine Art nominee

The Stata Center, designed by Frank Gehry, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is seemingly alive. Because of the reflective and angular elements of this structure are sharp, definitive, and convoluted, the building’s image can change moment-to-moment. Incredible swaths of shadows border intense reflections of the sun as it peaks out from the clouds. Details, unnoticeable on bright days, become apparent when overcast. As the seasons cycle, the angle of light redefines the contours of the Stata Center. Indeed, this structure exhibits a rhythmicity that is inherent to biological forms as if though it were breathing, following seasonal cycles, and reflecting the moods of those admiring or admonishing it.

Neuroscientists play an integral part in culture but the public knows little about how science is done, who does it or why it’s important. One consequence of opaque scientific work is the inability to see which individuals are conducting their research, their personal stories, and their motivations to help reveal the complexity of the nature we are imbued by.

These images were captured with a compact large format camera using experimental New55 PN instant film. The opaqueness of the positive (left) represents the raw data collected by scientists on their quest to understand nature. The inverted negative (right) represents how scientists reveal nature through filtering data, beautifying imagery, and at times removing unwanted, but captured information.

All scientists are part of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.