atoms to patterns

I was so inspired by this exhibition I made my own print based on the quasicrystal structure.

The exhibition is a story set in the Festival of Britain (the film they show is surreal. I wish the South Bank hadn't changed a dot.) Dr. Helen Magaw got lots of scientists to show their work to designers, and stunning collaborations ensued. The Festival Pattern Group had 28 manufacturers involved, and made 80 designs. These are some personal faves:


crystal structure of nylon



Haemoglobin 8.26


Beryl 8.9 lace


Insulin 8.25

It's quite odd being surrounded by all these dated, beautiful images, and know that the structure of DNA had not yet been discovered. If current exhibitions (those ones that are most definitely "of our time") could be stored away in the V&A and unearthed after 50 years, I wonder what would have been discovered in the next few years, that is severely, obviously missing from our present. Also, on that note, what are the exhibitions of our time? Grand statements seem to be curated out of the picture. Or perhaps exhibitions have forsaken that role, and are now too specific. Actually, maybe it's just all about CERN.

(Here's more about the exhibition at the Wellcome Collection.)