Art Inspired by Science

Open Call

Creative responses are now being invited in response to the scientific images below (see slideshow below). The images will be curated to form an exhibition for Easter 2025 at the Durham University Botanic Garden. Unfortunately, no funding is available to cover the costs of preparing these pieces. Any costs associated with exhibiting them will be covered for those selected for the exhibition. Please get in touch if you have any questions about the exhibition or how to get involved. 

Submit your artwork here: https://forms.office.com/e/EW2rt0D3h9 

Deadline 7^th February 2024 

The Exhibition

The final exhibition will display a collection of images of biological systems alongside creative responses. These are invited from both creative professionals and the wider community, including Durham University students and pupils from schools across County Durham.

The aim of the exhibition is to explore relationships between the images and responses, and through these the parallels between creativity applied to scientific thought and that in artistic exploration.

Timeline 

The Images

A selection of images from Dr Banks's research and teaching are available to view in the slide show below and by arrangement (please email bsi.manager@durham.ac.uk for more information). They are deliberately shown without explanatory details. To find out more about them please click on the links below to read a brief description.

The images can also be seen in a printable format here: Printable Image file - Art inspired by science

The biological images on display are a selection of those collected by Dr Robert Banks during his career working at the forefront of his field. His research in the area of comparative neuroscience explores the structures that act at the junction between muscle and nerve cells. For more information about Bob's research see links to recent publications and review articles below.

• The association between muscle architecture and muscle spindle abundance. Kissane, R. W. P., Charles, J. P., Banks, R. W., & Bates, K. T. (2023). Scientific Reports, 13(1) doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30044-w
• There and back again: 50 years of wandering through terra incognita fusorum. Banks, R. W. (2023). Experimental Physiology, doi:10.1113/EP090760  
• Spindles are doin’ it for themselves: Glutamatergic autoexcitation in muscle spindles. Bewick, G. S., & Banks, R. W. (2021). Journal of Physiology, 599(11), 2781-2783. doi:10.1113/JP281624