A project entitled “The Fusion of Art and Physics,” led by Stephanie Bailey (UC Santa Cruz), brings local artists and physicists together to interact and create new ideas. Hendrik Ohldag, a staff scientist at the ALS, was paired with Brad Burkhart, a sculptor from Santa Cruz, to see what the result would be if x-ray microscopy and clay sculptures are combined. One part of the project was for Brad to join Hendrik during some of the microscopy experiments and create sketches and sculptures inspired by the intense atmosphere around synchrotron experiments. On the other hand, Brad is interested in learning how artwork affects scientists in their working environment. For that purpose, he installed a sculpture in front of the Advanced Food Source snack bar on the first floor of Building 80. This piece has not been named yet, and everybody is asked to provide their feedback. The other piece (already named “What’s your sign?”) is installed next to Beamline 11.0.2 STXM. Check it out if you are interested and would like to learn more about this project. For more information, contact Hendrik at hohldag@lbl.gov.
