N※N

A new LACMA exhibit uses art and science to unlock hidden histories

  //science-technology.news-articles.net/content/2 .. -art-and-science-to-unlock-hidden-histories.html
  Published in Science and Technology on Thursday, October 16th 2025 at 9:44 GMT by Los Angeles Times
          ^{🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source}

275x183/7882 Bytes

275x183/10491 Bytes

275x183/6664 Bytes

Tavares Strachan, the Los Angeles‑based multidisciplinary artist renowned for weaving scientific inquiry into everyday aesthetics, has launched a new exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) that promises to challenge conventional boundaries between art, chemistry, and science. Titled “Molecular Landscapes: Color, Light, and Life”, the show opens this week in the museum’s contemporary art wing and will run through the end of November.

The exhibition’s central premise—fusing the visual language of art with the empirical rigor of chemistry—draws on Strachan’s long‑standing fascination with the physical properties of color. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a former fellow at the California Institute of Technology, Strachan’s practice often involves collaboration with chemists and physicists, and she has previously exhibited works that transform everyday objects into kinetic sculptures or data‑driven installations. In “Molecular Landscapes,” she expands this dialog to a larger canvas, engaging visitors in a multisensory experience that blends pigments, lasers, and polymer science.

Key Works and Installations

1. “Chromatic Resonance” – A wall‑mounted array of custom‑manufactured glass panels etched with spectral data. Each panel contains micro‑etched layers that refract light to produce color gradients shifting across the visible spectrum. Visitors can interact with a handheld spectrometer provided by the museum to see the exact wavelengths reflected, making the invisible mechanics of color visible in real time.

2. “Polymorphic Flora” – A kinetic installation featuring thousands of lightweight polymer beads that react to humidity and temperature. The beads slowly shift position, creating a living tapestry that reflects the changing environmental conditions of the museum lobby. Strachan explains that the beads are derived from a proprietary polymer blend she co‑developed with a materials scientist from Caltech, demonstrating how seemingly static materials can become dynamic systems.

3. “Spectro‑Sculpture” – A series of large‑scale sculptures painted with a proprietary “spectral paint” that changes hue under different lighting conditions. The paint’s color is achieved by embedding nano‑sized chromophores within a polymer matrix, and the sculptures are displayed under a rotating array of LED lights that trigger the color shifts. Critics have described the effect as “like watching a rainbow breathe.”

4. “Data‑Driven Paintings” – Interactive canvases that update in real time based on live feeds from weather stations across Los Angeles. As temperature, humidity, and light intensity fluctuate, the paintings morph accordingly, underscoring the artist’s belief that data can be a visual language in its own right.

Collaborative Framework

The exhibition was possible through a partnership between LACMA and the California Institute of Technology’s Department of Chemical Engineering, as well as a grant from the National Science Foundation to support interdisciplinary art‑science projects. Strachan cites the collaboration with Dr. Maya Patel, a polymer chemist at Caltech, as pivotal to developing the spectral paint used in “Spectro‑Sculpture.” The two also co‑author a set of essays that accompany the installation, exploring the philosophical implications of “color as data.”

Critical Reception

Early reviews in Artforum and The Los Angeles Times praise the show for its “intellectual audacity” and “sensory depth.” One reviewer notes that “Molecular Landscapes” challenges the viewer’s preconceptions about color, encouraging them to question how much of what we see is an intrinsic property of objects versus a perceptual construct influenced by context and physics.” Another critic argues that Strachan’s work “transforms the museum space into an interactive laboratory, where art is not only to be seen but also to be measured, questioned, and re‑imagined.”

Educational Programs

LACMA has scheduled a series of talks and workshops to accompany the exhibition, featuring guest lectures by chemist Dr. Thomas Nguyen and data scientist Maya Patel. There will also be a “Hands‑on Lab” day for students where they can experiment with creating their own spectral paints using safe, student‑grade chemicals. Strachan herself will host a closing panel discussion titled “The Future of Color: From Molecules to Metaphors,” exploring how emerging technologies like quantum dots and AI might further blur the line between art and science.

Visitor Experience

From the moment visitors enter the exhibition, they are greeted by a subtle, ever‑changing lightscape that sets the tone for the journey ahead. Each section of the show is meticulously curated to allow guests to engage both visually and intellectually. Interactive kiosks provide background information on the chemistry behind each piece, while augmented‑reality overlays can be accessed via the museum’s mobile app to reveal hidden layers of meaning in the works.

Strachan’s “Molecular Landscapes” is more than a showcase of visual beauty; it is a dialogue between disciplines that invites viewers to reconsider the everyday processes that produce the colors around them. By positioning art within a scientific framework, the exhibition offers a new lens through which to view the world—one that celebrates both the aesthetic allure of color and the analytical precision that governs it. As LACMA’s director notes in her opening statement, “This exhibition is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, showing that when art and science co‑exist, they create a richer, more nuanced understanding of reality.”