
CSENND, the Bloomington Arts Commission, and CFC Properties have joined forces to boost informal science communication through creation of public art that explores the concepts of size and scale in everyday life. Visit the alley adjacent to Wonderlab to take a journey into different magnifications of a leaf, created by local artist Erin Tobey. We are excited by this mural for helping to introduce the microscopic and nanoscale world to viewers. A girl’s microscopic journey through a leaf and its structure of cells and nanoscale crystals of cellulose hints at what is often unseen by our eyes yet can be useful to everyday life. For example, the central blue portion of the mural reveals cellulose crystals colored in white which can be used to create filters to remove pollutants from water. This concept is abstractly depicted with the blue waves that provide water to the mural’s tree, helping to maintain the world we live in and enjoy.

You can compare the lengths of the objects in the mural to other common objects shown here.

Watch this video to learn how we see the unseen (and a bit about ants too).
Page written by CSENND member Madison Edwards.