Bloomington, IN
Photograph by Garrett Ann Walters.
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.
Shown above is the right portion of the mural. On the right is a young individual looking at a leaf with an optical microscope. Moving to the left is the journey through the leaf and its structure at increasing magnifications, revealing smaller and smaller features. The approximate real-life sizes (lengths) of the various features are denoted at the top in the commonly used unit of inches. Below, they are identified and their lengths are designated in the metric system, with units of meters (m) down to nanometers (nm).
You can compare the lengths of the objects in the mural to other common objects shown here.
Image created by CSENND student Madison Edwards.
Watch this video to learn how we see the unseen (and a bit about ants too).
Download Mural Coloring Sheets (pdf). Not for commercial use.
Educational Kits complete with a variety of magnifiers, observation sheets, art-science activities, and a mural-inspired puzzle are available for free, short-term use to those within a 2 hour drive of Bloomington, IN. Please contact Sara at sskrabal@iu.edu to learn more. Classroom visits by CSENND members possible.
In Texas? See this TEKS Lesson Plan (ppt), which can be coupled with the Educational Kit. Contact Sara at sskrabal@iu.edu for more information.