Science Meets Art festival 24' at CSHL
EXHIBITION IN COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY
Perception of Cold Spring Harbor in Winter No. 1
47" x 59"
Ink on paper
On Sunday, July 21, 2024, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Center for Humanities and Modern Biology hosted the inaugural "Science Meets Art” Festival. This momentous event, established and ardently supported by Nobel Laureate Wally Gilbert and his wife Celia since 2020, aims to forge a profound synergy between science and art.
The festival featured a curated selection of works by invited artists and scientists, as well as award-winning pieces from the Gilbert Artist-in-Residence program. Grace Auditorium will serve as the venue for an eclectic array of visual arts, conceptual art, musical performances, and literary works.
Esteemed guests, James Dewey Watson ‘the father of DNA', Nobel Laureate and digital photographer Wally Gilbert, renowned American film composer Carter Burwell, contemporary realist painter David Peikon, and Harvard neuroscientist Professor Helen Hou, will be present to engage with attendees and celebrate the harmonious confluence of art and science.
The father of DNA James Watson with artist Li Xiaoqiang and his family
Among the numerous exhibited works, the piece by Asian artist Li Xiaoqiang stands out remarkably. He embarked on his creative journey almost serendipitously, driven by a moment of inspiration. Once, Li Xiaoqiang inadvertently lost his way and ended up in Cold Spring Harbor, where he was profoundly captivated by the tranquility of the snowy landscape. Upon returning home, he abstracted the winter scenery to create the series "Impressions of Winter at Cold Spring Harbor." The first piece in this series reflects his awakening experience during his initial winter sojourn on Long Island, New York.
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Maoyen Chi, Ph. D. CEO, Cold Spring Harbor Asia talking to the audience about the artist's work
Constantly in pursuit of new revelations and modes of artistic expression, Li Xiaoqiang views this transformative moment as the dawn of a new era in his artistic journey. Composed of myriad fragments, his painting required restraint to navigate the intricate pieces, crafted from enigmatic Eastern handmade special paper, which is both expansively pliable and delicately fragile. This time, however, Li transcended these constraints, effortlessly capturing the sublime beauty of nature, resulting in an impressive and entirely novel work of abstract art.
Perception of Cold Spring Harbor in Winter No. 3
59" x 94"
The inaugural Science Meets Art Festival at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Center for Humanities and Modern Biology not only showcases the extraordinary talents and creativity of the artists but also epitomizes the symbiotic relationship between science and art. This event promises to inspire further interdisciplinary collaboration, advancing the frontiers of both fields and paving the way for future innovations.
LOVE ROCKS ART Foundation founder Lou Chuheng, an eighth-grader who won the national middle school painting competition's gold award, engaged in spontaneous creation and interaction with the artists at the event.
It can be said that Cold Spring Harbor is not only a sanctuary for science but also a paradise for art. Here, the pure scientific beauty of the DNA double helix and the abstract artistic beauty of musical art shine in harmony, where science and art mutually blend and inspire each other.
