nature’s artwork, made art

For my rendering this week I’ve chosen to post a couple selections from the Petri Projects of California artist Klari Reis. These images are from a photoblog called The Daily Dish which contains her catalog of 365 petri dishes. The description of the website reads, “Brilliantly colored life forms dance across the wall in these detailed images of an installation project composed of a series of hand painted plexiglass petri dishes.”

How discourse surrounding the conscious blending of techniques  and sensibilities native to both the arts and sciences have become incorporated into the to way in which these projects are publicly presented is what I found particularly interesting about this artist’s work.

The method Reis uses to render these colorful petri dishes is UV resistant reflective epoxy polymer. Epoxy is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of resin with hardener. This process creates unique colored smears and bumps on multiple layers which Reis describes as, “the method and language for exploring and expressing reactions that occur on a microscopic level.” There is a proposed kinship between both Reis’ physical practices and the labor that goes into making these dishes (there is an image on the website of her at work, she has protective clothing and a mask, the sort of laboratory garb a microbiologist might have to wear when interacting with dangerous microbes) and also a similarity in the sort of one-of-a-kind haphazard rules that govern the artwork’s ultimate outcome (possibly described as an ‘organic process’).

Klari Reis does not work directly with the biological (in fact, the resins she uses are lethal to most forms of life), instead she draws inspiration from various imaging technologies, such as the electron microscope, in order to depict these microscopic images in the colorful medium of epoxy. It is interesting to consider that Reis’ work, like much scientifically derived art, can almost be considered a ‘second-order rendering.’ The process of transforming electron-images (black & white) into beautiful works of art involves a concerted reconfiguring and repurposing which strips these forms from their biological context and moves them into new physical spaces.

The biological subject, and the biotech and pharmaceutical industries that capitalize upon it, are of keen interest to Reis. Her website states, “Working with biotech companies in San Francisco, Klari uses organic cellular imagery and natural reactions to explore our complex relationship with today’s biotechnological industry.” Yet it is not completely clear in what way Reis is hoping to engage the nature of this relationship. In an article Reis has said that her interest in exploring these issues artistically came about with her own struggles with Crohn’s disease. She has stated, “I’m taking a different view on pharmaceuticals. A lot of people see them as being a very big negative aspect of American culture. For me and the disease I’m dealing with, I see them as a big possibility for the future. I’ve been told by doctors this is going to be cured in the next five years. In a lot of ways it seems my future is reliant on these new pharmaceuticals coming out. It’s very personal.”

Another aspect of her work I find interesting is the way in which it has been picked up on the Internet. While searching for more information about her interest in the relationship with biotech (little in the way of expressed artistic vision unfortunately), I found some interesting comments to re-postings of her artwork. When these images are initially posted there commonly seems to be some confusion regarding their authenticity. They will sometimes be described as ‘cultures,’ implying that they are images of actual biological organisms. While some are quick to point out (even when not implied by the poster) that, given the color and patterns, they could not possibly be biological cultures, most are simply attracted to the “living-like” style that Reis beautifully captures. Issues of authenticity are moot to those who appreciate this art. The boundaries between ‘inspired’ and ‘derived’ are thin indeed. Reis’ work is compelling because of the intricate level of detail and ‘biological sensibilities’ that she infuses into each of her mimetic pieces.

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