Scientists should pursue a strategic approach to research, focusing on the accumulation of evidence via designed sequences of studies.
Image credit: Dave Cutler (artist).
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As visitors approach the ominously titled sculpture Collapse, they may be puzzled by the pyramid of 455 one-gallon jars. But as they step closer, it becomes clear that most of the jars, stacked 12 feet high and 15 feet on each side, contain a multitude of exquisitely detailed marine specimens. Other jars, however, are noticeably empty, and some hold small containers of tarry, black oil.
Collapse offers an artistic take on an ecosystem in peril. Installation by Brandon Ballengée with Todd Gardner, Jack Rudloe, Brian Schiering, and Peter Warny, 2010/2012. Image courtesy of Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences.
Among the many jars of Gulf specimens are small samples of oil from the 2010 spill. Installation by Brandon Ballengée with Todd Gardner, Jack Rudloe, Brian Schiering, and Peter Warny, 2010/2012. Image courtesy of Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences.
Collapse is a three-dimensional essay born of scientific study and acute worry. Created by artist Brandon Ballengeé, who is also an amphibian biologist at McGill University in Montreal, it reflects his deep concerns about the state of the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig disaster in 2010. After an explosion sank the rig and ruptured its well, over 4.2 …
Ecosystem in the balance captured in a work of art
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