BREAK FUSION BRIDGE CYCLE
A collaboration between the soil scientist Prof. Johannes Lehmann (Cornell University, USA) and the artist Ella Ziegler
ITHACA (USA) 2021
Size: 43cm x 61cm
Edition: 500
Ed.: Lehmann Lab, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
Publication: The Art of Scientific Observation: an Art-Acience project on the Legacy of Barbara Mc- Clintock, Ella Ziegler, Prof. Dr. Johannes Lehmann, Leonardo (online / print), MIT Press, USA
The participatory visual experiment BREAK FUSION BRIDGE CYCLE commemorates Barbara McClintock, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine in 1983 and former scientist and researcher at Cornell University, USA. In 1951, Barbara McClintock proved the existence of 'jumping genes', i.e. transposons. She proved that the genetic material was not passed on according to the fixed rules as formulated by Mendel, but was changeable.
Stressful situations and environmental toxins can trigger such changes, with so-called jumping genes ensuring that genes can change their location in the chromosome. The catalyst for her revolutionary discovery and unique research style was the close examination, observation and documentation of each corn plant, studying the changes in colour and texture of the pigments in kernels and leaves.
Inspired by the graphic and schematic visualizations of McClintock's research results and her sensual way of researching, the interdisciplinary artist Ella Ziegler (GER) developed the poster edition BREAK FUSION BRIDGE CYCLE. The poster edition takes up the mosaic of naturally pigmented corn kernels, which vary in colour and shape. The BREAK FUSION BRIDGE CYCLE poster edition is a playful invitation to collage a large two-dimensional mosaic. Endless combinations of colours and contrasts, letters and words, shapes and outlines are possible.
