Scanning electron microscope: Transmigration of scientific photography into the domain of art

Abstract

The author’s visual art project is concentrated in the specific area of scientific photography of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), which has expanded the boundaries of observation and representation of the micro world since it was introduced to scientific research in the mid-1960s. Like a number of other artists who have preceded the author, she investigates how to interpret scientific images captured by the SEM as aesthetic forms. In particular, the author considers microscale drops of water from different aquatic systems after evaporation. She does so in an attempt to discover morphological features of the patterns related to water contamination and thus continue in the lineage of artists’ attempts to turn scientific photography into a creative art form.