A series of portraits of scientists by Tasmanian artist Andrew Baird.
For 15 minutes scientists sat with their eyes closed while their portrait was painted by Tasmanian artist Andrew Baird.
For some, it was the first time in years they had stopped and thought about anything other than their work, and for others, whose minds couldn’t switch off from their current research, they managed to solve problems that had been bugging them for ages.
For the artist it allowed him to put the focus onto the inward nature of the scientists’ work, while presenting a “meditative and thoughtful visage”.
“With their eyes closed the portrait becomes less about the subject‘s personality than about their work,” Andrew explained.
The self-confessed “frustrated scientist”, who excelled at mathematics but has always been pulled more strongly towards creative fields, decided to give rein to both his scientific and artistic sides after meeting many scientists through his children (one is a neuroscientist, the other, a marine biologist).
While the majority of Andrew’s artworks have been on display in The National Centre for Synchrotron Science in Melbourne for close to two years, this exhibition includes a selection of portraits of mainly Tasmanian scientists.
Official opening: Friday, July 17, 6pm by Robert Morris-Nunn.
www.artscience.net.au