BITS – Stories & Structures – New Connections

In ALL, BITS by Alice Fleerackers

Microscopes meet Indigenous art in Stories & Structures – New Connections, a new exhibition touring through Australia until March 2019. The show weaves together micrographs of natural phenomena with stunning paintings by Indigenous artists from across the country, revealing unexpected and striking similarities. The two sets of images, both of which are used to pass on knowledge and shape our understanding of the natural world, reflect and refract each other, offering a new look at our surroundings.

A selection of pairings are available below. Find out more about the exhibition on The Conversation or at Microscopy Australia.

Birnoo country (artist Gordon Barney) and white ochre
  • A micrograph of White Ochre, greyscale
    White Ochre by Hongwei Liu
  • A colourful painting of Birnoo Country, featuring mountains
    Birnoo Country by Gordon Barney, Warmun Art Centre
Witchetty grub dreaming (artist Jennifer Napaljarri Lewis) and moth sperm
  • A black and white micrograph of Moth Sperm
    Moth Sperm by Greg Rouse
  • A vibrant patterned painting of Witchetty Grub Dreaming
    Witchetty Grub Dreaming. Jennifer Napaljarri Lewis, Warlukurlangu Artists of Yuendumu
Brush-tail possum dreaming (artist Judith Nungarrayi Martin) and ribosomes
  • A black and white microscopic image of rhibosomes
    Ribosomes. Image created at the University of Sydney
  • An evocative black and white painting of a Brush-tail Possum Dreaming
    Janganpa Jukurrpa (Brush-tail Possum Dreaming) – Mawurrji by Judith Nungarrayi Martin, Warlukurlangu Artists of Yuendumu
Sandhills dreaming (artist Vanessa Nampijinpa Brown) and atoms in quartz
  • A black and white metallic looking cloud. Micrograph of atoms in quartz
    Atoms in Quartz by Hongwei Liu
  • An orange, black, and yellow patterned painting of dreaming sandhills
    Ngalyarrpa Jukurrpa (Sandhills Dreaming) by Vanessa Nampijinpa Brown, Warlukurlangu Artists of Yuendumu
Gathering bush tucker (artist Kerry Madawyn McCarthy) and gum leaf cells
  • A micrograph of a gum leaf, black and white
    Gum Leaf by Minh Huynh, Elinor Goodman, and Margaret Barbour
  • A blue and purple painting of a gathering bush tucker
    Gathering Bush Tucker by Kerry Madawyn McCarthy
Dry River bed (artist Kurun Warun) and blood flow in a fish eye
  • A microscopic view of the blood cells in a fish eye
    Fish Eye – Blood Flow by Shaun Collin
  • A red, white, and beige painting of a dry river bed
    Dry River Bed by Kurun Warun
Skin (artist Joshua Bonson) and collagen fibrils
  • A black and white micrograph of collagen fibrils
    Collagen Fibrils by Anne Simpson
  • An artistic rendering of skin, black and white and patterned
    Skin by Joshua Bonson
Water dreaming (artist Lola Brown) and river red gum
  • a greyscale micrograph of a river red gum leaf
    River Red Gum Leaf by Minh Huynh, Elinor Goodman and Margaret Barbour
  • A blue patterned painting of a flowing body of water
    Water Dreaming by Lola Brown

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About the Author

Alice Fleerackers

Alice is a freelance writer, a researcher at the ScholCommLab, and an editor at the Art the Science blog. With degrees in both psychology and publishing, she is fascinated by the confluence of science and story, and is passionate about bringing research into everyday life. As a journalist, she’s had the pleasure of interviewing media specialists, psychotherapists, anthropologists, and many others on everything from the psychology of cat videos to the “science” of astrology. In her spare time, she rides her bike, dabbles in spoon carving, and—yes—occasionally, reads her horoscope. Twitter: @FleerackersA