The shapes of things to come

If asked to create a list of the 100 must-read books of the twentieth century, most compilers – no matter what their area of expertise – would include ‘On Growth and Form (1917)’, D'Arcy Thompson's groundbreaking work on the basic shapes of life. Believing a simple explanation was preferable to a complex one, Thompson wrote an engaging, intelligent book that went beyond good science and became great literature.

His views on organic structures came with a practical by-product that proved useful to both scientists and artists: the ability to organise and systematise thinking as a tool for approaching ideas from a new perspective. The interdisciplinary and inclusive approach of Thompson's writing made ‘On Growth and Form’ an essential reference tool for twentieth-century artists. US sculptural abstractionist Tony Smith was but one mid-century artist who acknowledged the direct influence ‘On Growth and Form’ played in his work, and the book continues to exert influence on contemporary artists such as Mark Wright, three of whose paintings are on display in the 'Growth and Form' exhibition currently showing in the Wellcome Trust's Two10 Gallery.

As part of a new wave of biomedical imaging depicting not only the Human Genome Project but other biomedical breakthroughs, the Two10 Gallery 'Growth and Form' exhibition looks at how contemporary artists are again becoming 'research artists', and biomedical researchers are creating images of beauty as by-products of their research. Referencing both Thompson's book and the Institute of Contemporary Art's 1951 exhibition of the same title, the works brought together for this exhibition provide a catalyst towards increasing multidisciplinary outlooks.

Like its exhibition namesake, 'Growth and Form' looks not only at the influence of scientific thought on contemporary art, but how art can influence scientific imaging. The exhibition juxtaposes 22 images which comprise the Biomedical Image Awards 2001, organised by the Wellcome Trust's Medical Photographic Library, alongside works by nine contemporary artists and designers who are influenced by aspects of the biomedical. But whilst the art and design images are closely aligned visually to those in the Biomedical Image Awards, these images are not literal interpretations, but mask the subjective, the melancholic and in some cases nihilistic reaction the source material provokes in their makers.

‘On Growth and Form’ hypothesised that all science and learning are one, and all biological phenomena can be reduced to mathematics. And Thompson's 'theory of transformation' held that species evolution happened not by successive minor changes, but by large-scale transformations involving the body as a whole. Correspondingly, society is now on the brink of widespread social transformations brought about in part by biomedical research. The visual intrigue the works in this exhibition create will provoke the viewer into reflecting on the outcomes of current biomedical research. Physics and atomic energy strongly influenced mainstream mid-twentieth century culture, and similarly the culture of the twenty-first century is being shaped by emerging biomedical research, particularly that which explores the human genome. More than 80 years after publication of Thompson's book, we are still considering the shapes of living things, and how artists and scientists interpret them.

See also

• Growth and Form: A dramatic online interpretation of the exhibition
• Medical Photographic Library
• Biomedical Image Awards: Further details of previous exhibitions that are now available to hire

External links

• D'Arcy Thompson: Biography details
• Tony Smith: American Sculptor inspired by D'Arcy Thompson - online exhibits of his work
• Mark Wright: Biography details of the contemporary artist