From Atoms to Patterns exhibition, 24 April-10 August 2008
24 April 2008
Crystal structure designs from the 1951 Festival of Britain
Exhibition dates: 24 April-10 August 2008
Venue:
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Admission free
Gallery opening times: Tues.-Wed., Fri.-Sat.: 10.00-18.00; Thurs.: 10.00-22.00; Sun.: 11.00-18.00. Closed Mon. (except bank holidays: 10.00-18.00).
Everyday products decorated with patterns based on X-ray crystallography diagrams are the subject of this innovative show, which brings together an eclectic array of textiles, wallpapers, fashion, furniture, laminates, carpets and tableware. Drawings of atomic structures will sit alongside the designs they inspired, revealing the unique collaboration between Britain's leading post-war scientists and manufacturers.
The 1951 Festival of Britain provided an extraordinary platform for British ingenuity and creativity in science and the arts. One of the boldest initiatives within the Festival was the Festival Pattern Group, which brought together adventurous manufacturers and forward-looking crystallographers (scientists who analyse atomic structures by taking X-ray photographs of crystalline materials) to create a collection of quirky and influential furnishing designs.
Inspired by the intricate patterns of crystal structures, leading Cambridge crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw came up with the novel idea of using them for textiles. As scientific consultant to the Festival Pattern Group, she collated crystal structure diagrams from eminent colleagues and ensured that they were interpreted in an accurate and authentic way. Spearheaded by the Council of Industrial Design, the Festival Pattern Group enlisted the manufacturers, vetted the designs and organised special displays at the Festival of Britain - notably in the Regatta Restaurant on the South Bank, which was decorated with crystal structure-patterned furnishings, and the Exhibition of Science at South Kensington.
The Festival Pattern Group’s products and designs included ICI Mural Rexines and Vynides, Dunlop PVC, Wedgwood china, Chance Brothers glass, John Line wallpapers, Warerite laminates and Warner fabrics. World-renowned Nobel prize-winning scientists involved in the project included Sir Lawrence Bragg, one of the founding fathers of X-ray crystallography, Dorothy Hodgkin from Oxford, and John Kendrew and Max Perutz from the famous Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge.
Science enjoyed great popular appeal during the early post-war period, and X-ray crystallography was one of the most exciting fields at the time. In X-ray crystallography a narrow beam of X-ray is passed through a crystal. The shadows cast by the diffracted X-rays are then photographed, and from the resulting patterns the arrangement of atoms can be calculated. Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray diffraction photographs of DNA, taken at King’s College London, provided crucial visual evidence for Francis Crick and James Watson’s landmark discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in 1953.
This exhibition will mark the first time since 1951 that the Festival Pattern Group's creations, from the V&A and Science Museum collections, have been brought together. Significantly, 'From Atoms to Patterns' also provides the first ever opportunity to view these products alongside their original source material - dyeline drawings of crystal structures. The displays will also elucidate the mysteries of X-ray crystallography to non-specialists, and trace the process from diagram to design.
“Although taking place in the post-war era, there is something remarkably up-to-date about this type of collaboration between scientists and designers,” explains Dr Ken Arnold, Head of Public Programmes at the Wellcome Trust. “During the Festival of Britain world-famous Nobel prize-winning scientists fed into this ambitious project, working alongside the leading manufacturing firms of the day, in the creation of products that were both technically innovative and graphically stimulating.”
Guest curator Lesley Jackson comments: “'From Atoms to Patterns' represents a unique one-off opportunity to study this remarkable material at first hand and to learn more about the science behind the designs. Drawing on extensive new historical research, the exhibition bridges the divide between science and art and offers a visual and intellectual feast.”
From Atoms to Patterns events and talks
For information and bookings visit the Wellcome Collection website or call 020 7611 2222.
'Tough at the Top', Wednesday 15 May, 19.00-20.30
Have there ever been enough women in science? What about the remarkable individuals featured in 'From Atoms to Patterns'? And are we ignoring important differences between the sexes as we try and resolve why there are so few women working in science today? Join our guests to debate these issues and more.
Speakers
Helena Cronin, author of 'The Ant and the Peacock: Altruism and sexual selection from Darwin to today'
Georgina Ferry, science writer and broadcaster, author of 'Dorothy Hodgkin: A life'
'Lampshades, Curtains, Atoms and Insects', Saturday 21 June 15.00-16.30
Paul Simmons, textile and wallpaper designer at Timorous Beasties, will be joined in conversation by Penny Sparke, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Arts, Kingston University. They will discuss the impact of science on design throughout the 20th century and today.
In 2006 Timorous Beasties created a window display for the Wellcome Trust’s headquarters, the Gibbs Building. The display of oversized lampshades and lace curtains featured scientific images from the Wellcome Library.
For further details, images, interview requests or to attend the press private view please contact:
Mike Findlay
Media Officer (Wellcome Collection)
T 020 7611 8612
E
m.findlay@wellcome.ac.uk
Notes to editors
Guest curator: Lesley Jackson (Writer, curator and design historian specialising in post-war design)
Co-curator: Emily Jo Sargent (Curator, Wellcome Trust)
Accompanying publication: 'From Atoms to Patterns: Crystal structure designs from the 1951 Festival of Britain' by Lesley Jackson, published by Richard Dennis Publications in association with the Wellcome Trust.
A crystallographer is a person who uses the crystallised form of a material to investigate its shape and atomic structure on a sub-microscopic level. This usually involves using electromagnetic radiation (commonly X-rays or an MRI/NMR machine) and creating an image of how the radiation looks when it has passed through the crystal. The technique was used to find the structure of DNA.
'Twenty Six Things', a film by Marion Coutts (30 May-29 June 2008)
The artist Marion Coutts will present a new film, commissioned by Wellcome Collection, which will use objects from the collections of Henry Wellcome and from the Science Museum to playfully explore the workings of memory.
About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £650 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
The Wellcome Trust's former headquarters, the Wellcome Building on London's Euston Road, has been redesigned by Hopkins Architects to become a new £30 million public venue. Free to all, Wellcome Collection explores the connections between medicine, life and art in the past, present and future. The building comprises three galleries, a public events space, the Wellcome Library, a café, a bookshop, conference facilities and a members' club.