Microscopic Masterpieces

Oct. 14, 2016

THE BEAUTY OF BIOARTOGRAPHY, BORN IN MICHIGAN

You might have glimpsed the surface of this world before, if your eye doctor had a certain kind of imaging camera, or if you’ve ever broken a bone and viewed your own X-ray. But a group of professors, scientists and students at the University of Michigan are taking the photography of what’s inside our bodies to a whole new artistic level.

The BioArtography program was launched as a fundraiser for U of M’s training program in organogenesis, a unique field focused on the forming of new organs. Deborah Gumucio, a James Douglas Engel collegiate professor of cell and developmental biology at U of M, founded the BioArt program in 2005, after founding the Center for Organogenesis (CFO) back in 1995.

"The whole objective of the CFO is to unite the fields of clinical medicine, basic science, and engineering," Gumucio said. "We are trying to understand how organs and tissues are formed in the body, and to use that information and technology to form new organs and tissues to repair or replace diseased ones."

The research is often done in the cells and tissues of yeast, fruit flies, worms, fish, mice, and chickens, and includes stem cell research as well. Through these studies, the CFO is finally making progress in the understanding and treatment of such complex and difficult diseases as diabetes, depression and bipolar disorder.

Training the next generation of scientists in organogenesis is imperative and intense; students spend significant time in the laboratory, meetings and conferences where they present their own findings. The BioArtography program aims to support funding for these opportunities by selling unique biological artworks created by scientists who photograph the unseen inner workings of our bodies through microscopes and scanners.

"Most tissues and cells are transparent, except plant cells, which usually have some pigment," Gumucio explained. "So in order to better visualize things under the microscope, we have to add chemical dyes, making different parts of the cells different colors so you can contrast them against each other."

This process creates striking images that range from pastel to brightly colored works, all with unusual details. The images are sold both online and at the Ann Arbor Art Fair, where they’re a popular draw every year. "All proceeds from BioArtography, which is entirely non-profit, go toward $500 travel awards for our trainees; we’ve awarded about 80 of these over the past 10 years," Gumucio said.

While the initial aim was funding, as the program evolved, it took on additional meaning. "We found that these images were helping educate the public about science in a unique way, and it gave people a more tangible view of what we do," Gumucio said. "We are entering an age of regenerative medicine and personalized medicine that’s quickly resulting in an explosion in scientific knowledge. We now have new genetic tools available, and we’re going to be able to better diagnose and treat difficult diseases very soon, so it’s important for the public to know more about these advances so they can help support it and keep the discoveries coming."

And, of course, there’s also the artistic component. These images, each with their own evocative title and description, are unexpectedly beautiful. Some are bold and some delicate, others so alien-looking that it’s strange to think they’re actually part of us. "Monet’s Garden" does evoke the works of Monet, with its impressionistic look – even though it’s nerve cells from a brain. "Superfly," in bright neon blue against a stark black background, shows off the muscles of a fruit fly. When you’re looking at "That’s Phernominal," you’re seeing the pheromone cells of a red-backed salamander. And "Technicolor Thoughts" is another look at the brain, in this case represented by microscopic art that looks like a Joan Miro mobile.

Gumucio puts out a call for images early each year, and gets around 80–100 submissions from U of M students, staff, faculty, and post-docs. She brings some of the images into Photoshop, cropping and making color and balance adjustments so the artworks are even more appealing. She then takes those images to the U of M School of Art and Design, whose students and staff serve as an informal art jury. "They select the 20 top images for us – the ones that have the best artistic qualities in addition to their scientific beauty," Gumucio said.

People seeing the BioArtography works for the first time have a wide range of responses to them. "At first, people are just drawn to the colors," Gumucio said. "Then, once they find out what the images are, some say "˜Eww!’" she said. "But a much larger proportion of people want to learn more about the images. Some people want to purchases images of diseases that they’ve personally struggled with and beat, so they can "˜own’ the disease; other people buy them because they have kids studying medicine; and doctors and dentists buy them so they can have cool art for their offices."

But what made Gumucio think that these quirky works of art would actually sell as well as they have? "Well, even when you do this job all the time, day after day, often the first thing you think when you look through the microscope at a new slide is "˜Wow!’ You never tire of seeing the complexity," she said. "These images allow the public to also appreciate this remarkable and compelling mixture of art and science."

Get more information and choose from over 200 images available for purchase in three sizes at bioartography.com.