MADRID, 6 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The National Center for Cancer Research (CNIO) has presented the solidarity initiative ‘CNIO Arte 2021’ with the participation of its two protagonists this year: the researcher Sarah Teichmann, who coordinates almost 300 laboratories around the world to develop the ‘Atlas of human cells’, and the artist Daniel Canogar, who, through his dialogues with Teichmann, has created the work ‘Fulgurations’.
This initiative, as pointed out by the director of the CNIO, María Blasco, has several objectives. “The main one is to communicate the importance of science to society through art, and bring artists closer to scientists and scientists to artists, so that science can be the inspiration for great art,” he stressed. In addition, he continues, the profits from the sale of the works in the ‘CNIO Arte’ collection will be used entirely to finance cancer research at the CNIO, through the CNIO Friends / as philanthropy initiative.
Thus, for his part, Teichmann explained that the ‘Atlas of human cells’ is an initiative in which more than 300 laboratories around the world are working in order to map the trillions of cells in the human body. “Through two computational methods, and thanks to joint work, it has been possible to have information about the cells in more detail, which allows us to know the human body with a depth that previous techniques did not allow, such as the microscope,” says the researcher.
The project, presented in 2016, has grown to reach about 2,000 scientists, who have managed to identify 50 million cells. “These have been mapped and, in addition, their work in the creation of 26 different tissues has been identified, which represents almost 50 percent of the tissues of the human body,” explains the scientist, adding that this work could help better understand immune diseases or cancer.
“Participating in this CNIO project made us think differently, reflect on how to explain more clearly all the work on the atlas, all the knowledge and information, so it was a very fun and enriching experience”, explained Teichmann .
On the other hand, Canogar has spoken about the creation of the work ‘Fulguraciones’, inspired by his dialogues with Teichmann and made up of 12 LED screens, a computer, cables and metal structures. “The atlas project left me very impressed by the magnitude and scale,” says the artist, whose works focus on the theme of ‘big data’ through art. “‘The’ Atlas of cells’ is a ‘big data’ of life,” Canogar said. Thus, he points out that, through ‘Fulgurations’, he has discovered that the algorithm, one of his work tools, has patterns that are very similar to cellular genetics. “This is an algorithmic, genetic and game-of-life-inspired work,” he explains.
“Therefore, ‘Fulgurations’ evokes cellular behavior, which is connected with artistic algorithmic programming. It creates an experience for the public that, although they do not exactly understand cellular functioning, can intuit it through the communication between the different elements of the work of art “, Canogar sums up.
Thus, the work resulting from ‘CNIO Arte 2021’, which has the support of the Banco Santander Foundation and the British Embassy, will be installed, along with projects from other years, at the CNIO booth in ARCO, being the first space of a scientific research center in this contemporary art fair.
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