# "Science as Art Contest" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 5, 2009, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547 "2009-02-05T09:32:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/21 "2009-02-06T03:22:51Z")
Things like fractals, and laser shows, and photographs of beautiful chemical reactions, crystals, galaxies. Electron microscope imagery. Stuff like that? Posting and going to look at everyone else’s answers… ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/22 "2009-02-06T23:39:58Z")
My first thought was ‘Science, as a Contest of Art.’ Though they probably meant a Contest of ‘Science as Art.’ I like mine better. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/23 "2009-02-07T01:56:22Z")
> [@fervour](#): > > ETA: When do we get to know what was being advertised? Oh, it’s a contest called “Science as Art”. That’s all I know. I was wondering whether someone would guess that it would be a lecture called “Science as Art Contest”–think “Science as **an** Art Contest”, that is, some sort of revolutionary philosophical idea that scientists are just one-upping each other in a thickly veiled artistic showdown or something. I’m a bit disappointed that very few people seem to have made this interpretation, but I’ve been exposed to some pretty cool contests, so thanks for the links, folks! Hostile Dialect, Hostile Dialect, Narcissist ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/24 "2009-02-07T03:29:58Z")
Great, now I have to friend you. ---
**Author:** ![firstname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ab992/32.png) [@firstname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/firstname)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/25 "2009-02-07T10:13:12Z")
A bunch of scientist explain scientific concepts using abstract art. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/26 "2009-02-07T10:24:28Z")
[http://www.strandbeest.com/](http://www.strandbeest.com/) [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3\_eY22R0TWE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_eY22R0TWE) ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/27 "2009-02-08T07:40:52Z")
Without peeking, I’d say a contest for the best work of art whose substance or inspiration is taken from science. For instance, the complex and lovely patterns that appear in all kinds of data. There was somebody in the 70’s who rigged up a pen to the branches of a tree, and left it for awhile to doodle its own patterns. Or, a group of Bonobos as performance art. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/28 "2009-02-08T16:43:43Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > [http://www.strandbeest.com/](http://www.strandbeest.com/) [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3\_eY22R0TWE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_eY22R0TWE) Amazing! Where did you hear of this artist? I am awed and mesmerized. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/29 "2009-02-09T08:10:50Z")
Did not look at any of the responses: I would think it could be close up photos of a virus (some are actually quite pretty) or drawings of internal organs, or models of chemical reactions. I have seem some pretty amazing art that was, in reality, scientific models. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547/30 "2009-02-09T19:11:25Z")
Not just microscopy. At **Optics and Photonics News** they have a regular feature, **AfterImages** , where they run artsy photos related to some feature of optical science or engineering: [http://www.osa-opn.org/Gallery/default.aspx](http://www.osa-opn.org/Gallery/default.aspx) They put out a calendar of these every year, and have a competition each year as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-as-art-contest/484547.md?page=1)