Photomicrographia: Invisible Worlds
21 December 2010
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UCL's South Cloisters is hosting the exhibition 'Photomicrographia: Invisible Worlds' that exposes art at the microscopic level.
For the past year, photographer Richard Weedon has been using microscopes to capture images from the thousands of slides stored by UCL Museums and Collections.
The images include micropalaeontology slides used by UCL Geology Collections during the past 50 years, historical specimens collected during the HMS Challenger expedition in the early 1800s and slides from UCL Zoology's collection.
He explained: "With a generous Artist in Residency Award from the Leverhulme Trust, I undertook photomicrography of many of the microscope slide preparations held in UCL Geology Collections and the Grant Museum of Zoology. I was mentored by Jayne Dunn, Head of Collections Management at UCL, and supported by UCL Museums & Collections.
"My aim was to investigate and heighten the preservation needs of the geology and natural history microscope slide collections through innovative imagery - and in doing so, improve and promote further their usage and accessibility."
Photomicrographia: Invisible Worlds is open to view until 10 January and is held in the South Cloisters, which is located in the UCL Wilkins building.
View the slideshow above to see some of the images used in the exhibition, and click on 'show info' for captions.
UCL context
UCL's outstanding collections cover a wide variety of disciplines, reflecting the range of the university's academic work. Three collections - the Petrie Museum, the Grant Museum and the Art Collections - are open to the public. Other collections are primarily for teaching and research but can be seen and studied by appointment.
Image: 'Foraminifera thin section' by Richard Weedon