Artist Ronald Forbes has completed a two-year period as SCRI’s Leverhulme Artist-in-Residence. Work produced as part of his residency will be shown at a series of exhibitions.

The body of work produced during his residency – De Rerum Natura: The Nature of Things – forms a narrative around the way we see and understand the world. It is about illusion, belief and reality – and the fuzzy edges between them. The work comprises large paintings, unique digital-collage prints and a film.

Embarking on his residency Forbes wanted to create a new body of work that would celebrate the work of the scientist based on his observations. Over a period of months he engaged in dialogue with a wide range of scientists. In the process he learned much about the complex world of science, saw the world afresh, quite literally, through the confocal microscope, saw the processes of DNA analysis and observed new disciplines, such as informatics, without which new genetics research could not form the patterns of information that offer us understanding.

Above: Hermes: Continuum with Roses © Ronald Forbes

He found the language of science of great interest in its precision and accuracy but also when it occasionally became poetic, such as a gene being described as “silent.” This interest in language and meaning is reflected in the film work, “By Any Other Name,” which is a sensual and romantic rhapsody on the life of a rose, examined using the tools of science.

The idea of continuity as well as duplication and replication, both in the patterns of nature and the development of human thought and knowledge is reflected in a number of the paintings and digital-collages.

A re-affirming observation was the relationship of scientific understanding and art. The former depends on verifiable evidence and the latter on intuitive “feelings of rightness,” but both require rigour within their own terms. The practices of science and art have very different outcomes but share remarkable similarities in the investigative process. Perhaps for those reasons Forbes has invoked the great stories and myths that have offered a poetic understanding of our world for centuries.

Above: Adam and Eve: Knowledge Transfer © Ronald Forbes

The works include the titles such as, “Adam and Eve: Knowledge Transfer,” and have subjects including Hermes, Messenger of the Gods, in his white lab coat. Others look at the myth of Demeter and Persephone that gives us one kind of understanding of our seasons and the growth of crops.

In this exhibition Forbes has reaffirmed long held fascinations but introduced a range of new images and methods of work based on his experiences at SCRI. It could be said that his vision has been refreshed by his exploration of the invisible world that science reveals.

Above: By Any Other Name: A film examining the sensuous and romantic qualities of a rose using the tools of science. © Ronald Forbes

Working with others

During his residency Forbes also took part in Open Farm Sunday 2007 and the SCRI Open Days sharing his art with visitors and helping youngsters create their own artworks.

He also curated a month-long Artfest exhibition of photography, art and crafts produced by SCRI staff and kicked off by a concert of traditional music. Artfest was such a success it is anticipated it will become an annual event.

Throughout his residency he also kept staff up to date with his progress by holding an open studio event and bringing works in progress to SCRI.

Exhibitions

De Rerum Natura: The Nature of Things was held from 16 February – 8 May 2009 at the Hannah Maclure Centre. Digital-collage prints and the film were shown at the Edinburgh International Science Festival from 6-18 April 2009.

The exhibition has also been shown in Chicago at the John David Mooney Foundation.