mSU SCICOMM
Michigan State University's
Science Communication Organization
Stefania Kapsetaki
What was the inspiration behind your artwork?
Coming from the field of social evolution during my graduate studies at Oxford I was affected a lot about how I see life. The tree of life can be seen as a series of major transitions in individuality. In other words, single entities that used to live on their own, now cooperate, and have become a whole new entity that can reproduce as a whole. Such transitions include single genes becoming a genome, bacteria being engulfed by other cells and becoming eukaryotic cells, and single eukaryotic cells becoming a multicellular organism. We find these multicellular organisms, including ourselves, across the planet. Later during my Postdoctoral Research at Arizona State University I worked on chimerism and cancer across the tree of life. My views and research are depicted in my drawings.
What do you see as the similarity between science and art? Why is science-art important in today's society?
Since both science and art exist, this shows us that they are an integral part of who we are. We use our senses to appreciate a work of art in a similar way to how we use our senses to observe nature under the microscope and across the globe. Seeing patterns in nature stimulates our ability to understand nature, in a similar way that seeing patterns in a work of art stimulates our ability to understand the artwork.
In today’s world, and in other times as history has shown us, science and art are very important. Understanding their fundamental similarities, (e.g. in the geometrical anatomical features of our body, the mathematical equations that represent so many patterns in nature, and the combination of frequencies of colours that we find attractive), can help us see the value of bringing together different voices, different colours, appreciate diversity, and see the whole picture.
Get to know the artist!
Dr. Stefania Kapsetaki is a pianist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
Get in touch!
Follow Stefania on Twitter (@MOU_Steffi) and Instagram (@KapsetakiTwins)
