Unmasked: Discovering the hidden world of the body through art

The discovery of the double-helical shape of DNA was one of the biggest milestones in 20th century science, but who knew that Leeds played a crucial role in this landmark? Find out how research into wool fibres led Leeds scientists William Astbury and Florence Bell to pioneer the first studies of the structure of DNA. And why, had Astbury only been as good a comedian as he was a physicist, he might well have found himself sharing a Nobel prize for this work - as well as why his monkeynut coat, woven by a groundbreaking act of molecular origami, may well be the shape of things to come…

Inside research labs, scientists study tiny 3D cell models under powerful microscopes. But what happens when an artist joins the process? In this talk, we share how scientific images of cells are reimagined through non-drawing, projection, and installation to explore new ways of seeing the body. The result is a creative exchange between art and science that articulates hidden patterns and opens shared learning.

Our immune system is incredible, capable of protecting us from thousands of pathogens. It is, however, massively complicated! There are many different cell types, interacting at molecular scale for each infection we encounter. Complexity is key to its function, but it is also a barrier to understanding it. To overcome this, we have tapped into our visual learning and created animations of immune cells moving around the human body, with accurate molecular interactions. Our aim is to inspire curiosity in the immune system, overcoming its complexity to help convey how awesome it is in action!