Darwin Birthday Busts Go On Show At Grant Museum

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By M@ Last edited 121 months ago
Darwin Birthday Busts Go On Show At Grant Museum
Graeme Smith and Tom Catling: 'Darwin’s bust printed from a 3D file, which has been converted from its original binary code, as shown on the left, into a genetic code, as shown on the right. A USB stick embedded within Darwin’s head encodes his 3D likeness in a format ready to be stored into DNA.'  © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Graeme Smith and Tom Catling: 'Darwin’s bust printed from a 3D file, which has been converted from its original binary code, as shown on the left, into a genetic code, as shown on the right. A USB stick embedded within Darwin’s head encodes his 3D likeness in a format ready to be stored into DNA.' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
A 3D print of Darwin, completed by B>MADE, Bartlett Manufacturing and Design Exchange at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
A 3D print of Darwin, completed by B>MADE, Bartlett Manufacturing and Design Exchange at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Josephine McNally: 'On one level this sculpture works as an interactive device – reflecting back whoever looks into it. On another, it is about seeing who we are. The etched words create interest which hopefully leads on to investigation – the basis of all science.'
Josephine McNally: 'On one level this sculpture works as an interactive device – reflecting back whoever looks into it. On another, it is about seeing who we are. The etched words create interest which hopefully leads on to investigation – the basis of all science.'
James Mould: 'This sculpture was designed with Darwin’s theory of evolution as the foremost concept. Utilising a nutrient enriched gel, invented as a habitat for the study of ants in zero-gravity, the structure too will change with the progression of time, as the ants excavate a network of tunnels through their new environment.' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
James Mould: 'This sculpture was designed with Darwin’s theory of evolution as the foremost concept. Utilising a nutrient enriched gel, invented as a habitat for the study of ants in zero-gravity, the structure too will change with the progression of time, as the ants excavate a network of tunnels through their new environment.' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Jo Howcroft: 'Theatrical lighting filter, paired with the right lighting instrument, can help to tell a story and sway your emotions. To reimagine Darwin’s bust I have used a range of filters, which correct tungsten light to daylight. The shades were layered up to construct the light and shade from the scan.' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Jo Howcroft: 'Theatrical lighting filter, paired with the right lighting instrument, can help to tell a story and sway your emotions. To reimagine Darwin’s bust I have used a range of filters, which correct tungsten light to daylight. The shades were layered up to construct the light and shade from the scan.' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Andrew Breeson: 'Darwin is remembered for his ideas, and so the best way I could think to represent him was to sculpt him out of the material embodiment of his ideas – The Origin of Species. Scorch marks are visible, and were deliberately left as I liked that they showed the process of production.”' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Andrew Breeson: 'Darwin is remembered for his ideas, and so the best way I could think to represent him was to sculpt him out of the material embodiment of his ideas – The Origin of Species. Scorch marks are visible, and were deliberately left as I liked that they showed the process of production.”' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Christina Amati: 'A pensive, fatigued but indefatigable scientist - Darwin - pictured as a floating head of wisdom and inquiry, with long beard studded with sparks of insight into the natural world. This project explores an alternative method of additive manufacturing by "filament deposition" where the filament is yarn and the technique is traditional crochet used untraditionally for geometry rendering.' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
Christina Amati: 'A pensive, fatigued but indefatigable scientist - Darwin - pictured as a floating head of wisdom and inquiry, with long beard studded with sparks of insight into the natural world. This project explores an alternative method of additive manufacturing by "filament deposition" where the filament is yarn and the technique is traditional crochet used untraditionally for geometry rendering.' © UCL, Institute of Making/Robert Eagle
OK, this one's not on show at the Grant Museum. It's a knitted Darwin, made by Heather Brown for Darwin's 200th birthday, 5 years ago.
OK, this one's not on show at the Grant Museum. It's a knitted Darwin, made by Heather Brown for Darwin's 200th birthday, 5 years ago.

Were he alive today, Charles Darwin would be preparing for his 205th birthday (imagine how long his beard would be), which falls on 12 February. To mark the occasion, a new exhibition opens at the Grant Museum with a series of sculptures inspired by the great naturalist.

The exhibition came about in the Grant Museum's own version of Trafalgar Square's 'fourth plinth'. A space recently vacated by a conventional Victorian bust of Darwin needed filling, so staff and students were asked to design something a bit more, well, evolved. The entries employ everything from ant farms to crochet to produce the scientist's likeness.

You can see 'Darwin (or) Bust' between 12 February and 2 April at the Grant Museum of Zoology, University Street, open Mon-Sat, 1-5pm. Entrance is free.

Last Updated 03 February 2014