Have you ever looked at Milkweed flowers? Did you see the cows?

The reality is that few of us stop to look closely at the little things that are happening all around us each day. And it is even more rare to take the time to understand what we are seeing or look at it from completely different perspectives. But just because we are oblivious to what is happening around us, does not mean that it is not happening. When we take the time to really look at our world, it is amazing what we can learn.

The DecoScience adventure started with my desire to show our clients the reactions we witness in the lab while doing research. With Dana’s knowledge and persistence, we began to view and capture chemical reactions as they occur. This effort uncovered a beauty that even we had not anticipated. The challenge to help others understand what we see in the lab, taught us a new way of looking at the work we were doing. This new perspective allowed us to move beyond passive observation to create artworks and do better science.

I began to wonder, if we could use scientific knowledge to create art, what would happen if we asked an artist to view science?

That is when Janice, joined us. Her artistic background and great love of nature has brought another whole new perspective to DecoScience. She sees things in a way neither Dana nor I would have ever considered. While she might not have the formal language of science, or have a molecular level understanding of why things behave the way they do, her perspective is teaching us to view science in a new light. How can you not be inspired by someone who sees a reaction occur for the first time and exclaims with such delight “it ate the fluorescein”?

DecoScience is about asking questions and looking from new perspectives

• Can the interplay between science and art make scientific knowledge more accessible to those who believe that they cannot understand science?
• What if the essence of the science that happens all around us could be demonstrated in a way that everyone can see?
• What if it was possible to change perspectives on the boundaries between science and art?

I can’t wait to see what will we learn by viewing the world around us through the eyes of science and art?

Join us in the DECOSCIENCE™ “experiment”.

And the next time you walk past a milkweed plant, ponder if the name “milkweed” was really adopted because of the latex containing white sap in the stalk…have a very close look to see if there are any Elsie’s staring back at you.

–Judith Lockwood

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