Since the time I started working with Sciwri, my interest has been to meet and chat with people who work at the interface of art and science. It has been an enriching experience for me to learn how other scientists/artists think. Trained as a scientist, we are accustomed to drawings and writings all the time, be it our lab notebooks, chalk talks, lab meetings, departmental seminars, etc. using every possible ways to explain our science to peers, mentors, reviewers or philanthropists and other funding agents. Some however break the boundaries of their training and manage to express themselves and their science through their art. Ina Schuppe Koistinen is one such artist.
Ina’s passion for science, biology and chemistry in particular stemmed from the classroom taught by her favorite school teacher. She is now a Associate Professor in Molecular Toxicology at Karolinska Institutet and works at the Science for Life Laboratory.
As a scientist, she feels that science is often unapproachable for commoners. People perceive us as a breed of nerds in white coats and instruments in lab and choosing not to talk about it. While that she proclaims is true, it does not give a complete picture. Science is not boring as often perceived. She has taken it upon herself to tell the world that science is pretty engaging and scientists are just not ‘labrats’ but extremely dynamic. And what can be more interesting than beautiful images where one color bleeds into the other and imagination takes its shape in the form of lines and curves and eventually comes together to build a scientific phenomena or a concept.
She had always toyed with colors and brushes. But during Ph.D. is when she really found her expression. While gazing through the microscope for most of her graduate studies she would look at colored stained neurons on a dark background. The patters she saw inspired her and she felt the urge to share them. She rediscovered the colors and brush as a medium to express herself. The nerves and neuronal network became the subjects of her scientific and artistic inquiry.
It was too irresistible a force and since then she has been involved on various projects dealing with science and arts. As a scientist she would be looking at patterns all day and now how she looks at her life through that same glass as well. She believes there is no such thing as a part time artist. It is not about the hours one spends in the studio, it is about how much, energy, observation, preparation goes into making that “art”. The creative process is something that is with you 24X7. She often works on a subject and a medium for six months or more and once the project is done she is on the lookout for her next inspiration. She has developed her skills in watercolour painting at different art schools in Sweden. She explores different medium and different subjects. Her subjects are often inspired by her work, her fantasies and her surroundings. Microscopy is what inspires her the most. “The hidden intricacies of cells and tissue, a completely different world which deals with microns keeps me inspired”, Ina smiled.
Cellular processes visualized in water colors by Ina Schuppe Koistinen.
When asked why did she chose visual arts, she had the most simple yet a profound response, “because, I like it”. Also as a yoga teacher, she believes in wholesomeness of life. The day job of science was not liberating her enough and she needed to do more. Almost all the multipotentialites I met during this journey of interviewing for Sciwri, this remains a common theme, the urge to do more, do something creative and useful. She made poignant observation that as scientists, we live in tomorrow. Today you plan an experiment, tomorrow you set it up. Today you set it up, you make observations in future. In future, based on the result, you decide further experiments and hypothesis. Gratification in scientific process is delayed. The moment in present is often lost. She fills up that space through the medium of art. Ina says “Art to me is like meditation; both allows you to explore within and focus at the same time.”
Contribution to science not only comes from scientists at the bench, it also comes from communicators, and educators of science. With her art shows and exhibits, she manages to engage society and continues to make science ‘cooler’ for everyone. She believes if one student gets inspired to do science after looking at her work, she would have accomplished something. During her exhibitions she has varied response from both scientists and laymen. Artists tend to appreciate the colors, patterns, the technique. Some compare the cells and process to cosmic events like big bang and other physical process. Audiences with a bit of biology training do tend to find the meaning and concept in the work. Her work ignites many wonderful conversations.
As scientists, we are trained to observe and analyze. For many the creativity and imagination is often lost in the process. Ina experienced something very similar when she had an exhibit of series of paintings on tissues and cells as viewed through microscopes. To her surprise many pathologists were unable to look beyond what they were used to looking under the microscope and were disappointed by the fact that the paintings do not show the real shapes!
Ada Lovlace, co founder of first computer with Charles Babbage, said, ‘Imagination is the Discovering Faculty, pre-eminently. It is that which penetrates into the unseen worlds around us, the worlds of Science. It is that which feels & discovers what is, the real which we see not, which exists not for our senses. Those who have learned to walk on the threshold of the unknown worlds, by means of what are commonly termed par excellence the exact sciences, may then with the fair white wings of Imagination hope to soar further into the unexplored amidst which we live.’
Ina’s portrait by the author
Talking to Ina has reiterated the importance of wholesome creative life to me. Hope you learn something from her as well. Next time when I paint blobs of colors, Ina’s philosophy will guide me.
Find more about Ina’s work on her website: http://www.inasakvareller.se/
Cover Image: We are 90% microbial by Ina Schuppe Koistinen.
About the author
Ipsa is a Ph.D. student at IISc. She wants to gather and spread interestingness. She prefers painting and drawing over writing.
