Pairing Art with Science, A Multidisciplinary Imagination

"The Alchemy of Authenticity" is an art exhibition in New York City curated by Caitlin Alexandra Therien, a current PhD student at Columbia’s Biomedical Engineering Department. Caitlin is interested in bringing forth “an experience of abstraction and transformative realism.” 

When Therien first arrived in New York City, she noted that the city’s vibrant art culture was something of its own kind. Art as a deeply authentic form of expression fascinated her. Authenticity became the grounding theme for her exhibition, which she says she hopes to continue as a series. She invited artists to submit pieces and selected those that she connected the most with.

Therien sees this curation project as an attempt to bridge the arts, sciences and engineering as to create generative experiences for viewers. She is inspired by nature and draws on naturalistic elements harnessing beauty in art and science. 

Often, art is associated with beauty and science as practical, but Therien insists that beauty and progress are not separated. At the Hess Lab for Nanobiotechnology and Synthetic Biology, Therien works on single protein molecule sequencing to understand how protein operates in our body. She is fascinated by biodesign and nanotechnology. The beauty she saw on the nanoscale left a deep impression on her, proving science can be beautiful. 

This curation put into conversation her goal of melding art into a multidisciplinary formation and her artistic drive to achieve that singular experience for its viewers.