Introduction

Art and science are activities which have seemingly different cultures; scientists are seen as objective and rational; artists as subjective and intuitive. Each group inhabits zones that are seen as mutually exclusive creating so-called "Zones of inhibition".

When different strains of fungi are grown together in Petri dishes they can inhibit each other's growth, including the production of what scientists also call "Zones of inhibition". This is the observation by which the antibiotic penicillin was discovered. Fungi are a group of micro-organisms that are studied intensively at Rothamsted, both to improve crop production and to reduce pesticide use. Many microscopic images produced by scientists during their own research have intrinsic beauty. These scientific images have been used by the artist-in-residence, Tina Bolyos, as a source of inspiration for her work.

This exhibition focuses mainly on four fungi that are of economic importance. Using powdery mildew, rust, Erynia neoaphidis on aphids and the edible mushroom this exhibition explores the simple concept of fungal identity from both an artistic and a scientific standpoint.