‘Hydras’ artwork inspired by Robinson Lab imagery | Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University – Rice News

Jillian Conrad, "Hydras," detail, 2022, courtesy of the artist

Houston artist Jillian Conrads new work takes broad inspiration from the work of Rice electrical and computer engineer Jacob Robinson, who studies hydra: Tiny, resilient and endlessly regenerative freshwater organisms, hydra are nigh-immortal, capable of reproducing through asexual budding and seemingly unable to die of something as commonplace as old age.

Conrads work also involves creative replication, taking material and repurposing it into something novel, then transforming it into yet another form or shape.

With her new work just installed in the lobby at Rices BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) last week Conrad took deflated mylar birthday balloons, put them on a flatbed scanner and printed the resulting images in high resolution using archival ink on silk organza. She then layered and crumpled the fabric, adding a whole new dimension to the images printed on the silk.

The ongoingness, the immortality of the hydra reminded me of my own work and my process, said Conrad, who is also an associate professor in the University of Houston School of Art.She was commissioned by Rices Moody Center for the Arts, who invited guest curator Ylinka Barotto to oversee the project as part of the universitys public art program.

I find a balloon, then I turn it into a digital file, then I turn it into a printed piece on organza and then I turn it into this sculpture it keeps rolling over and going and going and going in different iterations of itself, Conrad said. And you could say that each one is a different thing, but in some ways, it's the same thing over and over again.

The commission draws from imagery obtained from the Robinson Lab, which is housed at the BRC. Exploring the visuals rendered from Robinsons study of the millimeter-sized invertebrates done in the pursuit of advancing the treatment of neurological disorders Conrads piece welcomes visitors and allows for a practical and accessible visualization of complex scientific research.

Conrads work, Hydras, will be celebrated with an opening reception Saturday, Feb. 12 from 6-8 p.m. at the BRC. For more information, visit moody.rice.edu.

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'Hydras' artwork inspired by Robinson Lab imagery | Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University - Rice News