PRESS RELEASE

SCIENCE WITH AN ARTISTIC VISION

The exhibition "Tree of Life. The complexity of life: from the cell to the living organism", brings together images from the scientific work of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)

• For the first time, images by researchers at the CRG are being presented in an arts centre. The aim to share not only the research that is done at the centre, but also the uniqueness of the images and the parallels and synergies between art and science.

• The exhibition, which is being supported and produced by the Banco Sabadell Foundation and by the 'Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa' grant, will be inaugurated on November 8, at 8.30 pm, in the Can Manyé Art and Creation Space in Alella.

The scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) want to help find solutions to the problems that we humans face in our relationship with the environment and with ourselves: they want to find cures for diseases and improve the quality of life of human beings. Understanding the basic mechanisms of life and living processes is the first step in being able to apply this knowledge, a posteriori, and contribute solutions to the problems mentioned above.

"We are very proud to be able to share these images with people. Their beauty and magnificence means that the work taking place in the CRG crosses the border of that which is purely scientific and acquires a new dimension in culture and art", says Luis Serrano, director of the CRG. "Although we have a number of activities aimed at promoting scientific culture, this exhibition is a particularly satisfying initiative. We suggest that you view life as we do in our experiments. It is a new way of looking at life and living beings that will surely not leave anyone untouched", adds Serrano.

At the CRG living processes are studied at all levels, from the smallest elements like molecules, organelles and cells, to tissues and organs, and right up to entire living organisms. It is precisely this sequence which governs the exhibition and allows you to be led through it. This is why the images are organised into three large blocks: The cell / Tissues and organs / Organisms.

The main objective of this exhibition is to share with the general public not only the knowledge that is generated in the centre, but also the connection between science and art, two disciplines that share methods based on experimentation and which pursue the transmission of knowledge. "The exhibition in Can Manyé allows us the opportunity to actively reflect on this curious binomial", explains Mercè Pomer, head of Can Manyé Art and Creation Space. "Science and art are two aspects of human creativity seemingly separated and unconnected to each other. But they subtly interact more often than we imagine", she concludes.
The exhibition will be inaugurated on Friday 8 November, at 8.30 pm, in the Can Manyé Art and Creation Space, in Alella, and will remain open to the public until November 24. After this first show, it is hoped that the exhibition will be able to tour other cultural spaces and, in this way, spread the knowledge and beauty of these images to all corners of society.

This initiative has been made possible thanks to the work carried out by the researchers at the CRG together with the support of the Banco Sabadell Foundation, which is producing the exhibition and the Ajuntament d’Alella, which organises this exhibition, and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, ‘Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017’, SEV-2012-0208.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
"Tree of Life – The complexity of life: from the cell to the living organism"
Dates: From November 8 to 24, 2013
Opening times: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 17.30 to 20.30. Saturdays and Sundays from 11.00 to 14.00.
Inauguration: Friday 8 November at 20.30.
Guided tours: Sunday 10th and 24th November at 12.30.
Location: Can Manyé Art and Creation Space, Riera Fosca, 42 08328 Alella.
Admission Price: Free

FACTS:
Commission, idea and original script: Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)  
Production: Banco Sabadell Foundation
Exhibition organised by: Ajuntament d’Alella. Can Manyé Art and Creation Space
For further information and interviews:
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) – Press Office
Laia Cendrós
Phone: +34 93 316 02 37.