• The exhibition "Tree of Life. The complexity of life: from the cell to the living organism" and the app “CRG Memory Game”, bring together images from the scientific work of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)

• Images by researchers at the CRG are being presented from 3rd to 24th November at Centre Civic Urgell in Barcelona. The aim is to share not only the work that is done at the centre, but also the beauty and uniqueness of the images and the parallels and synergies between art and science.

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 discover 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 these issues.

"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 frontiers of the purely scientific and acquires a new dimension in culture and art", says Luis Serrano, director of the CRG. "Although we offer a number of activities aimed at promoting scientific culture, this exhibition and app are particularly satisfying initiatives. 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 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 goal of the exhibition is to share with the general public not only the knowledge that is generated at the centre, but also to highlight the connection between science and art, two disciplines that share methods based on experimentation and which pursue the transmission of knowledge. The exhibition offers us the opportunity to actively reflect on this curious binomial. 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.

As part of the exhibition, the Centre for Genomic Regulation shares an app so visitors can also “play” with the images using the app CRG Memory Game, with touchscreen tablets. The app is based on the classic matching pairs game and uses images from the exhibition. After the game, the users can access a description of each of the photos they have been playing with.

The exhibition will open to the public on November 3rd at 7.30 pm in Centre Civic Urgell, in Barcelona, and will remain open until November 24th.

This initiative has been made possible thanks to the research undertaken by the scientists at the CRG, as well as the support of Fundació Banc Sabadell, which is producing the exhibition, funding from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, as part of the ‘Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017’ (SEV-2012-0208) programme. Tactile tablets have been donated by Hewlett-Packard and microscopes by Leica Microsystems. The app has been made possible thanks to funding by the Spanish Science and Technology Foundation of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, which is also supporting the science café together with the Barcelona City Council’s Culture Institute.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Exhibition: "Tree of Life – The complexity of life: from the cell to the living organism"
Dates: From 3rd to 24th November 2016
Opening times: from Monday to Friday: 9 am – 9 pm; Saturdays: 10 am – 2 pm and 4 pm -8 pm.
Location: Centre Cívic Urgell | Carrer Comte d’Urgell, 145 | 08036 Barcelona
Admission Price: Free

App: “CRG Memory Game”
iOS version available here.
Android version available here.

FACTS:
Commission, idea, script, and production: Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
Art direction: Banc Sabadell Foundation
Organised by: Centre Cívic Urgell

For further information and interviews:
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) – Press Office – Laia Cendrós - Phone: +34 93 316 02 37