The Secret of Life
The Secret of Life is an artwork about layers, hidden codes, and the complex structures, equations and histories that lie beneath the surface. It takes inspiration from Rosalind Franklin, whose X-Ray diffraction photographs suggestive of the double helix were integral to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Sound and music is used in The Secret of Life to create a multi-sensory experience of DNA, a subject which is usually represented by silent images. The audio element uses numbers and rules derived from the hidden codes of the genetic alphabet to build an organic composition that can be experienced without referring to its inner nature. The rules remain buried: they exist invisibly within the music yet are integral to its form.
Commissioned by The Wellcome Trust. Exhibited at Two Ten Gallery, London 2003 Secrets and Lies: The troubled relationship between Art and Science Lecture for the Wellcome Trust. Published online 2003 Finalist in “Unnatural Selection” Whittingham Riddel International Artists’ Open 2006 Festival Szczecin, Poland 2007 Ludlow Assembly Rooms 2007 Festival International Arte, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Santa Fe 2007 FILE Hipersonica Sao Paulo, Brazil 2007 Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, Naples Italy 2008 MO Radio 2008
"The Secret of Life is a multi-sensory DNA-inspired sculpture. Like the complexity of the music, the shape of the sculpture is elusive. Because of its large size and close proximity, the shape cannot be fully appreciated, except from above - an intentionally awkward position from which to view the display. All together, these absurdities make one realise how palpable the discovery must have felt to Franklin – so close and yet so far. In this way the exhibition speaks truths, not only about the discovery of DNA but also about the nature of the scientific research process as a whole. " "Curry and Pinchbeck use digital sound, video projection with x-ray photographs, and animations with DNA sequences interposing Franklin’s image. Their work is an analogy of the complex structures beneath the surface and Franklin’s role within science, both of which have finally emerged. I found in the exhibit a phrase that stays with me: “Life is the shape it is for a purpose.”
"Not an exhibition for the artistically conservative, one of the most show's most enticing pieces is The Secret of Life. This work cleverly explores Franklin's role in the DNA story, making us ponder the science and the sexual politics of her tragic story. It is one of the highlights of this refreshingly unfusty exhibition."
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