Art Installation: “Genetic Symphonies”

An interactive art exhibit entitled “Genetic Symphonies: The Building Hox of Life” was recently installed on the 1st Floor of College Library. The piece conveys developmental biology concepts using light and sound and includes the art itself as well as a control box that patrons can use to interact with the exhibit. Patrons are welcome to push buttons on the control box to light up the boxes. When the buttons are pushed in the correct order a “symphony” of sound (headphones are attached to the control box) is created.

The Hox gene family orchestrates the breathtaking diversity of forms we see in the natural world, from the elegant curve of a swan’s neck to the delicate fingers of a pianist. UW-Madison graduate students and Marie Christine Kohler Fellows Katharine Hubert and Sharon Tang have created an interactive Art+Science fusion exhibit  that opens up the captivating world of Hox genes. More details about this exhibit are available here.

Visitors may interact with the piece at College Library through the first week in April.