Designs on science go on show

PA 56/10 Unique research into 'artificial life' forms at The University of Nottingham is being showcased in an unusual exhibition at the Royal College of Art in London. The project is one of 16 scientific studies on show at the RCA this weekend in which the scientists have teamed up with designers to create a visual interpretation of the potential real-life impact of their scientific developments. The extraordinary exhibition is called IMPACT! and has been organised by the Engineering and Physcial Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which is funding the projects. It is designed to give the wider public a powerful insight into how today's cutting-edge research might transform our experience of the world. The University of Nottingham's collaboration has been with RCA graduate designer James King who was challenged to design an artistic representation of a new concept in Synthetic Biology — the interaction between a fictitious artificial 'cell', ie chemically created, and organic living cells. The resulting piece of design is called a 'Cellularity Scale', a 3D model which depicts an imaginary scale to measure degrees of 'living-ness' of a synthetic cell. It explores the question: 'When does an artificial chemical cell (chell), which mimics behaviours and characteristics of a natural cell, become a real 'living' cell?' Professor Cameron Alexander from the University's School of Pharmacy said: "The IMPACT! exhibition is a very effective way of visualising what the real-life impact of our research might be.