Textile art installation for the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre

"Repeat . Evolve" is a recently completed textile art installation for the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. 

With its intricate and often beautiful symmetries, crystallography has a fundamental and profound relationship with art. A collection of fabrics depicting crystal structures was exhibited in the 1951 Festival of Britain, the designs having emerged from the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. One also thinks of the art of M.C. Escher, whose lecture and exhibition in Cambridge at the International Union of Crystallography meeting in 1960 was the catalyst for his association with many crystallographers. Throughout the CCDC's award-winning building, designed by Danish architect Eric Sorenson, crystallography's influence in the design is often visible, and Hymas' exciting new work is both coherent and complementary to its setting. 

The title of the artwork is an expression of the artist's experience of working with scientific information; `Repeat' describes the symmetries and regularity to be seen in all crystal structures and is reflected in the wrapping, stitching, folding and repeated printed motifs.`Evolve' captures the artistic temperament, with Hymas' creative autonomy displayed in vibrant colour and sharp geometric elements. It also speaks of the physical aspects of disorder and defects in crystal growth.   

The work can be viewed by appointment by contacting [email protected]