OpenIdea_086 Martina Fröschl Butterflies in the Science Visualization Lab

In the realm of modern scientific research, understanding the intricacies of phenomena that operate beyond the limits of human perception presents a challenge. The Science Visualization Lab at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria, is dedicated to addressing this challenge through its expertise in rendering invisible scientific processes visible. Specializing in science visualization, using media art installations is the latest experiment to present these computer animations.

Therefore, the lab has a unique approach to presenting complex scientific concepts in accessible and engaging ways. Through interactive projections, immersive soundscapes, and tactile interfaces, the Science Visualization Lab transforms abstract ideas into tangible experiences, facilitating comprehension and sparking curiosity. The potential of media art installations as dynamic tools for bridging the gap between the unseen realms of science and the tangible world of human perception are explored.

The latest media art installation Butterfly}Pieris{Effect deals with the importance of insects for ecosystems and will be part of the symposium exhibition. It is an installation that combines projection mapping on a human-sized butterfly egg, an animation of scanned butterfly embryos, three VR goggles that show the world through the eyes of three developmental stages of the butterfly, a soundscape with an expert interview about ecology, a high-resolution scan of a Pieris brassicae butterfly and video information about the creation process of the scans for the art installation.

Martina Fröschl is digital artist and head of the Science Visualization Lab at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. She studied media technique and media design. The depiction of realities and biological phenomena has ever since driven her creations She contributed to various documentary and fictional productions for TV and cinema as visual effects and CG-artist.