PHILIP SCHOFIELD


artist-scientist

painterly digital collage about genetics, molecular biology, and memory, inspired by Freud and Schwitters

"Parasites"

Parasites have been the scourge of mankind since time immemorial, and despite the development of drugs to combat them they remain a major health problem with severe economic consequences. Parasites have killed more people than all of the wars in the history of mankind, with malaria alone killing between 2 and 3 million people each year.


"Fusion 1.1: Art + Science"

Part of a series about bridging the perceived gap between art and science/medicine by interfacing elements of the visual arts with elements of current biological research methods in molecular biology and medicine.

In his recent works he fuses fragments of photographs of personal lives with various imaging systems of contemporary biology and medicine. This fusion produces new perspectives of persona and self, and generates new forms of expression of biography and autobiography. It also provides new perspectives by which to visualise and interpret aspects of modern biology and medical science.



"Merzing Schwiters"

Schwitters coined the phrase "merzing" to describe the act of making his collages. My work is a homage to Schwitters, and it often contains one of his signature items, namely a discarded tram ticket, but in this case the "ticket" is a construct  not printed with tram stops and prices etc, but rather with information central to modern genetics.


"Steps"


A Unique Background:
Dr. Philip Schofield is a Conjoint Professor in the School of Fine Art at the University of Newcastle.  Prior to that he was an Associate Professor in Biochemistry at the University of N.S.W. Since he is both an artist and a scientist he is in an unique position to facilitate the interfacing of art and science. He is committed to bridging the perceived gap between art and science. He is also currently a member of the ArtsHealth Research and Practice Centre at the University of Newcastle.

His solo exhibitions include:
"Charting Memory, Framing Memory," With M.Lawry, University Gallery, Newcastle. 2007
"Fusions 1.2," American Society for Tropical Medicine Hygiene Congress, Denver/USA, 2002
"The Basel Studies," Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, 2002
"Protozoografica," ICOP XI, Salzburg (Austria) 2001
"Fusion 1.1: Art + Science," The Australia Centre, Berlin, 2001

Website: http://www.philipschofield.net/index.html