Inspirational Posts Photo :Azul Pinochet Barros — Inspirational Posts
Photo :Azul Pinochet Barros

By: Akshit Bhardwaj

At Hotter than July : Portfolio Review 2018, our Editor in Chief, Andrea Blanch discovered the amazing talents of Azul Pinochet Barros. Below is the interview with Azul on her series SCIENCIA.

Q. What was your inspiration behind this project?

I think the inspiration for this project has been with me for a long time but I never acted on it until I began my doctorate degree in molecular microbiology. From an early age I was already scientifically inclined and as a result I would constantly absorb myself in nature and wildlife documentaries, copies of the National Geographic, and science and biology textbooks. My parents were always very supportive of this, even though neither of them are scientists. In fact, my mum is an artist, so she always encouraged my sister and I to cultivate our artistic side. Growing up in this mindset, I believe, led me to develop a peculiar approach to science and my art wherein I would often merge the two in my mind.

However, I always kept my science and my photography separate and it was not until I started graduate school that this changed. When you are in the lab as a PhD student, you do not just learn the theory behind the work, you learn to actually do the work from scratch. From the experimental design to the experiment itself and everything in between. Strain construction, equipment calibration, buffer preparation, facility coordination, all to perform an experiment that might not even work. And all the time, energy, thrill, and frustration that goes into it. This is the true scientific experience, a combination of the motions of our subjective selves in the objective medium that is nature. It is only when you live through this that you truly appreciate the intricacies of the world of scientific research. It was precisely in this light that I started to think of the many different ways to visually capture this and, not long after, the seed project “SCIENCIA” was born.

Bacterial Motions Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros — Bacterial Motions
Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros

Q2. Molecular biology and photography don't seem to go hand-in-hand much, how did you get involved in photography?

This is an excellent question because I happen to think the opposite! In my mind, they are completely interlinked for two main reasons. First and foremost, in science “seeing is believing”. By this I mean that in research words are meaningless unless you have proof. In my field, proof manifests itself in a variety of ways, from the detection of a specific gene on a DNA electrophoresis gel to a growth phenotype on a petri plate. We can only move forward once we see the results from our tested hypotheses. It is inherent in our scientific training, so keeping visual records of our findings in photographic form is imperative. Thus, this visual medium is not unfamiliar. Historically, in the early days of the optical microscope when cameras had not yet been invented, people recorded their findings behind the scope through drawings. Now, with the latest advancements in imaging technologies, photography and microscopy (as much as telescopy) are inseparable, allowing us to look deeper into nature. Photography is therefore deeply connected to scientific enquiry and discovery.

The second reason relates to the habit of hypothesizing. As researchers we frequently think about the data we generate by putting it in the context the subject matter itself. This requires us to envision our theories and hypotheses, to really immerse ourselves in them. By constantly putting ourselves in that context, like a mechanism of transcriptional regulation or a genetic circuit, we engage with the subject matter in a very visual yet personal way that allows us to see the clearer picture. Having said all of this, I therefore not only think that photography and molecular biology (or any other branch of scientific inquiry) are closely related, but that photography is a natural artistic output.

A Biochemist's Measure Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros — A Biochemist's Measure
Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros

Q3. It's interesting how you play with the focus in your images. What is the idea behind the soft focus in many of your images?

My artistic tendencies often lean towards the abstract, which is probably influenced by my scientific mindset. Because of this, I use many optic methods to convey that imagery, one of them being soft focus. Its specific purpose varies slightly depending on the intent of the photo, but generally I use it to embed a subjective tone in the image.

For example, in “Multiverse” I attempt to visually convey the multiverse theory, knowing full well that a reality with endless universes could never possibly be photographed. But by adding a dream-like component with this soft focus, it enables the mind’s eye to set the imagination free and envision something beyond the photographic template. In other photos like “Infinite Awebsession”, with the Irving Porter Church telescope as the central object surrounded by endless, softer reflections of itself, the idea is to evoke the subjective element of the viewer’s emotion for astronomy. In this case, it is the obsessive behavior scientists fall under when we are awe-struck by the beauty of our subject matter, which causes our curiosity to run wild and uninhibited.

I think it is important to show this side of science, especially because it is one that is never seen by the public eye. So, hopefully this is what speaks through the soft focus in my work. All humans dream, hope, and feel. Scientists are no exception. We are just subjective creatures delving in objectivity, which makes the endeavor all the more tough, but also even more worthwhile.

Infinite Awebsession Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros — Infinite Awebsession
Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros

Q4. Did you start this project to document the visual imagery in science or as an illustrative project?

In a way, I think it did originate from a need to document scientific visual imagery. Like I mentioned before, this seed project started out from the desire to delve into the subjective and objective elements that form the scientific experience, so documenting is a key part of it. However, this implies that the aesthetic relies solely on realism. Although this is a key part of my work, you can see that an ethereal tone predominates through most of it. So, looking back, it is not that I wanted to strictly document this visual, but to evoke through its documentation. Only then do you get the full picture.

Multiverse Photo:Azul Pinochet Barros — Multiverse
Photo:Azul Pinochet Barros

Q5. What was your intent behind this project? What do you want your audience to take away from your photographs, how do you want them to feel?

“SCIENCIA” is a seed project trying to lay out the different subjective and objective aspects of the scientific experience. The visual message varies from photo to photo, but collectively this project aims to tell you something about the scientific experience, whether on a personal note, or in a direct, informative tone. Most of the photographs here are selections from ongoing projects or potential ideas for later series. For example, “Working for Nature I” is part of an ongoing project titled “In These Hands” which showcases the diverse types of laboratories within and across fields, as well as the diversity of the people doing the science. Another project I am involved with at the moment is a collaboration with the Cornell Astronomical Society and the Fuertes Observatory wherein I seek to highlight the observatory’s unique features with a mixture of realism and surrealism. The third project, which is still in its early stages, depicts the concepts and theories of important scientists, scientific breakthroughs, and natural phenomena like “Multiverse”, “Hawking’s Horizon” and “A Biochemist’s Measure”.

I happen to think that people, to a greater or lesser extent, always seek out science and art because, as humans, we are naturally curious beings who are inherently attracted to aesthetic form. With this in mind, I wish to communicate science, the scientific experience, and ultimately in this way tap into my audience’s sense of awe and curiosity. If I can do this, it not only validates my worldview, but also sets the stage for the public to engage more with the scientific community.

Hawking's Horizon Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros — Hawking's Horizon
Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros

Q6. How much post-production is involved in your work? What is the visual idea you're going for?

There is actually not much post-production involved. I do edit my photographs, much like one analyzes and organizes their data once they have finished an experiment. You want to make sure that you are communicating your message in the best possible way. However, I rarely process my work with intense photoshop editing. By contrast, I devote a considerable amount of time and thought to the pre-production process. To me, it is as if I was designing an experimental setup. I study the space, the object, the different elements I can incorporate into the frame, the lighting, etc. Once I have the data or the photograph, that is in essence what you see. As I said before, this seed project branches off into multiple different ones, so the visual ideas vary. The overall intent though is always to expose the nitty gritty knots and bolts of the scientific experience, highlighting its realism yet abstract beauty.

Our Message Ourselves Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros — Our Message Ourselves
Photo: Azul Pinochet Barros

Q7. What was the thought behind the title "Our Message. Ourselves?"

This piece was taken last year, during the 40th anniversary of the launching of the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecrafts. The mission was nicknamed “The Grand Tour” and it was a groundbreaking stepping stone for the scientific community that marked the beginning of a new era of space exploration. Namely, the mission goal was to venture past the asteroid belt and into the outer solar system to learn about our distant neighbors Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and beyond. The sheer scientific creativity and audacity it took to make this journey possible remains unparalleled.

When faced with an endeavor of such proportions, it poses unimaginable repercussions for us as a species. It puts science at another level, demanding us to exercise human introspection. Fortunately, one of the lead scientists of this mission, the late Dr. Carl Sagan, understood this. As such, he led a group of people to create and attach on each of Voyager satellites a copy of the golden record (shown in “Our Message. Ourselves.”). The record itself contains a myriad of carefully selected images and sounds of Earth. It is an attempt to define Earth and its inhabitants, should these shuttles, when they eventually exit our heliosphere and make their way into interstellar space, ever encounter intelligent life in the distance of space and time. It is a message in a bottle, putting our infinitely complex yet self-contradicting identity out into the infinite. This is depicted in the piece by the endless reflections surrounding the disc itself. It represents a truth, our truth, and our message to the stars. It serves as a reminder that what we do here in this pale blue dot floating in eternity, whether as microbiologists, astronomers, poets or philosophers in the end leads us to ourselves, to the stars, and back to our humanity.