Dances and Ceremonies: The Inner World of Cells

Julie Newdoll

Julie Newdoll is an artist from California who interprets biological molecules and mechanisms in metaphors of mythologies and ceremonies. Her exhibit at Macalester included a series of five kimonos Newdoll painted to represent each of five senses – hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell. Known molecular receptors and cells involved in our perception of the world were folded into the form of the traditional kimono. The other series represented in the show included paintings that riff off the structures of DNA and proteins – the essential molecules of life. Rather than amino acids and nucleotides – Newdoll’s molecules are composed of tiny human figures, some with exuberant bunches of flowers in hand, holding hands in a dance of life. Curator: Devavani Chatterjea, Biology.