Pictured above is the painting Calcium by Lies Van Hee. Working with science teacher and chemist Dr. Eleanor Johnson, Calcium is part of Journeys to the Chemical Elements, a series that “weaves together storytelling, shamanism, and the periodic table to explore the relationship between humans and chemistry.” Here’s more from Dr. Johnson via Art the Science:
Journeys to the Chemical Elements aims to connect people to the elements of the Periodic Table through storytelling and art. It is the culmination of thirty shamanic journeys to the Chemical Elements, where many of the most well-known elements are portrayed as closely as possible. Our aim is to inspire future generations to take the opportunity to know and understand the Chemical Elements, and to see them as precious gifts to be respected.
Training with Chris Luttichau at Northern Drum Shamanic Centre allowed the space and time to explore chemistry as I never had before. Building on a knowing that everything is alive—even rocks, trees, and rivers—made me wonder if the same would be for the elements of the Periodic Table. An experiment at first, I began using drum journeys to connect with the Chemical Elements. I cannot presume to understand exactly how it is that they work—only that the drum puts the brainwaves into a different frequency. From there it is beyond my capacity to explain.
Every Tuesday is Art Tuesday here at Adafruit! Today we celebrate artists and makers from around the world who are designing innovative and creative works using technology, science, electronics and more. You can start your own career as an artist today with Adafruit’s conductive paints, art-related electronics kits, LEDs, wearables, 3D printers and more! Make your most imaginative designs come to life with our helpful tutorials from the Adafruit Learning System. And don’t forget to check in every Art Tuesday for more artistic inspiration here on the Adafruit Blog!