OU on the BBC: Small Matters - Interview with Dr Cristina De Matteis

Production team

Production team

Do you feel it’s important to popularise science?

I think it is extremely important to make science accessible to everybody. Science has an ever increasing impact on all our lives. It is therefore very important that all members of society should have access to the tools which will allow them to make the best use of scientific and medical information, and so make the best decisions for themselves and their families. But accuracy of scientific information must be ensured, together with balanced assessments of risk.

Your art is a fusion of glamour photography and 3D molecular models. What gave you the idea of combining the two?

I was interested in trying to do two things. Firstly, to show that molecules are relevant to everyday life; and secondly to create a positive image of chemistry and chemicals.

The composite photographs show the role of molecules in everyday situations and the visual style (which is attractive, modern and stylish) hopefully makes the science seem more relevant and positive.

The advantage of using beautiful images is that you can attract the viewer’s attention and then communicate ideas of chemistry, without having to use any technical words. Many people find the language of science off-putting, so visual images are helpful and useful since you can avoid these words.

How and when did you first start making these images?

I have always been very struck that some people use the word chemical to solely describe something which they feel is dangerous and toxic, whilst I, as a chemist, use the word chemical to describe more or less everything around us.

I wanted to show that chemicals make up our bodies, our food, our weekly shop, and that whilst some chemicals are dangerous, others are not. These images were an attempt to show that we use chemicals all the time, in our everyday lives.

As an artist and also a chemist, do you feel that you personify the traditional conflict between the arts and the sciences?

I don’t generally think of myself as an artist, since I have no training in art. I am very visually aware, and very interested in art, but I don’t think that creatively I operate as an artist.

Do you feel there will always be a schism between art and science, or now, with computer aided design, is there a "meeting of minds"?
I have worked creatively with artists, and on the basis of these experiences I think that scientists and artists do, more often than not, have different cultures and different ways of looking at the world.

This does not mean that there cannot be a "meeting of minds". The ultimate challenge is for artists and scientists to work together creatively, whilst both parties contribute their different knowledge, ideas and creativity.

I know of some people who operate within both the cultures, but I think it is unusual to find one individual who has both scientific and artistic creative culture. Computing may well provide a useful interface between art and science, but I am sure that there are many other novel ways in which scientists and artists can work together.

Do you feel art and science are equally creative?

Yes, very definitely.

How are your images put together?

The composite photographs are created digitally. The photographs of everyday situations are scanned from prints at high resolution.

The molecular graphics images are created on a graphics workstation. The photographs and molecular graphics images are merged together and manipulated in graphics software.

What and/or who are your inspirations and influences?

I love chemistry and molecular sciences. I think it is a fascinating subject, which attempts to explain our world, within a very rigorous framework. The same is true of science in general. I also very much enjoy modern design, architecture and fashion.

Do you feel that chemistry is undervalued in our society? And scientists in general?
This is a complicated question, since society is made up of so many different groups of people. So there isn’t a simple answer to this. Surveys show a reluctance by some young people to study chemistry and other sciences, but I think the reasons behind this are likely to be very complex. Interestingly, recent surveys in this country have shown that the public rate scientists highly in terms of their trustworthiness, with many other professions faring considerably less well.

As a female chemist who uses computer technology to create your images, do you feel there should be more women working in both of these fields?

I would certainly like to see more women in influential positions within all branches of science and technology. There are progressively fewer women in increasingly senior positions.

What areas of chemistry interest and excite you?

For me the most exciting developments are in the interface between chemistry, biology and physics. Increasingly, we are able to look at and understand the workings of the healthy and unhealthy body in 3D molecular detail.

This means we can design new drugs and therapies which can prevent, or treat, or cure an increasing number of diseases. Developments in this interdisciplinary area are extremely exciting.