Macro or Micro?

Professors Paul Kelly and Stephen Young’s work is currently featured in the Museum of Science exhibition “Macro or Micro? Challenging our Perceptions of Scale.” They have gathered compelling images from their scientific research to test viewers' perceptions of the Earth. The exhibit is on view at MOS through September 30.

Through the intermingling of earth imagery generated via both satellite and microscope this body of work by Paul Kelly and Stephen Young reveals patterns and similarities in the natural world that are undetectable by the naked eye. This exciting, collaborative work bridges art and science, raising questions about how we interpret various points-of-view, the broader universe and our place in it.

Paul Kelly has been a professor of biology at Salem State University since 1997. He is a herpetologist who specializes in the study of snakes. He received his BA from Rutgers University and his PhD from New York University. Stephen Young is a former chair of the geography department at Salem State University where he focuses on remote sensing, vegetation change and the geography of Asia. He received his PhD in geography from Clark University and a master’s degree in environmental science from Yale University.

All images are digitally captured by either space-borne sensors or an electron microscope and printed on photographic paper using an HP Designjet plotter. Each image is then laminated and attached to Gatorboard. Differences in scale between the microscopic and macroscopic imagery can be million times or more. 

The Museum of Science is located at One Science Park in Boston.