A recent project offered the unique opportunity to express scientific work as art. The recently re-opened Spaulding Hall at the University of New Hampshire features five wall murals that the Placework team designed in collaboration with COLSA – the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. The COLSA team was eager to enliven their primary lab and classroom space with images that spoke to the work that students and researchers do in the building.

We began by collecting images from UNH faculty that were representative of their work. The images ranged from trees and fish to moths and fascinating, luminescent images at the microscopic level. Our task was to bring all these images together in a way that evoked both the beauty and study of nature.

The integration of art into the architectural space enhances the visitors’ experience and may just spark some scientific inquiry.

The approach centered on finding images that either blended or juxtaposed in interesting ways, and creating a stream of color and texture that blended with the blues and greens of the building paint colors, which had already been established. The wall panels were planned for walls that are interrupted by doors, recesses, and other building equipment; our approach was to provide a continuous wash of graphics that flow across building elements.

Our work was primarily done using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. We blended the images and then put them through a process of rasterization, creating an intentionally pixelated image. The process allows the eye to understand the whole picture from far away but provides some interesting texture and allusion to the technological process from up close.

We worked closely with the manufacturer at Inpro to coordinate the size, printing method, and installation method for the polycarbonate panels.

The resulting murals have been installed as construction proceeded over the last few years. Now that they are all in place and the building has had its official ribbon-cutting, we have had a chance to step back and appreciate the overall effect. The integration of art into the architectural space enhances the visitors’ experience and may just spark some scientific inquiry. We hope so!