10/9/2006
Art Imitates Microlife

Sculptor whose work includes rendering a tiny organelle finds inspiration in nanoscience

By Jamie Tallon Staff writer

	photo: Desmond Wee
	Artist Mara G. Haseltine next to part of her 84-foot long sculpture Waltz of the Polypeptides at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

With an international known father who made major discoveries in AIDS and cancer, and a grandfather who was a rocket scientist, it is no wonder Mara G. Haseltine has found a way to combine her love of art and own passion for science.

The 32- year- old artist, who lives in Manhattan, watched last week as her 84 foot long sculpture, Waltz of the Polypeptides was put on permanent display on the grounds of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

To create this piece, Haseltine drew on the nature of the ribosome, the sub-cellular organelles that make proteins in the human body. She used the 1999 discovery of the BLYs protein an inspiration for her larger- than- life sculpture, which is made of fiberglass steel and paint. The protein is a B-cell survival factor critical for healthy functioning of the immune system.

It grows from a tiny strand to a full blown structure, said William Haseltine her father, formally at Harvards Dana Farber Cancer Institute, who worked on the Human Genome Project and founder of 7 biotech companies, including Human Genomes Sciences. In science, form determines function. The shape of things is extremely important to understanding how it works. Maras art reveals that shape. It is beautiful dynamic and interactive.

The walk-through sculpture finished in 2003 toured the country. It also spent time on exhibit at Human Genome Sciences in Maryland. It was featured at Bio2003 the largest annual convention of Biotech Scientists. Last week it was installed at the Long Island Laboratory, by Human Genome Sciences whos CEO is currently Thomas Watkins.

My father and scientists in general have been a constant source of inspiration for me, Haseltine said. This piece is dedicated to my father for all the incredible work he has done.

She created unique formulae to translate accurate sub-cellular data based on x-ray crystallography into computer generated models. She mixes landscape architecture, technology with traditional sculpting methods. I wanted to create an out of body experience, she said of her science-inspired art. So people experience nanoscience on a grand scale.

In 2004, Haseltine was commissioned by Biopolis, a large biotech research consortium in Singapore, to create a piece based on the discovery of the protease inhibitor drug used to stop the potentially lethal course of the SARS virus. Called SARS Inhibited, her large bronze sculpture depicts the active cleft of the SARS virus, where the drug goes to work to block the toxic entry to the cell.

People can walk along the path of the piece, which is in the shape of the protease, the enzyme that is inhibited by the drug, Haseltine said. Conceptually, this is the thing that stops SARS from killing people.

The piece was unveiled last month in Singapore, where Haseltine met with scientist who discovered the protease inhibitor.

She also creates bronze busts of people, including one she made of her grandfather. She is about to embark on a new scientific art form: living sculpture. She will be creating oyster beds as environmental art and hopes to use them to clean up waters in the Hudson River. She will also develop seascapes using coral reefs to preserve biodiversity worldwide.

One oyster filters 5 to 25 gallons of water a day, said the artist who as a teenager had her sights set on marine biology before turning her attention to art.