University Museums, Iowa State University prohibits the copying or reproduction in any medium o ...

Gene Pool

Object NameMosaic Floor

Artist / Maker Andrew Leicester (British-American, b. 1948)

Date1991

OriginUSA

MediumCeramic tile mosaic floor

Dimensions672 x 228 in. (1706.9 x 579.1 cm)

ClassificationsArchitecture, Architectural Ornamentation and Elements

Credit LineAn Iowa Art in State Buildings Project for the Molecular Biology Building. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

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Object numberU91.76

Status

On view

Collections

Label TextLeicester designed three ceramic mosaics on the first floor of the building. The largest fills most of the atrium floor space and is titled Gene Pool. It is the image of a bacterium in the act of releasing strands of DNA. Scientifically speaking, a gene pool is a collection of genes in an interbreeding population. When this mosaic "pool" is viewed from above, it actually looks like a swimming pool, and plays on the double meaning. The G-Nome Project fully integrates art and architecture into the Molecular Biology Building. Since the artist, Andrew Leicester, was selected at the start of the project, he was able to work with the architectural firm Hansen Lind Meyer, Inc. to incorporate the art into the building's design. As a result, Iowa State University has gained a striking example of the successful merging of art and architecture, as well as a building rich in meaning and function. When Leicester was commissioned by Iowa State to create this public art, he began to research the kinds of activities that would take place there. He found information at conferences, by attending lectures, by reading books, and through conversation with scientists and students. He kept a sketchbook of ideas and drawings on the subject. It became clear to him that the most debated area of current investigation in the field of molecular biology was transgenetic animal research with both the academic community and the public expressing their opinions. Philosophers, sociologists, animal scientists, and economists were among the many who were discussing the potential legal and economic implications of genetic research.

Locations