Tree Of Life Art

In October last year there was a competition for a creative project that combined Art and Science in Singapore. I submitted a proposal for a light sculpture called the Tree of Life, which would display phylogenetic data in a physical form that is accessible to the public and fun to play with.












The Tree of Life would have fibre optic "leaves" that can change colour to trace evolutionary relationships between well-known organisms. It would also include a display screen to allow database searches and display interesting facts and videos about highlighted organisms.

The proposal was rejected in the second round of selection, but I still think it's a pretty tree. Click on the above picture for the full-size artwork.

It should have a place right here on Fresh Brainz together with my random art and obscure cartoons!











I went through a number of designs to find the most attractive one. Here's a pen sketch of the finalized form of the tree.









The inspiration for the physical Tree of Life came from the Tree of Life Web Project, which is an excellent resource for phylogenetic information and photos of many living organisms.

Do check it out!


Would you like to know more?

- Tree of Life Web Project