When chemistry and art collide
From disappearing bottles to catalytic clothing: Josh Howgego investigates how a scientist–artist duo is starting conversations about society’s future
UK artist and fashion designer Helen Storey has created some arresting installations over the years. You may have seen a city square filled with miniature tepees made from pairs of jeans, for instance. Or perhaps her series of ‘disappearing’ washing-up bottles. Or watched a model being lowered into a tank of water and her clothes then slowly dissolve.
Walk around any city and you’re sure to stumble across a street installation. But there is one thing that sets Helen’s work apart: many of her recent creations took two people to mastermind – and the second person is a chemist. Tony Ryan, pro-vice chancellor for science at the University of Sheffield, UK, first met Helen in 2004. It began when Helen heard Tony on BBC Radio 4’s science programme Material World.
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