Biochemistry Professor Turns Fossilized Creatures And Present-Day Insects Into Bronze Sculptures

If you’re an art bug hiding somewhere within you, it’s certain to emerge sooner than later. So was the case with D Allan Drummond, assistant professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and human genetics at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Drummond’s area of interest is fossils and prehistoric sea creatures that he studies in his Drummond Lab. He’s also passionate about art. So, it wasn’t long before he started turning his extensive research of fossils and prehistoric creatures into 3D prints via computer. Afterward, he cast them in bronze to create their amazing sculptures.

Not only does Drummond create exact replicas of fossilized creatures in bronze, such as the 270-million-year old trilobite that went extinct 250 years ago, but also modern-day insects, like the praying mantis, jumping spiders and others. What’s really incredible is his attention to minute details that make his creations so lifelike. He even reconstructs the fossil parts that have been obliterated by the passage of time and changing the environment.

How detailed are Drummond’s creations, he shares with Colossal, thus, “So far, as a scientist, I’ve been on a slow journey to the bottom, to the deepest level of detail, from seeking to explain patterns of evolution spanning the tree of life, to probing how cells react to their environment, to tinkering with the pieces and parts of molecules swarming inside those cells? The details go all the way down, remaining absorbing and also consequential, worth knowing about and studying. That sensation of unexpectedly interesting detail is what I try to capture in my sculpture.”

What’s more, in all his exhibitions, Drummond encourages his viewers to hold the bronze to study it in greater detail. His creations are gaining popularity on the internet with Instagram viewership reaching over 34,000 and counting.

Image Via: D. Allan Drummond Roq La Rue Gallery

D. Allan Drummond: Instagram | Roq La Rue Gallery

Comments

comments

Deepak Mehla

Working on building tools that will help people find quality content on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc., so they can spend less time scrolling through the feeds and more time discovering new things!