Toronto 
Inner Spaces at the Ontario Science Centre features Medusa by Blair Gage as part of the Contact Photography Festival. (CNW Group/Ontario Science Centre)
Experience breathtaking images that showcase scientific discoveries at the cellular level as Inner Spaces, part of the Contact Photography Festival, which opens May 1, 2018, at the Ontario Science Centre. This scientific research photography display is a collaboration between the University of Toronto, Contact Photography Festival and the Ontario Science Centre.
Inner Spaces features photographic magnifications of cells and tissues, showcasing research in progress through the eyes of scientists. What their microscopes reveal is transforming the human body into a frontier for discovery that rivals the cosmos. The installation showcases the creativity in science research and the inherent beauty in unexpected by-products.
Two of the images in Inner Spaces include Tobias Fuehrmann’s Crossing and Blair Gage’s Medusa.
Tobias Fuehrmann, Crossing
The site of spinal cord injury can present the same vibrant elements of abstract art. The red filaments are nerve fibres (called axons) that connect the brain with the rest of our body via the spinal cord, allowing us to move our arms and legs. When the spinal cord is damaged, function is lost below the site of injury. To overcome this devastation, stem cells (shown in green) are transplanted, and axons (in red) are encouraged to re-grow, thereby restoring at least some of the lost nerve connections and some of the lost functions.
Blair Gage, Medusa
Does this image conjure up visions of a spider? Or of an extraterrestrial villain from a sci-fi film? This single human amniotic stem cell can grow into all different cell types — skin, cartilage, nerve, muscle, bone. With the goal of finding a cell that can produce insulin for the treatment of diabetes, these cells were designed to produce a red fluorescent protein to show the movement of insulin. The green colour in the background represents those cells that did not produce insulin. The juxtaposition of red and green reflects that moments of success often come after many failed attempts.
HOW MUCH
The installation is free with general admission.
Adult (18-64): $22
Youth (13-17)/Senior (65+): $22
Child (3-12): $13
WHEN
MAY 1 to 31, 2018
Regular Hours of Operation
Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday and Holidays: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
WHERE
Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road at the corner of Eglinton Avenue East in Toronto