France Bourély, Pioneers in the Field, 1994-2024
UNA SCELTA VARIA E SORPRENDENTE
Molta la fotografia negli spazi che si susseguono, e sempre di grande effetto le macrofografie, in particolare quelle di France Bourély, che si definisce "fotografa dell'invisibile" come pure "biologa contemplativa": certamente passata dall'essere uno scienziato all'università a divenire un artista, la fotografa francese celebra in questa mostra la bellezza sofisticata e la complessità di tutte le creature che senza sosta si occupano di nutrire il suolo, rompendo e anche digerendo rami e foglie.
France Bourély, Marshmallow Laser Feast & Daro Montag
The striking photographs by France Bourély, 'Arista', showcase using micron scale photography, the beings that inhabit the soil. They bring one face to face with a dung beetle, ant and a bee's wing.
'Fly Agraric' by the Art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast, depicts the fascinating world of fungi and mycelium networks, illuminating the hidden kingdoms of life underground. The work reveals the relationship with soil and the diverse species it harbours, from trees and fungi to bacteria, archaea, and protozoa - providing a unique lens on the microcosms that sustain life on Earth.
Daro Montag's 'This Earth 6', depict the colourful and textural beauty of soil microbes to show the complexity of soil as a living organism.
Post on Somerset House - Exposition SOIL Printemps 2025
The first of SOIL's thematic sections - Life Below Ground - undertakes the seemingly straightforward yet significant task of impressing upon visitors the profound complexity of soil, revealing that it is far more than mere dirt. France Bourély (ARISTA Sensory bristle on insect head, 2022) who describes herself as a "contemplative biologist", captivates (and unsettles the entomophobic among us) with photographic close-ups of soil-dwelling creatures, such as dung beetles and ants, uncovering what she calls "invisible territories" and the "personalities" within them. Wim van Egmond's Mating and egg laying earthworms (2021) draws the audience into the world of soil microbes, revealing its unseen dynamism via time-lapse microphotography in collaboration with musician Michael Prime, whose soundscape One House as Peyote (2005/2020) makes us privy to an interaction that usually goes unheard by human ears: the extraction and exchange of water and nutrients between a peyote cactus and the soil in which it is rooted, as well as other resident organisms.
Like the soil itself, you might say. Jo Pearl's suspended morphology, multiplied in dancing shadows, of curious little forms - twisting spirals, feathery roots, tiny sculptural bodies - seems to be made of silk or cloth, but is in fact fashioned of the very clay of this earth. France Bourély's staggering electron microscope photographs reveal what she calls the personality of tiny insects and the vast reaches of cellular nanospace. Jim Richardson's Big Bluestem rises up through nine lightbox panels - only three of them the generally visible portion of this enormous prairie plant, stems streaming upwards like a shock of green hair. The other six are the tangled web nature weaves far below.
Soil is a museum of images, forms and relics, so many of them human. Here is an Iron Age sword, drawn, like some Arthurian legend, from the claggy clay of a blocked river channel in the Fens, which preserved it superbly for more than 2,000 years. But soil also makes its own exhibitions. A sequence of exquisite multicoloured planets running along one wall are the result of soil interacting directly with moistened colour film, helped along by artist Daro Montag.
Peter fraser's post Somerset House - exposition SOIL
...'The Centaur, Portrait of an Ant' 1994 by France Bourely in the superb, astonishing exhibition'Soil' @somersethouse until 13 April 2025. The exhibition with enormous breadth and intensity, showcases works by artists and photographers which fundamentally transforms our notions of the earth below us showing aspects of its extraordinary intelligent complexity...a must see exhibition! #earth #contemporaryart #photography #sculpture #textiles #film #peterfraser
Wow. Awesome. Mesmerising. The exhibition 'Soil' at Somerset House
I am a real lover of images from electron scanning microscopes and there were plenty to be blown away by at the exhibition.
Incredible time lapse footage of the world beneath our feet. Mycelium creating branching pathways through the soil, worm sex, roots piercing their way, ectomycorriza (symbiosis between plants and fungi) and numerous unseen creatures hidden from our eyes. The soil is alive and busy. It is vibrant, not just dead matter or dirt but a complex living organism.
Soil is brimming with life.
France Bourély, the artist who took this incredible image of a wood bug calls herself an explorer and photographer of the nanospace. Other images showed the beauty and intricate complexity of an ant.
Sculptures of liquid zinc poured into termite mounds looks just like coral and neural networks. Yet again the branching pattern so loved by Nature.
Artist Jo Pearl created ceramic microorganisms suspended in the air showing the incredible diversity and shapes found in the Soil.
Science communicator
Tim Cockerill and Microbiologist Elze Hesse provider beautiful macro images of bacteria and the effect on them from toxic heavy metals found in some contaminated soil...
SOIL:the world at our Feet We might walk all over it, but the ground beneath our feet has much more to say for itself than we think. Teeming with life (and its mocha colour very on-trend, as far as Pantone is concerned), our dirt's health is a valuable indicator of the state of everything around us. As human activity chips away at our ecosystems, our soil is screaming out for some love - and we are finally paying attention. This is the subject of Somerset House's landmark exhibition SOIL: The World At Our Feet, showing now in its Embankment Galleries. Drawing together thinkers, filmmakers, scientists, activists and local and global artists, SOIL weaves beauty and wonder through topics spanning waste, climate change, land and justice. Masterminded by Somerset House's senior curator Claire Catterall along with writer May Rosenthal Sloan and The Land Gardeners Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy, the exhibition illuminates and responds to soil's pivotal role across three sections: Life Below Ground, Life Above Ground and Hope. Cutting-edge Dutch artist Wim van Egmond, for example, has collaborated with musician Michael Prime to present a journey into the underworld, blending spectacular sound and micro-photography in a double-height space. Elsewhere, art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast explores the spongy fungi and mycelium networks passing messages underfoot; France Bourély showcases the microscopic beings that thrive unseen all around us; and Fernando Laposse showcases nature's ability to find solutions to the material waste issues we throw at it. Soil health, climate change, human wellbeing and nutrition are all delicately connected. And as the very real threat of food insecurity rears its ugly head, soil is finally inching its way to the top of the eco-agenda.
University of South Florida - The Synthetic Sublime by Santiago R Perez
The distinction between the artificial and the natural has been increasingly challenged as a result of advances in genetics, microbiology, and robotics. Beginning with the molecular assemblage of organic systems into complex micro-surfaces and structures, and expanding into the realm of the macro landscape, our understanding of the term Synthetic must be revised (Fig. 1). What is the relationship between the component (or part) and the whole, when confronted with the Synthetic? Digitally mediated fabrication technologies, combined with a renewed interest in topology and (bio)logical form, serve to challenge our preconceived notions of space and form. This inquiry will attempt to explore the relationship between traditional assemblies produced by hand, and the production of complex forms through digital rapid prototyping. The impact of D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form will be considered both as a historical juncture and a contemporary source of knowledge for the exploration of new assemblages inspired by topology and biology. In particular, the organic micro-surfaces depicted in France Bourély's Hidden Beauty will be explored, in comparison with the mathematical development of organic forms inspired by Periodic Minimal Surfaces. The analysis of emerging forms and assemblages based on the notion of the Synthetic will be compared with the Organic, and considered within the context of twentieth century art and sculpture. An attempt will be made to establish new modes of inquiry for combining digital and physical explorations of space and form, influenced by advances in micro-scale structures, complex surfaces, and the history of organic form in art.
Entrez dans le monde des inconnus
Avec le livre "Unsichtbare Welten", vous découvrirez, à l'aide d'un microscope électronique, un point de vue tout à fait différent sur la flore et la faune. Ce qui était jusqu'à présent si petit et insignifiant est, dans ce livre, gigantesque, comme l'arbre de Noël, placé dans le creux d'une plante, ou le zoom sur la cime d'une pierre blanche. Des Rüsselkäfer très fatigués se voient obligés d'utiliser plutôt des burgers à côté des flocons d'herbe. Et qui a pensé qu'une mouche tsé-tsé ou une chenille gluante pouvaient être aussi filigranes et élégantes ? La biologiste France Bourély présente dans son livre des espèces exotiques, de la naissance d'une Efeuknospe jusqu'au portrait d'une Ameise. France Bourély
Unsichtbare Welten
Verlag : Gerstenberg
Commentaires sur amazon.com Hidden Beauty October 2002
Stunning + Inspiring Talking a tour through this book is every bit as exciting as exploring new realms. Ms. Bourley had carefully considered her career options and among them were astronaut. Then her focus (literally!) took an unexpected turn. She discovered the depths in the ordinary that surround us. Her travels far, far into inner worlds are amazing and truly uplifting. To see the symmetry and beauty of such teensy tiny wholly seperate beings and things is to speak to the wondrous possibilities of the simple (and even inspirational) joys in seeing not totally unfamiliar patterning on such a miniscule scale. I come away thinking "everything is significant.". The calm in that is worth the price of admission. Along the same lines is a movie entitled "Microcosms". I suggest you look for it. You'll like that, too. Rating: Stunning, Visionary Book! As a physicist (by profession), and amateur photographer (in my free time) I must say that I have *never* encountered a finer example of a synergy of art and science (not to mention philosophy) displayed than what awaits the lucky reader who purchases this extraordinary book. Some of the images, on a purely aesthetic level, rank (in my humble opinion) with some of the great abstract photographs that have **ever** been taken! Indeed, I am tempted to equate what Dr. Bourely has accomplished here to what Ansel Adams accomplished for the American West with his magnificent large format photography. What Adams represents for the macroscopic world, Dr. Bourely represents for the microscopic one. She is *that* good...as a guide, as a scientist, as photographer, and as a visionary.
Blog Owen Meany - La Tour de Babel 23 février 2007
France Bourely : La connexion entre art, science et notre tendance naturelle à faire des associations est particulièrement flagrante lorsque l’on plonge dans le monde de l’infiniment petit. Depuis la création du microscope, les techniques se sont développées nous permettant aujourd’hui de révéler un monde totalement inconnu à notre échelle. Par exemple, l’utilisation du microscopique électronique à balayage a permis de mettre au jour les détails magnifiques de certains organismes vivants et faire de cet outil de science une moyen artistique donnant naissance à la science contemplative (1). Plus nous plongeons vers l’infiniment petit, plus notre façon d’interpréter ces images nous révèlent. Tout comme l’art non figuratif, la science devient alors source d’images qui jouent avec notre inconscient, notre mémoire, pour nous révéler ce que nous sommes. Une sorte de test de Rorschach artistique. Dis moi ce que tu vois, je te dirai qui tu es !
Archive du bulletin de la toile scientifique 11 mars 2003: La Micronaute. Dentelle de peau de la punaise des bois, guirlandes des ailes de papillon de Madagascar, joaillerie de microplancton fossile ou encore une poussière dans l’oeil d’une libellule... France Bourély pratique l’art de la biologie contemplative à l’aide de son microscope électronique à balayage. Lauréate d’un prix Leitz de photographie, cette diplômée en pharmacie de Paris et de Berkeley se consacre depuis 1994 à la microphotographie. Chenille, mygale, feuille de fenouil ou grain de pollen, rien n’échappe à son oeil averti. Afin d’en révéler les intimes secrets, elle enduit même ses spécimens d’une fine couche d’or; les rendant ainsi conducteurs et résistants. France Bourély vient de publier un livre aux Éditions de La Martinière, Mondes invisibles. La galerie d’images de son site offre un aperçu de cet univers inexploré empreint de poésie et de beauté. France Bourély, photographe de l’invisible
France Bourely Docteure en Pharmacie de la Faculté de Paris et Master en Biologie végétale de l'université de Berkeley en Californie, photographe et spécialiste en microscopie électronique à balayage, France Bourely est la biologiste de l'équipe Okavango. Mission Madasgascar
Après avoir obtenu la Laurea in farmacia à l'université du Parigi, France Bourely a obtenu un master en sciences à l'université de Berkely en Californie. C'est en suivant cette spécialisation que France Bourely découvre les merveilleuses possibilités du microscope électronique...
Bilderbuch : Les mondes insoupçonnés - De l'infiniment petit à l'infiniment grand... La bande dessinée la plus fascinante de l'histoire de l'humanité s'intitule "Von der Schöheit des Mikrokosmos" (De la beauté du microcosme). France Bourely
Les 26e Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie - Arles du 8 juillet au 15 aout 1995 - France Bourely - Mondes Invisibles
"Son microscope transforme la science en art" Figaro Magazine Extraits de Patrice Lanoy
Apprendre à regarder / Learning to look - France Bourely Revue Pages Paysages Septembre 1996 "le Dr Donald Kaplan, professeur décoré du Guggenheim Award et de la Himbolt Scholarship, sollicitait nos observations sur diverse plantes (Berkeley)....
France Bourely revient de l'infiniment petit : mon voyage aux frontières du vivant. L'infiniment me fascine. Tel un spationaute, je pars régulièrement observer l'organisation de la matière à la surface. Ca m'interesse Mai 1995
Biologiste contemplative, photographe de l'invisible, baroudeuse, micronaute, France Bourely se reconnaît dans chacune de ces appellations mais elle se définit avant tout comme une exploratrice qui révèle les merveilles créées par la nature. Article dans la Revue médicale
Le choc des images - Sciences et Avenir L'émergence de la photographique scientifique - France Bourely Dès la naissance officielle de la photographie en 1839, les scientifiques branchent des chambres noires à des lunettes astronomiques ou à des oculaires de microscopes...extrait article de Monique Sicard - sciences et avenir
Photomicrographie - Pour l'invisible est-il beau ? La "micronaute" France Bourely, une pure scientifique a su élever la microscopie électronique à la hauteur de l'art. Elle nous parle de son travail. ImageExpert
Arles : l'invisible déploie ses charmes. France Bourely à l'Espace Van Gogh - France Bourély pilote son microscope électronique comme n vaisseai spatial, elle emmène le public dans le monde inconnu de l'infiniment petit...
France Bourély : son microscope transforme la science en Art - Figaro Magazine. Pour France Bourely, pharmacienne et biologiste, le microscope électronique est devenu un art à part entière. Il lui permet de découvrir les beautés cachées de l'infiniment petit et d'en tirer des clichés fascinants. Portrait d'une exploratrice de l'inattendu.
DAS magazin - France Bourely Keine Ursache La scientifique française France Bourely peut, dans le microscope électronique, faire basculer le sommet d'une pyramide à un niveau si bas qu'il est théoriquement aussi haut que celui de la tour Eiffel. Cela permet à la biologiste et à la photographe d'acquérir une connaissance approfondie du monde hivernal des plantes et des insectes.
Leica Gallery New York City France Bourely - Des photographies de parties d'insectes, de bestioles, de fleurs et de plantes agrandies des milliers de fois au microscope électronique révèlent une étrange beauté, la science se transformant en art.
Photographie française à New York - La contemplative et ses bêtes - France Bourely, pharmacienne et biologiste devenue photographie, expose à la galerie Leica, à Soho. Elle traque l'infiniment petit. Mais pourquoi l'invisible est-il si beau ? Le Figaro France-Amérique
France Bourély : Les mirages du microscope électronique, planètes invisibles - Figaro Sciences 1995 Les photographies de France Bourély nous racontent un univers inaccessible à la lumière et au regard. Elle bouscule les règles d'accès à ces mondes et nous demandent d'imaginer. Extrait article Le Figaro - Sciences
Se qualifiant de biologiste contemplatif, ce charmant docteur en pharmacie diplômé de l'université de Paris et de Berkeley s'est pris de passion pour le microscope électronique qui lui permet de magnifier son art de l'invisible en recouvrant de feuilles d'or ses étranges bestioles. Ses tableaux abstraits où l'échelle d'agrandissement est énorme : étamine de rose, acariens, grains de pollen agrandis 3000 voire 10000 fois, deviennent des images intriguantes, belles et troublantes... extrait article de Philippe Thirault
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