Chickpea Connections

Elizabeth Bressington, Big Picture, Hobart City High School

In collaboration with Esmat Sarafraz School of Natural Sciences, UTAS

Artist’s Statement

The scientist I am working with is studying the parts of chickpea DNA that control flowering time.

I was inspired by all the different chickpea plants and their DNA. During the lab visit I have learned how to extract DNA from leaves and that there are different types of chickpea plants. We also got to open seedpods and count chickpeas to record the data.

My artwork is supposed to show a chickpea plant leaf, its DNA and how light is important for a plant to grow. I am using boxes painted black so that the brightly coloured areas of the artwork will stand out better and lights so you can see it in the dark room. I am using crocheted wool to connect the DNA strands from one drawing to another.

I enjoyed finding the ideas for my artwork during the visit to Esmat’s lab. I hope that people enjoy my artwork and learn more about chickpeas.