New art installation reflects Penn State research on energy and environment

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Visitors to the Energy and the Environment Laboratory (EEL) on Penn State’s University Park campus will now find themselves greeted by a trio of large eels. A new metal wall sculpture featuring three individually themed eels has been permanently installed in the lobby of the EEL building.

Measuring 13 feet wide and 9 feet high, the display is constructed from aluminum sheet metal that has been laser cut into pieces that were either powder coated in various colors or anodized for a dark gray finish. The intricate work of art was commissioned by Tom Richard, director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment, who worked closely with senior research artist, Talley Fisher, and Daryl Branford, director of Science-Art Initiatives at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, to develop the concept.

“Talley and Daryl have created a spectacular representation of critical research being done by Penn State to solve some of the greatest challenges of our time,” said Richard. “From new solar and battery technologies to microplastics to climate change, our researchers are deep into the science and technology. But knowledge and innovation are not enough – we also need passion and commitment to drive transformative change. The science-art initiative is designed to move hearts as well as minds, and this sculpture does both with extraordinary success.”

The sculpture took a little over a year to design and plan, about three months to fabricate and assemble, and just two days to install. According to Fisher, "This sculpture represents the complex research that IEE faculty and researchers are performing. Each eel's theme reveals aspects of the research through patterns, materials, and symbology."

At the top right of the sculpture, the environmental research eel represents IEE research on climate and ecological topics, including carbon dioxide levels, carbon dating, water quality, and microplastics. The graph displayed at the head of this eel depicts increasing CO2 levels over the past 45,000 years, a nod to the Radiocarbon Laboratory, which provides radiocarbon measurements on carbon-bearing materials spanning the last 45,000 years. A circle at this eel's center displays a clock paired with a Carbon 14 symbol. Broken pieces in the tail serve a dual role, representing the breakdown of plastics in our ecosystems as well as the breaking of glaciers and melting of polar ice caps.

Positioned at the bottom of the sculpture, a second eel represents battery research. The head of this eel sports a hexagonal pattern that represents the element carbon, often used in the anode of a battery, while the tail mimics the circular pattern of metal oxides used in cathodes. The maze in the center circle of this eel's body represents the many research paths traversed by researchers seeking new materials and better methods for construction of batteries.

Finally, at the upper left of the sculpture, a third eel represents energy research. The pattern that fills the head of this eel is meant to evoke the familiar blue solar panel, while the pattern filling the tail represents the perovskite solar module. It’s copper color represents copper oxide, an oft-employed component used in perovskite solar cells. The center circle of this eel's body is rendered as an image of the sun, the light of which is required to power all solar panels.

A large circle at the center of the sculpture is designed to accommodate a screen where future animations, videos, and graphics of EEL researchers are meant to be displayed.

“Art is a phenomenal way to communicate science to the public, and we’re thrilled to see this latest example of beauty and creativity brought to life at the interface of the two,” said Andrew Read, director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. “This remarkable installation piece will serve to inspire the Penn State research community many years into the future.”

In addition to staff from the Huck Institute’s SciArt unit, several people from within the University community collaborated with external partners to prepare the space in the lobby and fabricate and assemble the pieces of the new sculpture.

Alan Witmer, IEE facilities manager; Steve Watson, director of planning, design, & properties at Office of Physical Plant (OPP); Duncan Spence, renovation services estimator at OPP; and several OPP staff members completed the work necessary to prepare the wall space in the lobby for the sculpture. Precision Metal Fabricators in York, Pennsylvania, assisted with most of the fabrication. Mountaintop Powder Coating, located in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, finished the metal pieces. Olivia Calef, studio manager at Talley Fisher Studio, assisted with assembly and installation.