art of regeneration
January 24 — March 30, 2025
The collective exhibition was inspired by the regenerative powers of axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, an aquatic salamander, also known as the Mexican walking fish. They can regenerate multiple body parts throughout their adulthood. Bright-field microscopic images highlighting axolotl limb regeneration process, collected originally for scientific research, were used as design elements to inspire textile, fashion, media, and interior design.
The exhibition highlights the remarkable capability and the beauty of axolotl regeneration, which encourages viewers to cherish the natural resources that cannot be regenerated and to search for new ideas for sustainable and even regenerative development.
COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION CONTRIBUTORS
Professor Julie Qun Zuo and her students, the Department of Fashion, Interior Design, & Merchandising, Central Michigan University.
Professor Su Kyoung An and her students, the Department of Fashion, Interior Design, & Merchandising, Central Michigan University.
Professor Jia Wang and her students, the Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing Capital Normal University.
Professor Pimpawan Kumphai and her students, the Department of Fashion, Interior Design, and Merchandising at Central Michigan University.
Professor Bingbing Li, a polymer physical chemist and a material sustainability advocate, is the organizer and project lead of this collective exhibition.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
All animal-related laboratory studies were performed by Bingbing Li while she was a Research Assistant Professor at the Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI, 2007-2009, support by the U.S. Army Research Office, Grant No. W911NF07-10176 to David L. Stocum). Animal surgical procedures were performed by following animal protocols approved by the IUPUI Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. This exhibition project does not involve any animal study at Central Michigan University.
Dr. David L. Stocum was the dean emeritus and professor of regenerative biology in the Purdue School of Science at IUPUI. He had a productive teaching, research, and administrative career at the University of Illinois for 21 years before joining IUPUI as the dean of the School of Science in 1989. He served as dean for 15 years before returning to the faculty for a final decade of teaching and research.
SPONSOR
Office of Research and Graduate Studies, FRCE Grant #48053, Central Michigan University
Image: Yue Wang & Haodong Cui, Reflection - 2. 2023, Lycra. 20 x 80 inches. Detail.
