Vitamin A(rt)

As a child, Spike Walker was immensely obsessed with the minutiae of the natural world. Noticing his fascination, his father gifted him a microscope on his ninth birthday. Young Walker began taking photographs through the microscope lens using a home-made camera and has continued to do so for the past 60 years. Over the years, he has photographed just about everything that can come under a microscope and the spirit of scientific inquiry developed into an interest in the artistic qualities of the images. "What pleases me now is to see people enjoying the beauty at the same time as they learn about the secrets the hidden world can reveal to us," explains Walker, who is now 77 years old. This British photomicrographer, formerly a zoology teacher, is exhibiting his photo collection 'Wo:Men with a vision' at Westin Hotel, Koregaon Park till September 7. The art show has been organised by Cambridge-based creative arts company, Art Naturally, which is foraying into the Indian art market for the first time.

"We believe that Indian culture, with its celebration of colour and the spirit of nature and its appetite for science and technology, is perfect for the appreciation of these works. We chose Pune because the city has a reputation for creativity and strong connections with science and technology," said Nichola Harrison, chief executive, Art Naturally. Being a historian and land economist, Harrison works in the political field but has always aspired to be a scientist, particularly a biologist. As she read numerous science books and magazines, she noticed that scientists produce many wonderful images through the microscope and other methods. "I felt that these images ought to be available to a wider audience and so I founded Art Naturally," says Harrison, who hopes to take the exhibition to other Indian cities as well.

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