CHROME-CHROMA- CHROMOSOMES

In 1986, Artist Jon Goldman was asked by fellow artist, Richard Fishman, to create an environmental artwork at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Goldman's father, the late Dr. Allen S. Goldman had grown up in Providence and attended Brown from undergraduate to Ph.D. candidate. The elder Goldman became a pediatrician with a focus on genetics. The younger Goldman's artwork of chromosomes in mitosis on a grand scale, using helium and brightly colored polyethylene tubes reflects the intergenerational links of the artist and his father. The artwork is an early example of the artist's combination of theatrical celebration and large-scale sculpture, adding a performative element to kinetic sculpture.