Er the Microscope

I 3in> m zn wmrr r~ — H C ZHHtfl <U OH rco O2Z2 00 »!fl 09 X30 -j M i -j r -J 1-1 Vol. 421 Friday, February 14,1997 > TO er the microscope With the help of magnification, what was once purely scientific is now artistic in a new exhibit By Steve Janas Whether depicting a microchip or a The Packet Group virus, each picture explodes with col- or, with the exception of the gray As a piece of expressionist fanta- first-place prize winner, which makes sy, the picture's not bad. From lay- up for its deficiency with rich tex- ered shades of gray, there rises a line tures. The shapes are varied and dy- of rigid cones that give the distinct namic: There are delicate crystalline impression of ramparts. You think, structures and amorphous blobs. perhaps, of Elsinore, moody Prince Hamlet's home, although re-con- The images are stunning, but not ceived for the post-industrial era. A many people know about them, Ms. reasonably successful feat of the Albright says. She says she happened imagination, you might conclude. upon news of last year's competition while browsing through an obscure Except that there's nothing imag- technical journal geared toward mi- inary about it. This is an un-doctored, croscopic photography. She decided un-retouched photograph of an actual right away that it would be a perfect object you would be able to see with fit for the museum. your own eyes, if they were capable "It's a little beyond what we nor- of magnifying objects 80 times. mally do," she explains. "But our What the photograph, taken by mission is to interpret the natural his- Lars Bech of the Netherlands, shows tory of New Jersey. Part of that histo- ...... J is a crystal forming in a bath of acid. ry's not available to us, because we The image is provocative enough for don't have the equipment. But that On display in Trenton is the photograph "Indium phosphide surface" by Ulrich Buettner. it to have won first place in the 22nd doesn't mean it doesn't exist. So annual Nikon International Small many of the images have relevance to faced the photographers who cap-lage of bold reds and blues and ma-1 World Competition, which awards New Jersey." tured images of crystals forming gentas, it resembles nothing so much prizes to both professional and ama- The degree of magnification for from their constituent substances, for as a set of moose antlers. teur photographers who capture the the images is actually not terribly example. The process can occur in "He works a lot with crystals," sometimes ephemeral processes and large. The ninth-place winner, a pho- the blink of an eye. Ms. Albright says. "It's a lot like the objects that exist just below the tograph of indium phosphide crystals work he submitted last year, which is threshold of human vision. She also can appreciate the quali- that had been magnified 1,000 times, ty of the biological specimens, such also modernistic in appearance. He's The collection of 20 finalists is in is the most enlarged image. Most of as the sixth-place winner, an image got a style —'• maybe it's the subject the early stages of a tour around the the objects are seen 10 to 200 times of axons, or nerve endings, in the ce- he's photographing." country. It was first hung in the Unit- as large as they really are, which rebral cortex of an unborn hamster. Although Ms. Albright says she ed Nations in New York City; until would be well within the capability "'It looks like a picture of the au- feels the photographs on display March, it's on view at the New Jer- of the microscopes owned by the mu- rora borealis to me," she says of the would be an invaluable aid to teach- sey State Museum in Trenton. seum. sweeping, yellow and orange-glow- ers who bring their classes to the mu- But simple magnification is only The pictures can be found in a ing streaks in the photograph "You seum on field trips, she also sees the half the story. To make, the images hallway that runs through the muse- can see the fthraii -nature 4 Ql—the images as sources of inspiration to. stand out the way they do, the pho- um's natural history section. For the axons). Essentially, that's how ours others in the state who might want to tographers had to resort to special- exhibit's purposes, the hallway's are formed So if you're looking at tr\ to produce the same type of thing. ized techniques. In some cases, fluo- been turned into a makeshift art gal- the axons of a hamster, it's not too "I'd like to appeal to scientific rescent dyes were injected into the lery. Shirley Albright, the museum's far of a jump to the axons of an un- groups and photographers to come in specimens; others were illuminated assistant curator of collections and born human fetus." and see the photos," she says. "They with polarized light or more esoteric exhibitions, agrees that the collection Dr. James E. Dunnington photographed "Gurschmann's Spiral in Although the competition is open can see how the styles and techniques processes like differential interfer- blurs the line between the scientific sputum specimen." to micro-photographers from around move the mundane to the extraordi- ence contrast or Rheinberg illumina- and the aesthetic. the world, the majority of the winners nary." tion. nol and dimethylbenzenesulfonic teaching" tool for students who come are American. The entrant who won Nikon's Small World will be on "It's probably a little bit of both," Exactly what those terms mean is acid. Even though she is a scientist in here if they provided some insights the seventh-place prize, Keith A. Ya- view at the New Jersey State Muse- she says. "How could it not be? How not explained, and in many cases, the herself, Ms. Albright admits she has into the images," she says. galoff, hails from Nutley. um, 205 W. State Street, Trenton, could you be intimately involved captions underneath the photographs no idea what many of the substances A researcher with the Hoffman- through March 2. Admission is free, with producing these images and not do little to help laymen understand are or what they're used for. That's a Still, Ms. Albright's scientific La Roche pharmaceutical company, and the museum is open 9 a.m. to appreciate what you're seeing? The what they're looking at. The castle- weakness in the exhibit, she says. background comes in handy with Mr. Yagaloff submitted a photograph 4:45 p.m., Tues.-Sat., noon to 5 p.m., colors, the shapes." like first place winner, for example, many of the photographs. She says of a sodium vanadate crystal, which Sun. Call (609) 292-6464 for more They certainly are arresting. is identified as doxorubin in metha- "It would become more of a she can appreciate the challenge that had been magnified 10 times. A col- information. Neil Simon's play recalls classic 'Show of Shows' By Nick Drakos The director, who has appeared in the comedy-variety program which do "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" be- takes place in 1953, her set designer office furniture and a writers' table, The Packet Group many Neil Simon comedies, said not only showcased the gifts of two cause it is one of her favorite Simon and costumer are trying to recreate where the performers sit." "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" is an- comic giants—Sid Caesar and Imo- plays. the 1950s look. "There are couches," she contin- Director Elaine Wallace finds it other chapter in his series of autobio- gene Coca—but also served as a "It's one of the funniest Simon And because of the time setting, ued, "one of which has a telephone in hard to resist Neil Simon comedies, graphical plays, such as "Brighton springboard for the show's writers. plays that I've seen," she said. most of the actors will be dressed in front of it. And there's a table with particularly "Laughter on the 23rd Beach Memoirs," "Biloxi Blues," Among those writers were Carl bagels and coffee as well." Quite often, even the best plays formal 1950's attire, according to Floor," which opens this weekend at and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Lost Reiner, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Overall, the director is very hap- cannot succeed if the actors aren't up Ms. Wallace. the Somerset Valley Playhouse. in Yonkers." Mel Tolkin and Woody Allen. py with the way the Somerset Valley to par. Ms, Wallace has no such con- "Basically," she said, "the guys Players have treated both her and the Ms. Wallace said the key to Neil "Almost all of Simon's plays are Forty years after its debut and de- cerns about the cast of "Laughter on wear suits, except for the Neil Simon cast members. Simon's popularity lies in the quality autobiographical," said Ms. Wallace. mise, "Your Show of Shows" re- the 23rd Floor." character, (Lucas) who generally "The Somerset Valley Playhouse of his writing. " 'Laughter on the 23rd Floor' is, too. mains the standard against which oth- wears sweaters." But this is the culmination of his ca- "The cast is absolutely terrific," is very good," she says. "They let "Simon's a phenomenal writer," er comedy-variety programs have she said. "I had a very good turnout The set of "Laughter on the 23rd reer," she continued.

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