ZOOM! Microscopic images between science and art

Fliegenauge Mikroskop Zoom Ausstellung 2026 Foto H-BRS

Date

Saturday, 23 May 2026

to Tuesday, 15 September 2026

Time

Mondays to Fridays from 08:30 to 10:00, Saturdays from 10:00 to 19:00

Location

University and District Library of Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Rheinbach Campus, Von-Liebig-Straße 20, 53359 Rheinbach

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The exhibition in the university and district library in Rheinbach is H-BRS's contribution to the "Kunst findet Stadt" (Art finds the city) campaign in Rheinbach. The exhibition "ZOOM! Microscopic images between science and art" can be seen from Saturday, 23 May to Tuesday, 15 September 2026 during the opening hours of the university and district library (Monday to Friday from 08:30 am to 10:00, Saturdays from 10:00 am to 19:00). It will officially open on Tuesday, 2 June 2026.

The eye of a fly under the microscope. Photo: H-BRS

Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg offers around 40 degree programmes. Artistic subjects are not represented. And yet studies and research sometimes produce results that are characterised by a special aesthetic and artistic quality. Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg is presenting a selection of these works to the public for the first time as part of the "Kunst findet Stadt" campaign, entitled "ZOOM! Microscopic images between science and art".

Hummelfluegel Mikroskop Zoom Ausstellung 2026 Foto H-BRS

The wing of a bumblebee under the microscope. Photo: H-BRS

Spectacular images from the high-performance microscopes of the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences are on display. The images show mysterious formations, bizarre structures and abstract landscapes. Sometimes they look like a church window flooded with sunlight, sometimes endless spaces seem to open up. Anyone who engages with the works will find numerous associations. In fact, the images conceal concrete motifs from the environment. What you see here is a fly's eye, the crystal structure of a hoover cable reel or the structure of silk - each in extreme magnification, captured by researchers and students from the fields of materials science, biology and forensics.

Kristallstruktur Kabelaufroller Mikroskop Zoom Ausstellung 2026 Foto H-BRS

A cable reel under the microscope. Photo: H-BRS

What the motifs are all about is explained in detail in the exhibition. For example, the hamuli (sickle-shaped hooks) on the edge of a bumblebee's wings can be visualised under a scanning electron microscope. They serve to couple the front and rear pairs of wings and are essential for the bumblebee's ability to fly. The more than 20 exhibits provide fascinating insights into the microscopic world of nature and materials