Crystallography matters ... more!

This exhibition at the University of Sydney’s Verge Gallery will consist of images and objects derived from both diffraction patterns and crystal structures. It will focus on the different ways of representing crystals – in both real and reciprocal space – and their relationship to the practical uses of crystalline materials. As scientists we tend to consider such images and objects as utilitarian or even banal, but occasions such as IYCr remind us that the general public often sees them as intricate and beautiful. We are designing this exhibit to highlight the aesthetics of crystallographic images while also explaining to the audience (in layman’s terms) more complex but fascinating subjects such as modulated structures, quasicrystals, short-range order (diffuse scattering) and magnetic structures.