Tide of Time (2025)

Marlene Bart
40x40x10 cm, 3D-printed sculpture 36x23x6.5 cm
  • Herbarium Collection - Collection - Tide of Time - Marlene Bart
  • Herbarium Collection - Collection - Tide of Time - Marlene Bart

“Tide of Time” is a three-dimensional collage based on CT scans of an ammonite and an antelope horn. These two natural forms, one fossilised and the other organic, are digitally merged and supported by a coral-like structure. This structure evokes both growth and decay.
In my artistic practice, I investigate systems of order in both art and the natural sciences. I explore how these systems differ, intersect or mirror each other. I work across media, combining digital processes with traditional analogue techniques to examine the relationships between structure, memory and transformation.
The title “Tide of Time” refers to the cyclical nature of time and evolution. It represents a constant flow in which forms reappear, transform or erode. Like the tides, time shapes and reshapes matter, blurring boundaries between species, eras and systems of knowledge.
Created as part of the Herbarium project, this work is a unique object. It reflects on the shifting interface between nature and technology and the fragile lines we draw between categories such as organism and artefact.

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Marlene Bart (born in 1991 in Salzgitter, Germany) is a renowned artist whose work pushes the boundaries between art and science, weaving together natural history, anatomy, and forward-thinking visual art. At the heart of her practice is a deep inquiry into what happens when the lines between humans, nature, and technology start to blur. Bart’s bold questions—How can we rethink our human-centered worldview? How can we build a future that embraces non-human perspectives?—are the driving force behind her art.
Her practice is as multifaceted as the themes she explores, spanning printmaking, artist books, sculpture, taxidermy, installations, and immersive VR/AR experiences. Bart blends the past with the future, fusing the history of science with modern aesthetics to create a shared visual language between art and science, opening up new ways of imagining technology and the world around us.

Website: marlenebart.com