Anderson Ranch Arts Center has unveiled "The Common Code," a vibrant new outdoor sculpture that represents the shared DNA found in all human beings. The large-scale installation is the result of an inspiring collaboration between Connecticut artist Bunny Burson and Carbondale-based sculptor Leah Aegerter, demonstrating how art can bridge generational and geographical divides.
The sculpture features interlocking forms that mimic the structure of human chromosomes, rendered in bright yellow, blue, and red colors that scientists use to identify DNA components. These primary colors not only serve a scientific purpose but also create an inviting, almost playful atmosphere that encourages interaction. The piece will remain on display at Anderson Ranch for two years before moving to another location as part of the center's ongoing outdoor sculpture exhibition program.
Burson's inspiration for the project came from an unexpected source - a newspaper article. "It was April 1st, 2016, and I opened up the New York Times and saw the genome of the Zika mosquito that had been sequenced, and it was just gorgeous," she recalled. "I began to think about an art piece that mimicked the pattern of chromosomes using the bright colors that scientists use to study DNA." Having her own genome sequenced, Burson decided to create a sculpture based on her personal chromosomes, despite having previously worked primarily in two-dimensional art.
The collaboration began when Burson sought out Aegerter's expertise in digital fabrication and three-dimensional construction. The two artists first met in 2017 when Burson was working at Anderson Ranch and Aegerter was serving as an intern. "I was so impressed with how Leah could do everything, would do everything, had great ideas and was such a hard worker," Burson explained. "I just decided that Leah was somebody I didn't want to lose touch with and I wanted to work with. There are several decades between us and I love the fact that I got to work with someone young and so competent and so creative on this project."
Despite the collaborative nature of the project, Aegerter was quick to credit Burson with the artistic vision. "I think that it is so much Bunny's aesthetic and while I do consider it a collaboration, I do feel like this is Bunny's vision in so many ways," Aegerter said. "The collaborative element was me helping her realize that vision through the design and fabrication because I have expertise in fabrication and construction and design. I believe so strongly in the concept of the piece, and being a part of that, and having conversations with Bunny, that dialogue I think, was also a big contributing factor of the collaboration."
The creation process involved significant learning and adaptation for both artists. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Aegerter taught Burson how to use Rhinoceros 3D software, a computer modeling application that became crucial to the project's development. The fabrication proved more complex than initially anticipated, with unexpected challenges including tariffs on materials from China where the piece was manufactured. "I never dreamed it was going to be as big as it is and I never dreamed it was going to take as long as it took," Burson admitted.
The sculpture incorporates scientific accuracy in its design, featuring representations of three of the four nucleotides found in DNA: adenine (green), thymine (red), and guanine (blue), though cytosine (orange) was omitted from the final design. "I happen to like the colors, and I happen to like the energy that I get from them," Burson said. "It just seems like a life force with the primary colors. People have said it feels very childlike, almost inviting kids to come and climb on it. Nothing makes me more happy than to find out that people don't have the same ideas when they walk away from it."
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the sculpture carries a deeper message about technological advancement and human connection. Aegerter emphasized the importance of making the piece feel contemporary and tech-forward. "We really wanted it to feel like it was of the computer, of technology, which is a way of mimicking the fact that genome sequencing was such an important, scientific and technological discovery and a big sign of scientific progress in our history," she explained.
Andrea Jenkins Wallace, vice president of artistic affairs at Anderson Ranch, praised the collaboration as exemplifying the center's mission to foster meaningful artistic connections. "Bunny and Leah's partnership exemplifies the meaningful artistic connections that take root at the ranch - where ideas are born, collaborations flourish, and creative dialogue continues to ripple outward into the world," Wallace said in a news release.
The outdoor sculpture exhibition at Anderson Ranch is now in its fifth year, featuring works by artists who maintain personal connections to the center. Current exhibitors include John Buck, Enrique Martínez Celaya, Mark Handforth, Trey Hill, Jammie Holmes, Richard Lapedes, Jason Mehl, James Surls, and Hank Willis Thomas, alongside Burson's collaborative piece.
Ultimately, Burson hopes "The Common Code" will serve as a reminder of human unity in an increasingly divided world. "We're 99.9% the same. Our chromosomes are the same, so this sculpture is really kind of a portrait of all of us," she said. "We have all these problems with one another, and we're so divided at this point, and the message is that maybe we have a commonality that we ought to think about and try to understand one another better." The artists don't plan for this to be their final collaboration, suggesting that their creative partnership, like the DNA they've depicted, will continue to evolve and connect.
