Drew Berry

Drew Berry
Born	1970 (age 45–46)
Nationality	American
Fields	biomedical animator
Institutions	Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Alma mater	University of Melbourne
Notable awards	MacArthur Foundation Fellowship

Drew Berry (born 1970 in the United States) is a biomedical animator at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia. His scientifically accurate and aesthetically rich visualizations are elucidating cellular and molecular processes for a wide range of audiences. His animations have been shown in exhibitions, multimedia programs and television shows, and have received international recognition including an Emmy (2005) and a BAFTA Award (2004).

Education

Berry received a Bachelor of Science (1993) and Master of Science (1995) degrees from the University of Melbourne, and received training in cell biology as well as in light microscopy and electron microscopy.

Career

Since 1995, Berry has been a biomedical animator at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.^[1] His 3D and 4D animations have focussed on explaining cellular and molecular processes relevant to research conducted at the institute, in fields including molecular biology, malaria, cell death, cancer biology, hematology and immunology.^[2]

Berry's animations have received many awards and commendations. His animations which formed part of Harold Varmus' 'Genes and Jazz' presentation were described by The New Yorker as "astonishingly beautiful".^[3] In 2009 American Scientist stated "The admirers of Drew Berry... talk about him the way Cellini talked about Michelangelo."^[4] In 2010, the New York Times claimed “If there is a Steven Spielberg of molecular animation, it is probably Drew Berry”^[5]

After collaborating with Berry for the Biophilia animated music app, the musician Björk described Berry as “someone who has made scientifically correct animation of DNA… on this project, he has crossed the line beautifully into the artistic realm where he has animated gorgeous DNA but added some poetic licence... he truly has brought magic to our insides, and shows us that we don’t have to look far for the miracle of nature, it is right inside us!” ^[6]

Awards and Recognition

• 2004- BAFTA award for DNA Interactive DVD, UK 2004^[7]
• 2005- Emmy Award for DNA documentary series^[8]
• 2005- Maya Master Award
• 2006- National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge first place, noninteractive multimedia^[9]
• 2008- Nature Niche Prize^[10]
• 2009- Seed Magazine 'Revolutionary Minds'^[11]
• 2010- MacArthur Fellowship^[12]

Highlight Exhibitions and Productions

• 2003- SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater^[13]
• 2003- “DNA” project Channel 4, PBS and American Museum of Natural History; Five episode “DNA” documentary series, “DNA: The Secret of Life” museum film, “DNAi” DVD, DNAi.org online education portal
• 2003- “oZone” Cinema of Tomorrow Experimental Digital Media Art Festival, Pompidou Centre Paris, France^[14]
• 2003- International Genetics Congress 2003 opening ceremony performance, Melbourne, Australia^[15]
• 2003-04- Australian Centre for the Moving Image Federation Square ‘Transfigure’ exhibition, Australia^[16]
• 2004-05- Museum of Modern Art (New York) ‘Premieres’ exhibition^[17]
• 2004-05- Queensland Art Gallery “The Nature Machine” exhibition, Brisbane, Australia^[18]
• 2004-2006- National Academy of Sciences Koshland Science Museum, USA^[19]
• 2005- Moving Image Centre “Transfigure” exhibition, Auckland, New Zealand
• 2005 Visual effects for Doctor Who episode "The End of the World"
• 2006- Rose Center for Earth and Space, American Museum of Natural History, New York
• 2006- Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art ‘Strange Attractors’ exhibition, China^[20]
• 2006-07- Forum Kultur und Wirtschaft Düsseldorf, Museum of Design, exhibition on nanotechnology, Germany^[21]
• 2008- 20th Century Fox ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ visual effects, USA^[22]
• 2008-09- The Royal Institute of Great Britain installation, UK
• 2008-09- ‘Genes and Jazz’ at the Guggenheim with Harold Varmus^[23]
• 2009- ‘The Cell’ BBC documentary series with Dr Adam Rutherford, UK
• 2009- Museum of Natural History Stuttgart ‘200th birthday of Charles Darwin’ exhibition, Germany^[24]
• 2009-10- University of Geneva’s ‘Genome Dome’ exhibition, Switzerland
• 2010- Imagine Science Film Festival, New York^[25]
• 2011- TEDxCaltech^[26]
• 2011- TEDxSydney^[27]
• 2011- Created animations to accompany the track Hollow, in Björk's Biophilia album iPad app ^[28]
• 2011- Rochester Institute of Technology "Visionaries in Motion" speaker series^[29]
• 2011- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's DNAi.org Spliceosome visualization
• 2012- Animations for E.O.Wilson's Life on Earth digital textbook ^[30]

References

1. Drew Berry by Colin Martin, The Lancet, Volume 377, Issue 9769, Page 895 12 March 2011
2. WEHI.TV Animations
3. Swing Science by Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker December 1, 2008
4. American Scientist, Science Observer: Molecular Movie Stars September–October 2009 Volume 97, Number 5 Page: 382
5. Where Cinema and Biology Meet 15 November 2010.
6. Drew Berry's Bio-Animations Dazed Digital Dazed & Confused August 2011 Issue
7. Twisted tale of the double helix 29 February 2004
8. Animations for the multi-media project, DNA, author Drew Berry, wins Emmy Award 23 September 2005.
9. 2006 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge winners announced 21 September 2006
10. Niche Prize winners announced 16 July 2008
11. Revolutionary Minds: The Interpreters: Drew Berry- illuminated manuscripts April 2009.
12. 2010 MacArthur Fellows: Drew Berry
13. SIGGRAPH 2003, San Diego, Electronic Theater
14. About WEHI.TV
15. About WEHI.TV
16. Drew Berry- Body Code, Australian Centre for the Moving Image 2003
17. MoMA Film Exhibitions: Premieres November 21, 2004–January 31, 2005
18. The Nature Machine Media Kit, Queensland Art Gallery
19. About WEHI.TV
20. Strange Attractors: Exhibiting Artists
21. About WEHI.TV
22. New York Times- 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' production credits
23. In Science and Jazz, Father and Son Find Common Bonds 9 June 2009
24. About WEHI.TV
25. Imagine Science Films: Fighting Infection By Clonal Selection 18 October 2010
26. TEDxCaltech speakers
27. TEDxSydney speakers
28. Drew Berry's Bio-Animations Dazed Digital Dazed & Confused August 2011 Issue
29. "Biomedical Animator Drew Berry to Speak at RIT Dec. 8" RIT University News Dec 1, 2011
30. "E. O. Wilson's Life on Earth: Team"

External links

• WEHI.TV, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
• Hollow, animation for Björk's Biophilia album, 2011.
• Drew Berry at TED