Price: Free
Seeing the world may feel effortless, but behind every glance lies a complex system that turns light into sight. Our eyes are remarkable organs that allow us to experience the world in vivid colour and great detail. But what happens when our eyes begin to fail?
How does vision work? Why do eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration develop in so many of us? How do they change the way we see?
To bring these changes to life, we will look at the works of two celebrated painters who faced serious vision problems: Claude Monet, whose cataracts clouded his sight and altered his palette and brushwork, and Edgar Degas, whose macular degeneration gradually took away his central vision and forced him to adapt his style.
This presentation explores the intersection of biology, medicine, and art—showing not only how disease can limit vision, but also how it shaped artistic expression in unexpected ways.
Dr Ralf Dahm gained his MSc and PhD in biochemistry at the University of Dundee. Early in his career, he was at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, near Stuttgart. After three years at the Institute for Brain Research in Vienna, in 2008 he moved to become Director of Scientific Management at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid. In 2010 he moved to Mainz, Germany, to become director of Scientific Management in the Institute of Molecular Biology. Since 2021, he has been Director of Scientific Administration at the Center for Healthy Ageing (CHA).
As well as several books and over 60 scientific articles and chapters, Ralf has published over 50 interdisciplinary & popular scientific articles, including in magazines such as Scientific American, American Scientist & The Scientist. His scholarly works include papers on science management & communication as well as on the history of science. His work with Dr Kersten Hall here in Leeds led to the invitation to give a Phil & Lit talk.
