ASCUS is thrilled that prints created by artist Susan Aldworth, in partnership with Dr Amanda Jarvis, will be exhibited at Edinburgh Printmakers. In 2023 Susan Aldworth was awarded a commission by ASCUS Art & Science to make a series of experimental works in response to Dr Jarvis’ research whose long-term aim is to develop more sustainable catalytic chemistry. To mirror the ambition of Jarvis’ laboratory to reduce, recycle or replace expensive metals in catalysis, Aldworth decided to work in etching, switching from expensive copper and zinc etching plates to cheaper steel plates. By throwing chemicals into the aquatint resin before it was fired onto the plate surface, Aldworth developed a visual equivalence of catalysis– capturing a moment of chemical reaction.

Read more about the process of creating the prints here.

Susan Aldworth: Modern Alchemy is part of the Edinburgh Science Festival 2026 and is supported by the University of Edinburgh and ASCUS Art & Science.

Image: Susan Aldworth, Modern-Alchemy 10a. Etching, aquatint and monotype with gold leaf, 2023.