Michael Lazar

Michael Lazar is an artist and scientist with over 20 years of experience in both fields. His artistic work ranges from photography to performance art, installations and sound art. Among other things, he developed a unique style of sculpting – the forming of figurative sculpture out of sheet metal (bronze, aluminum, steel, copper) without the use of heat and without using the traditional methods of casting.

In addition to his prolific artistic career, Michael obtained his PhD in Geophysics from Tel Aviv University in 2004. He is an expert in marine geology and geophysics and currently lectures at the University of Haifa, Israel. As both artist and scientist, Michael is often invited to talk about the boundary between the two fields. Since 2014, he has shifted his full-time focus from sculpture to this combination using the tools of his science to create a cutting edge, contemporary artistic language. This is reflected in his recent art projects that use scientific tools to explore the public space and are oriented for the public and with the participation of the public.

He believes that the role of scientists is not only to conduct high-quality research, but also to disseminate knowledge to the general public. Recently, he has been working to bridge the gap between science and art and through the latter, make science more accessible to various underprivileged communities. Since 2017 he has co-taught a course at the University of Cologne, Germany on exploring globalization through artistic expression and is working to include artistic content in environmental programs in high-schools across Israel