Hand it to the scientists

These days, with artists using the latest in cutting-edge technology, and science throwing up images of often breathtaking beauty, the two worlds seem to be moving closer and closer to each other. So it's perhaps not all that surprising that a major new work by internationally acclaimed American video artist Gary Hill has just been unveiled not at Tate Modern, but in the Wellcome Wing of the Science Museum.

HanD HearD - Variation is a 16-metre-high tower of seven video projections rising up the full height of the main stairwell linking the Wellcome Wing's three floors of snazzy new galleries devoted to the very latest in science and technology.

"It was originally commissioned for the Who Am I? gallery which is all about human identity," said Rona Garvin, the museum's contemporary art commissions manager, "and we felt that it had a quiet grandeur that echoed the big, important universal themes being raised there. But because it's also such a meditative piece, it is very well suited to be in its own space, away from the noise and activity of the galleries."

For in spite of its spectacular scale, HanD HearD is a surprisingly restrained work. In each of its seven sections, an individual scrutinises the palm of their upraised hand. There is no sound, and almost no movement, except for the occasional twitch and blink. Every now and then, one of the images flashes off and reappears the other way round, so that the arrangement of heads and hands is never exactly the same. Overall, the effect of this silent progression of massive hands and heads is compelling and slightly disconcerting, especially when one of the subjects occasionally flicks a quick glance outwards, as if to register your presence.

"It doesn't do anything much, what's happening is in your own head," observes Garvin, adding: "It's funny to see clusters of people on the landings looking at the piece, all unconsciously holding their hands up."

Hill's piece is the latest in a programme of progressive art commissions first launched by the Science Museum in 1996, which is now one of the world's leading art programmes in a non-art venue. Other pieces on show include Marc Quinn's vase of sunflowers eternally frozen in liquid silicone; an installation by Darrell Viner which measures the height of visitors taking the escalator to the IMAX cinema and Roland (aka Scanner) Rimbaud's Sound Curtain which is triggered on approaching the downstairs toilets.

Throughout the Who Am I? galleries, more artworks have been integrated with other exhibits in the display cases, with thought-provoking and sometimes hilarious results. Scottish artist David Shrigley colonises the Human Communication case with a range of objects including a British Swearing Association Challenge Cup (upon which Bernard Manning's name repeatedly appears).

So why does a museum dedicated to the world of science and technology attach such importance to the commissioning and displaying of contemporary art?

"We're trying to emphasise the need to form your own opinions about science and technology and to take a personal perspective," Garvin explains. "There are a lot of abstract ideas and concepts to get across. Art helps people to think for themselves and to make up their own minds."