Anatomical Investigations on a Micro and Macro Scale
When I read 'Pathologies', an essay by Kathleen Jamie in her book 'Sightlines,' I knew I had to respond artistically to this. She writes beautifully about the human relationship with the wider non-human world, starting from looking through a microscope in a pathology lab and seeing a landscape:
‘I was admitted to another world, where everything was pink. I was looking down from a great height upon a pink countryside, a landscape. There was an estuary, with a north bank and a south. In the esturary were wing-shaped river islands or sandbanks, as if it was low tide. It was astonishing, a map of the familiar; it was our local river, as seen by a hawk…a bright and pretty bird’s-eye view of an ordered, if unusual land….the unseen landscape within, the nature within....Nature we’d rather do without.'
To encourage dialogue around health issues, so that people might feel more empowered over actions taken to improve health.
Changing minds through tackling the squeamishness and disgust that is a common reaction to thinking about the gut through humour and celebration. Creating a forum where people can feel comfortable asking questions whilst engaged in creating their own artworks.
Making science more accessible through making connections between microbial communities and human communities
When I read 'Pathologies', an essay by Kathleen Jamie in her book 'Sightlines,' I knew I had to respond artistically to this. She writes beautifully about the human relationship with the wider non-human world, starting from looking through a microscope in a pathology lab and seeing a landscape:
‘I was admitted to another world, where everything was pink. I was looking down from a great height upon a pink countryside, a landscape. There was an estuary, with a north bank and a south. In the esturary were wing-shaped river islands or sandbanks, as if it was low tide. It was astonishing, a map of the familiar; it was our local river, as seen by a hawk…a bright and pretty bird’s-eye view of an ordered, if unusual land….the unseen landscape within, the nature within....Nature we’d rather do without.'
To encourage dialogue around health issues, so that people might feel more empowered over actions taken to improve health.
Changing minds through tackling the squeamishness and disgust that is a common reaction to thinking about the gut through humour and celebration. Creating a forum where people can feel comfortable asking questions whilst engaged in creating their own artworks.
Making science more accessible through making connections between microbial communities and human communities
Recent Work inspired by the body and anatomical form. Ceramic and found materials/objects.
I really enjoy the abstraction of these pieces, and how they capture the essence of biological/organic form and repeat forms in nature, as well as their playful nature. This project will help me to dig deeper and learn to really understand the body on the micro and macro scale and to be more scientific in my approach, whilst not losing the expressive impact of the artwork.
I really enjoy the abstraction of these pieces, and how they capture the essence of biological/organic form and repeat forms in nature, as well as their playful nature. This project will help me to dig deeper and learn to really understand the body on the micro and macro scale and to be more scientific in my approach, whilst not losing the expressive impact of the artwork.
Microscopic images from my previous visit to University of Birmingham. A first for me in using a microscope, I did not always understand what I was looking at; this project will remedy that. In my 4 days at the university I was observing staff and students and preparing microbial cultures with support - it was a lot to take in. This project will enable me to gain a greater depth of understanding of the behaviours of the microbial world and its importance to our health, an understanding of recent developments and greater competence in the use of microscopes.
What will the work look like? At this stage it is difficult to know what the work will look like before I have done the research. However, my vision is to create a unique 3d sculptural mapping of the physiology of the body, concentrating on, but not limited to, the digestive system. This would incorporate both life size forms as well as areas of microscopic representations, both sculpture and imagery, and will be accompanied by text which will be explanatory and suggestive of different ways of looking and relating to our physiology - eg as in Kathleen Jamie's writing, seeing the landscape within and making connection with the wider world eg human communities and ecosystems. The work will be about how our health is regulated within these inner as much as outer worlds.
There is a long history of body mapping by artists, from Leonardo da Vinci to Gunter von Hagen. I have always been fascinated by these and they will, in some ways, be my starting point. I will incorporate informative and interactive elements, be it moveable parts and/or posing questions for the viewer to ponder and respond to.
There is a long history of body mapping by artists, from Leonardo da Vinci to Gunter von Hagen. I have always been fascinated by these and they will, in some ways, be my starting point. I will incorporate informative and interactive elements, be it moveable parts and/or posing questions for the viewer to ponder and respond to.
