MedImmune Artist-in-Residence :JANES ADVENTURES IN LAB LAND

I have been waiting to share this exciting news with you all for a sometime but I needed to wait until all the paper work was completed - thanks to the hard work of Jon Green, VP Business Operations, I am now officially Artist-in-Residence at MedImmune, Cambridge. MedImmune is in the very simplest of terms a pharmaceutical company (and part of AstraZeneca). 

Yesterday I went and spent my first day learning about what they do in "Lab Land," as I am affectionately calling it. The very patient John Elvin, Scientific External Liaisons (UK), spent the morning showing me round, explaining what different labs do, answering my endless questions and doing so in a manner that I, a non-science specialist, could understand. He was also the inspiration for "Jane's Adventures in Lab Land." One of the best things is that I met a large number of scientist, who I am delighted to say, seemed genuinely interested in what I am doing and were equally eager to be involved in inspiring me with their science!  So I am having to reacquaint myself with the structure and characteristics of antibodies, antigens, proteins, etc just so I can have a vague understanding of what I'm being told - after all 'A' level social biology was a long time ago! ( I cant help feeling a bit like Penny in 'The Big Bang Theory' !!). Now I just can't wait to go again and spend some time shadowing scientists.

Art work from under the Sea

After working in my sketchbook, collecting images of sea urchins, jelly fish and the like, I made the above weaving project ready for a workshop for the cared for and their carers at Smiths Row gallery, Burt St Edmunds. The best part is that this is also a recycling project using a plastic milk bottle and rags from the charity shop!!

Here are the weavings that the group produced, some of them even added beads.

Anatomical paper-cuts framed

Here are some quick snaps of the anatomical paper cuts now they are framed.

This one was not anatomical as much as botanical and a gift for a friend.

Medical and Biological Papercuts

 Here is some work I made in November / December that I haven't blogged about yet. I have been using illustrations from Greys anatomy to make papercuts. I am afraid the photos are merely snaps I took with my phone as I was working, hopefully I'll get some better ones up soon of the pieces framed. 

Here are the skull and a cross section of the brain...

 

I have also cut out the spine and central nervous system, a ribcage, a cross section of the heart, the pelvis and some lungs.

 This is how I frame the pieces, I use words describing the parts of the organ / structure / bones as a background. I made this piece to show a cross section of the reproductive parts of a flower. 

Folds and knots.

Just a quick update - here are some photo's of a new piece I have been working on. As yet it doesn't have a title. It is made of folded fabric with black thread stitched through and then knotted in place, there is a piece of wire threaded into the piece below the black ribbon to help maintain the  shape and then it is resting on upholstery pins and pinned out at the ends.

I sold my brain to medical science!

 Just a quick post to let you see my knitted brain finished, in its beautiful high quality wooden box made by Damon Morrish of Jewel Display, Brandon. I am delighted, and rather proud, to show the picture (above) of myself with the wonderful Sir Michael Rawlins, president of the Royal Society of Medicine, who bought the knitted brain as a gift for Nancy Wexler, Professor of Neuroscience at Columbia University, New York. Meeting such interesting clever people through my work is a really special bonus for which I am very grateful (and it's even better when they seem to love my work too!!).

STITCHED AND TWISTED - DNA Artwork at ON HELIX

Well I have been very quiet of late and not blogged, however, today I can reveal why.... I have been working flat out to produce this new body of work as Artist-in-residence for the ON HELIX event organised by One Nucleus at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge. 

Above is an image of  Twisted (- So beautiful it had to be true). This piece is made from very fine wire knitted into a double helix and the bases are represented by glass beads as can be seen below.

There are six pieces in this body of work, "Stitched and Twisted."

Genetic History above is a cut canvas restitched together to create cells, the nucleus of which is crocheted in fine red cotton. The background of the canvas has been stitched with the names of scientists involved in the discovery of DNA.

The same but different (below) is a cut canvas with crocheted DNA bases showing how DNA replicates by splitting or unzipping as I like to think of it. 

Perfect Match? is made of ribbons sown onto pairs to represent a set of human chromosomes. The background is stitched with xx and XY.

Blood lines is made up of a cut canvas, crocheted twists and the blood groups embroidered on.

Lastly, this canvas is called A stitch in time....comes out further down the line and is based on the work of Gregor Mendel and his work on the Laws of Inheritance. Mendel worked with peas and looked at how flower coloration, as well as other characteristics, are inherited by successive generations. I have crocheted pea flowers and pods as part of this family tree.