LMB 365 – Day 149

Imagining the Brain was an outreach project conceived by Yvonne Vallis and Harvey McMahon in the Neurobiology Division to engage school pupils to use art to communicate science. They gave talks on science topics and held an annual exhibition, open to the public, of the work the students produced. Particularly talented students were offered a residency to create artwork in the LMB. Inspired by the scientific and artistic relationship between form and function, as part of Edward Parkhouse’s residency work in 2011 he created a piece of artwork that told the story of the LMB and looked forward to the move to the new building. The image for day 149 of #LMB365 is the result. This is his commentary on the project: “I wanted to create a piece of furniture that was inspired by the history of the LMB. I based the piece on a tree stump to represent the processes of life; this opens into the double helix structure of DNA. The supporting metal helices in the middle of the stem have some parts where the nucleotide bases are left out, representing what science has yet to discover. The metalwork then opens out into the form of a human brain in cross-section, supporting the brain-shaped glass table-top. Creating this piece was one of the most challenging and enjoyable things I have ever done. It was inspirational to work with the scientists at the LMB and I hope that they enjoy this vision of the past and future of this amazing laboratory.”