Charlie Murphy Untitled Cerebral Section, 2018
Hand drawn coloured glass, cut glass tubing, motorised turntable & lights
Dimensions : 40 x 20 x 34cm
This glass sculpture (a maquette) responds to microscopic images of three dimensional brain cell cultures (cerebral organoids ). These tiny clusters of cells are grown in the lab in small well dishes. To image these cell cultures, they are first preserved and then very finely sliced and mounted onto slides for close analysis in cross section (sagittal sections). Professor Wray and her team use this process to analyse how the neurons grown and organise themselves.
This first experimental sculpure was created using sections of clear glass tubing and hand drawn coloured borosilicate glass which are individually glued in place .
This work was created in response to watching brain cells being cultured in a dish at the Wray Lab, UCL Institute of Neurology, this sculpture presents a creative response to slices of (organoid) ‘ neural tissue cultures.
These tiny ‘mini brains’ are grown by research scientists to model important mechanisms and features of brain development and function- as a tool to help them better understand growth and degeneration.
