The Starry Mind

Freyja Ireland Howard, Big Picture, Hobart City High School

In collaboration with Roisin Moloney, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, UTAS

Artist’s Statement

Roisin is the scientist that I have been paired with, and she is researching Multiple Sclerosis. During the lab visit I was inspired by the brain scans we were showed, especially the ones that reminded me of the night sky and stars. I then came up with the idea to show that as a version of Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’, an art piece that I really like. I saw the colours in my mind and how it would look, and I knew that’s what I wanted to create, along with wanting to use florescent paints.

The art piece is based on a wooden board, and to make the elevated details, I used fluffy air dry clay, as it was easy to mould and direct, and gave the piece a nice layered texture that I imagine ‘The Starry Night’ would be like if it was 3D. Over the clay, I added a layer of paper and glue to smooth over the surface, and to make it nicer to paint on. For color, I’m using a mix of regular and florescent paint to really illuminate the different cell parts and show that they shine like the stars do in a night sky. One of Roisin’s favorite experiments to do is called immunofluorescence staining, where she stains the different braincell markers, this was one of the things that inspired me to use florescent paints. I added the mice in the bottom right corner because at Roisin’s lab, they work with mice who have the disease, to learn more about how they behave compared to mice without the disease, which I found interesting.

I have learned a lot from this experience. CoLab and making my art has really showed me that I really enjoy creating, and have massive admiration for anyone who makes art, especially those who do it as a career. Making an art piece takes a lot of time, not only to make but to plan, make sure that your vision is being conveyed and that you are happy with the piece. I’ve learned that art is not something to be stressed about, it’s something that needs love and care and to be given time and patience. From this experience, I definitely want to keep making art that sparks emotion in myself and others.

I’ve also learned a lot from Roisin about the different cell types that are affected by Multiple Sclerosis, such as astrocytes, whose job it is to keep things balanced and in check, but when affected by Multiple Sclerosis get stressed, and will sometimes mess up and block repair when trying to help. Astrocytes are depicted in my art piece in the green section. Another cell type I have shown is the microglia, which are the smaller ‘stars’. They are the security guards for the brain, and Multiple Sclerosis causes them to go into attack mode, fighting off damage, but also can causing inflammation. It was really interesting, learning about the brain and how the different parts are affected.

When people look at my artwork, I want them to see that there is beauty in the parallels between the human body and nature, how our brains reflect the night sky, like with diseases like Multiple Sclerosis in the mind, and space having abnormities like black holes. In both, things can be disrupted, but are natural, and I think the mirroring enhances the beauty.