Neurototem

My work is inspired by the beauty of the brain. I am a neuroscientist and teach neuroanatomy to students from primary to tertiary and postgraduate levels. I use ceramic, glass, mosaic and printing (3D) to make learning fun. The results of my work can be interpreted as aesthetic, educational, practical or technological. The final goal of each piece is to provoke viewers to ask questions about neurology, neuroscience and neurosurgery and for students to be makers as well as learners during their educational journey about brains. This clay piece was made using the Japanese Kurinuki hand building technique. Kurinuki translates in Japanese ‘to hollow’ and is a traditional technique to make pottery from carving away or hollowing a single block of clay. It is a methodical and meditative process that produces ceramics that can never be repeated, hence the final result is unique. I refer to the piece as a totem because it represents a natural object that has spiritual significance for neuroscientists and others. The totem is also symbolic of the concept of consciousness.