bioephemera is art + biology - anything and everything from representations of science in art and literature to the neuroscience of aesthetics. Along with lots of other stuff that's just plain interesting.
Jessica Palmer is a biologist & artist currently based in Washington, DC. She spent the last few years teaching at a small state college out West, and now plays with science policy. Her homepage includes the bioephemera archives & a gallery of her work.
Note: the contents of this blog are the personal opinions of the author, completely independent of any organizations with which she is affiliated.
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Category: Artists & Art • Biology
Posted on: April 29, 2008 2:20 PM, by Jessica Palmer
Vollig Weichgestrikt
Sarah Illenberger
Those of you who enjoyed JPolka's crochet cabinet in Sunday's Cabinet of Curiosities carnival may also like these cloudlike knitted sculptures by Sarah Illenberger. I'm impressed with how effectively the yarn captures the delicate translucence of human tissues - particularly the vanishingly small arterioles on the heart's surface.
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Awesome! Some of my best friends are knitters and/or crocheters! Knitter and crocheters kick fucking ass!
http://physioprof.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/knitters-and-crocheters-lazy-stupid-and-godless-worthless-manifesto-knacrolastagowoman/
http://physioprof.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/physioprof-loves-knitters-and-crocheters-back/
http://physioprof.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/holy-shit-knitters-and-crocheters-totally-love-physioprof/
Posted by: PhysioProf | April 30, 2008 5:47 AM
Gorgeous! I wonder though what kind of fish has its heart portrayed here.. I've never seen anatomy like that. Then again, the naiveté kind of adds a nice layer to the work, to see someone's idea of a heart fleshed out (yay: a pun!), rendering a blend of half remembered images and concepts of core functionality into yarn.
Just in case you hadn't seen that one yet:
http://www.theiff.org/main.html
The institute for figuring. Crochet used as a mathematical teaching aid for hyperbolic spaces, and also for coral reefs.
Posted by: Jan-Maarten | April 30, 2008 8:25 AM
Nice work. I like the softness of the work.
Posted by: alexandra | April 30, 2008 1:16 PM
Now I'm a little confused. I think the top work is a fish heart, and the bottom are large and small intestines.
Right?
Posted by: PhysioProf | April 30, 2008 3:17 PM
Honestly, I don't know. I thought they were simplified abstractions of human organs. I mean, the heart's a bit naive, but the lungs are not even remotely morphologically accurate for any species I know of.
Posted by: bioephemera | April 30, 2008 4:24 PM
Oh, and I mean the lungs on the artist's site - those are intestines in the post. ;)
Posted by: bioephemera | April 30, 2008 4:29 PM
Makes me think of mittens too.. art to keep your heart warm & comfy.
Posted by: Jan-Maarten | April 30, 2008 8:12 PM