Thread by @DrArpan100

Check out the March cover of @TheLancetNeuro, where Annie B. Campbell has combined her artistic talents - in ceramics and embroidery - with a stunning result! #CajalEmbroideryProject

thelancet.com/journals/laneu…

“…todo hombre puede ser, si se lo propone, escultor de su
propio cerebro… [Every man can be, if he so desires, the
sculptor of his own brain]” Cajal, 1899 @InstitutoCajal @de_decarlos

Annie B. Campbell is an American sculptor and Assistant
Professor of Ceramics at Auburn University in Alabama,
USA. She works in ceramics and mixed media.

anniebcampbell.com/home.html

Her son, Emmett, was born with hemimegalencephaly and developed intractable epilepsy requiring a complete hemispherectomy, when he was 7 months old.

This personal journey led Campbell’s artwork to become infused with neurological imagery and specifically influenced by the illustrations of Cajal.

Campbell uses brain injury and malfunction as conceptual
symbols to represent the broken relationship between
human beings and the environment, and the cognitive dissonance required to perpetrate environmental degradation.

To help manage the stresses associated with raising
a child with additional needs, she took up embroidery as
a hobby in 2019.

Thus, when the #CajalEmbroideryProject came about during the spring of 2020 and the pandemic
lockdown, her art work was a natural fit.

She chose a drawing of an #astrocyte accompanied by a ceramic rendition, because of the positive attributes of this cell type: healing, cleansing, sustenance, and communication.

She has most recently begun to add stitching into her ceramic sculptures through the inclusion of wire and conductive threads, to allow for the inclusion of light within the work.

She uses the stitching to represent healing, as it is a reparative act. The artist distinctly recalls a feeling of awe when seeing her son’s incision for the first time after surgery.

Expecting something grotesque, she was amazed at how beautiful it actually was, describing it akin to the “silk-stitched hem on a designer garment.”

Please do visit the journal website to download the supplementary webappendix to find out more about Annie's stunning work. She has provided a moving and beautiful piece. Highly recommended reading!

Cover image credits:-
Ceramics photograph: John Mitchell
Embroidery photograph: Rebecca Milling, Copystand.co.uk
Graphic design: Gioia Varesi

The following have contributed 'astrocyte' embroideries: Liz Ribchester, Mikaela Laine, Alison Beadnell, Carol Smith,
Janice Barr, Annie B. Campbell, Claire Edwards, Danny Schnitzler, Carol Coleman.

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We thank @beckerbarroso @TheLancetNeuro for their support and for showcasing the work.

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