Art and Design Lecturer Deborah Gardner collaborates on exhibition inspired by chimpanzee heart

Deborah Gardner recently collaborated with the scientist Dr Catrin Rutland (Veterinary School of Medicine, University of Nottingham) in a Creative Reactions virtual exhibition.

The exhibition, titled ‘Evolutionary Tree’, is the ‘art meets science’ branch of the national science fair Pint of Science.  Evolutionary Tree is a sculptural response to Dr Catlin Rutland’s discovery of the first os cordis bone in a chimpanzee’s heart.

Evolutionary Tree senses the tree-like structure within the micro CT scanning of the newly discovered bone and the resulting sculpture allows an internal scaffold to spread out branch-like. The tree of life is a universally understood model to explore the evolution of life and relationships based upon similarities and differences; it seems apt that the os cordis discovered for the first time in a chimpanzee’s heart reminds us that these similarities and differences among biological species are open to reappraisal.

 

View the exhibition and catalogue. You can also view all angles of the sculpture on YouTube.

Find out more about Dr Rutland’s research here.