Art: Neural Connections

This series explore shapes inspired by how the various cells in our brains connect.

In the series Neural Connection, I explore shapes inspired by the various cells in our brains and how they connect together. Each sculpture are carved from one single piece of wood, like in the Astrocyte- and Purkinje Series, but they each represents more than one cell. Neural Connections is a continuation of the two previous series, and I continue to stretch my skills in three-dimensional visualization and carving in order to understand more of how the experienced woodcarver understands and creates space.

March 2025 the first sculpture was finished, Neural Connections #1. This sculpture represents a oligodendrocyte holding onto a neuron, and a micro glia clinging to one of the dendrites of the neuron. It is made in Aspen wood and embellished with 24k gold leaf.

The slow process of subtractive sculpting in the narrow window of possibilities provided by the wood grain, present extreme challenges in visuospatial ideation and mental rotation skills.

The objects in the Neural Connection series, are even more complex in forms than those in the Astrocyte Series (2021-2024) and the Purkinje Series 2015-2021.

The idea of creating a series called Neural Connections stems from the collective noun chosen for all my sculptures since 2015: “a forest”. I imagine brain cells as a dense forest where the cells live intertwined on a microscopic scale. Hidden within our skulls, they are impossible to see. Translated to a macro scale and made out of wood, they can be seen and touched. The forest as a whole, facilitate curiosity, wondering and questions about what humans are, and how we experience our surroundings and ourself. The series Neural Connections provides the opportunity to explore the connections between single cells, both neurons and various glia cells, in one single piece. When more pieces in this series are made, the idea is that they will connect together as well, not only be single sculptures. I’m not sure how to achieve that, but hey, that’s the fun part!

Group pictures of Neural Connections#1 and Astrocytes #2 and #3