Neural Connections #1

  • Size: 21,5 cm long x 12 cm deep x 11 cm high
  • Materials: Aspen wood from Telemark, Norway and 24k gold leaf metal. Cut and waxed finish
  • Made: August 2024 – March 2025

Studio Photos of Neural Connections #1 Photographer: M. S. Gulliksen

Process photos of Neural Connections #1

  • img_6304-1
  • img_6310-1
  • img_6323-1
  • img_6317-1
  • img_6325-1
  • img_6351-1
  • img_6345-1
  • img_7487-1
  • img_7478-1
  • img_7482-1

When making this sculpture, I wanted to challenge myself to carve something that could be moving. The mid section is inspired by oligodendrocytes holding around a section of a neuron. This one is carved until it became loose. It is not connected to the main part any longer.

As aspen wood is brittle and chips easily, it was indeed a challenge to make. I am so happy that it did not break. However, I know I have some work to do to make such shapes flow better.

I do not make detailed sketches before starting to work in the wood. I never know how the wood grain has grown until I take off the bark and start working. The work is a negotiation between my ideas and the wood’s possibilities and suggestions. That being said, I think the sketch of my idea in the beginning is not too far off from what the end-result looks like: