The shape of the bowls in the Purkinje Series are inspired by a certain type of nerve cells, the Purkinje cells. These cells exist in the Cerebellum, known by their intricate dendritic arbor. Gulliksen has taken artistic liberty with the arbor as well as allowing the dendrites to spread out in three dimensions, crossing each other, over and under. This allowed for exploring three-dimensional forms, the aspen woods limitations, and her own wood carving skills.
On Purkinje cells:
«The Purkinje cells present the most striking histological feature of the cerebellum. Elaborate dendrites extend into the molecular layer from a single subjacent layer of these giant nerve cell bodies (called the Purkinje layer; Figure 19.8B) Once in the molecular layer the Purkinje cell dendrites branch extensively in a plane at right angles to the trajectory of the parallel fibers (Figure 19.9A), and each parallel fiber can contact a very large number of Purkinje cells (on the order of tens of thousands). The Purkinje cells also receive a direct modulatory input on their dendritic shafts form the climbing fibers, all of which arise in the inferior olive. […]” The Purkinje cells project in turn to the deep cerebellar nuclei. They are the only output cells of the cerebellar cortex
Purves et.al. 2012, p.425
See also: https://estetiskefagene.wordpress.com/2019/02/18/purkinje-series-2015-2019/
Marte S. Gulliksen - Researcher, Artist, Teacher 