Everything within our conscious experience is made possible due to our neurons: electrically excitable cells in our brains and larger nervous systems. Every smell, sound, taste, thought, and emotion you have ever experienced was created via electrical signals transmitted though an intricate map in your mind. This series depicts these miraculous cell structures, which I think of as, the distilled essence of the beautiful and chaotic experience of being alive.
Each of the six paintings in this series are made to represent a single neuronal cell within a larger network of neural pathways.
A neuron in made up of a cell body, or soma, from which axons extend and branch into dendrites. To represent the cell body, each piece depicts a circular hub in different colors. From here, grey lines appearing as city streets and sidewalks branch off from this central circle. These winding paths representing the axons and dendrites upon which an electrical impulse travels and is transmitted between cells. The continuation of lines between among the pieces and influence of color schemes between them nod to the spread of electrical signals between cells called a neural pathway
THE SHAPE OF A CELL
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In its most distilled form, the cellular activity of a single neuron is a pretty cut and dry biological process. Neural activity is characterized by action potential. Action potential simply refers to a the cell's shift from a negatively to positively charged membrane. Charged particles called ions flow in and out of the cell to change the cell's electrical charge. When a cell reaches an action potential, it can spread this electrical signal to another cell.
That's where it gets interesting. Our neurons are arranged in an intricate network within our brains. A single neuron can make connections with over 1,000 other neurons. This means that electrical signaling within our brain does not follow a simple, predetermined path from point A to B to C. Instead there is a nearly infinite amount of unique connections and pathways that can be made within our minds- each a new thought, perspective, experience, or song. A tangible representation of our intangible human consiousness.
Where do your neurons lead?
Think about that song you can't get out of your head, your proudest moment, deepest sense of joy, that time when you finally master the skill you had been practicing. When you recall these things, you are experiencing an intricate path or neural activation within you mind. A specific trail from cell to cell which results in you memory, emotion, or sensation.
Knowing that the entirety of your consciousness lies within these cellular pathways, how would you picture the way each cell appears?
I imagine my neurons as colorful, intricate collections of experiences and cellular matter. Each containing a world of their own, but finding their true meaning in their connection with others.
Ludwig PE, Reddy V, Varacallo M. Neuroanatomy, Neurons. [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441977/
