​Glasgow Anatomy Arts & Crafts Undergraduate Student Competition

​Virtual Exhibition 2023
Theme: Teaching Diversity in the Dissection Laboratory

Curated By Dr Ourania Varsou

Welcome to the virtual exhibition of the 2023 Glasgow Anatomy Arts and Crafts Undergraduate Student Competition

Winner

Georgia Christoforou, Embracing Intersex Diversity
My name is Georgia Christoforou, and I am an undergraduate medical student at the University of Ioannina, Greece. I have a passion for painting and enjoy engaging in DIY projects. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to combine my love for art with my aspirations in the field of medicine.

Inspiration: My clay sculpture represents the reproductive system of an intersex individual with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS). You can observe the non-descending testicles, a shorter vagina, and the absence of a uterus. Many medical professionals argue that the healthcare provided to intersex individuals is one of the greatest failures in modern medicine. The lack of knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of these individuals leads to unnecessary surgeries and forces them to choose between the two typical paths of male or female genitalia. Intersex is a natural variation in the human body and should be considered a normal condition. The acronym "DSD," which previously stood for "Disorder of Sex Development," has now been replaced with "Differences of Sex Development." I strongly believe that incorporating education about the diversity of ambiguous genitalia in dissection laboratories will help the healthcare community and society as a whole to better understand and accept these individuals, ultimately leading to the provision of the best possible healthcare.

Runner Up

Eleonora Mannino & Hannah George, Harmonizing Form: Stories Beneath the Surface
Eleonora Mannino and Hannah George, both third-year undergraduates at The University of Edinburgh, come together to meld distinct academic realms. Eleonora, engrossed in her Biomedical Science (BSc) course, has an insatiable curiosity about neuroscience and the intricate wonders of the human body. On the other side, Hannah, deeply committed to her Graphic Design (BA Hons) studies, translates her profound love for art into poignant visual stories. Together, they champion the beauty of teaching anatomy and the marvels of the human body, believing that when science meets art, complex ideas transform into captivating revelations.
 
Inspiration: In our artwork, we explore the dance of diversity, showcasing bodies that challenge traditional norms. Through ballet’s elegance and dynamism of running, intertwined with innovative bioengineering, we illuminate the ways technology empowers individuals to push beyond conventional limits, allowing them to embrace and celebrate their unique anatomical narratives and potentials.

Third Place (Joint)

Katie Adair, One Heart Many Hands
My name is Katie, and I am a fourth-year medical sciences student. I have enjoyed medical illustration ever since I took my first biology class in high school and translated my love for art into a way to simply the complex systems of the body. I have carried this skill into university, where I enjoy creating digital visualisations of what I learn in the anatomy lab. “One Heart, Many Hands” is a testament to the diversity of individuals within healthcare.  It is the symphony of skill and compassion that transcends cultural boundaries, allowing everyone equal opportunity to learn. 

Inspiration: In creating this piece, I drew inspiration from two artists who showcase incredible talent within medical illustration: Ines-Hermione Mulford, and Chidiebere Ibe. The work of Ines-Hermione encapsulates a central theme of the surgical theatre, whilst Chidiebere has introduced diversity into anatomical illustration by representing people of colour in his work.

Third Place (Joint)

Kyle Deacon, Diversity In The Dissection Lab
Hi! I’m Kyle, a second year medical student from Carluke. I’m a very creative person whether it be music, drawing or clay. When not studying, I enjoy practicing one of my instruments, learning languages or reading. I enjoy going on walks with my sister, getting lost among the trees and watching sunsets. I love music and may need my headphones surgically removed due to how much I listen to it!  I have always struggled with learning anatomy and found the dissection room a tad daunting during my first year but soon I began using creative ways to learn anatomy through drawing and stress-baking themed biscuits for my friends to enjoy. 

Inspiration: The privilege of working in the dissecting room is that no cadaver is the same. Each cadaver has a story, whether it be screws from a hip replacement or a missing organ, with each you learn something that can’t be taught through textbooks. I wanted to represent this through my drawings which is why I have included a stoma patient and a kidney transplant patient. I also wanted to show a diverse range of body types.

Entries

Ameerah Gardee​, Same Hands
Ameerah is a first year medical student at the University of Glasgow and currently the secretary of GlasgowNeuro Society. In her spare time she enjoys a variety of arts and crafts and does some freelance medical illustration. Her work includes a journal cover, textbook illustrations and group logos. She lives in Glasgow with her family and two cats.
  
Inspiration: Diversity in anatomy is essential; understanding varying presentations of pathology across ethnicities shapes our understanding of global health/anatomical variation. Yet, anatomy can also be considered a universal language by which we understand the essence of our physical beings – although different externally, we are often exceptionally similar under the surface. 
​

Amy Matter, Layered Anatomy
Layers of several anatomy systems (skeletal, nervous, and cardiovascular) made from free machine embroidery. This piece was created using a sewing machine as a drawing tool, I aimed to outline the different systems and seek how they all are interwoven together
 
Inspiration: I was inspired to connect two areas of interest to create a visual diagram of the human anatomy; I wanted to develop a model of the anatomical layers and see how they intersect and overlap. 

Anna Siddique​, Single Cut = Emergency 
I am Arfa Siddique, a year 4 student studying anatomy through Biomed at the University of Edinburgh. I quite like the mystical and unknown part of life. Did Peter Pan come or was it a dream? There is a thing I do know and that is hope, life is like an ECG graph, there are ups and downs but making the most of something is important to me as the downs will happen for sure but making it past that is when the tides will clear for something better to come. Life is hard but that's why it’s fun.

Inspiration: The axillary fossa is a place that holds some of the body's most precious structures such as the brachial plexus, arteries and veins. One cut can result in tremendous damage as our upper extremities can become paralysed or even worse dying by the cut to the axillary artery. 

Ava Bell, The Anatomy of Disease 
My name is Ava Bell, I was born in Glasgow in 2003. I am currently a 4th year undergraduate medical student at Aberdeen University. My passion for art began at a very young age, and continued throughout my school life, culminating in my gaining an A1 grade in Advanced Higher Art. I mainly work with textiles and acrylic paint on canvas. I elected to study Fine Art and Medicine as a 6-week medical humanities block in the 3rd year of my degree, where I became interested in anatomical art and the representation of disease.

Inspiration: Inspired by Frida Kahlo, an artist that focused on decay, distress, and suffering, I used acrylic paints to illustrate the diversity between healthy and diseased organs. My response demonstrates how disease can be represented, in a very blunt, anatomical way, and the symbiotic relationship between Art and Anatomy.

Axel Van Den Ancker​​, Reclamation
Axel van den Ancker is a current first-year medicine student at the University of St Andrews. Born and raised in Germany to international parents, he has enjoyed painting and drawing from a young age. Axel is particularly interested in the intersection between art and science, and hopes to use drawing as a tool to support his understanding of anatomical structures over the course of his studies. Axel particularly enjoys using charcoal and graphite in his artwork, but he has been trying to challenge himself with different media and styles of working. 

Inspiration: This piece was inspired by how the human body has been shaped by nature. Using coloured pencils, anatomical cross-sections interspersed with natural materials were rendered in the style of MRI and X-ray images. The vibrant colours reflect the joy that an upcoming medic feels when discovering new things about the human body.

Hephzibah Adegoke​​, Survivor
Titled ‘Survivor’, this drawing of a Black woman, a breast cancer survivor is not an image typically seen in a dissection lab. I, Hephzibah, used graphite pencils with the aim to convey strength and perseverance displayed by the scars, blemishes and wrinkles. The skin is a canvas showcasing life experiences, the state of health and the natural course of aging. This drawing encompasses the beauty of bodies marked by cancer or disease.
 
Inspiration: Inspired by Breast Cancer awareness month, Black history month and my good friend, Ebo, this piece captures the concept of diversity of the skin.  I wanted to capture the beauty of Black skin that is typically underrepresented in anatomy and science in general.

Ioanna Staratzi, The Elderly Man
 I am a third-year medical student in the faculty of medicine of the University of Ioannina in Greece interested in exploring the morphology, anatomy and physiology of the human body. I fervently enjoy depicting a variety of anatomical structures and organs with realistic sketches. Another activity which I consider extremely interesting is the microscopic observation and photography of physiological or pathological histological samples. In the scientific field, I would be fascinated to work on the development of new therapeutic strategies for pathological conditions related to the cardiovascular and nervous system. My primary aim is to become a competent and highly-qualified physician, dedicated to providing the optimal possible service to my future patients.

Inspiration: "The Elderly Man" is a handmade pencil sketch inspired by my experience in the dissection lab where I had the privilege to work on some unique cadaveric anatomical samples and by my admiration for neuropathophysiology. It depicts the medical conditions with which many elderly people are confronted, such as Alzheimer's and heart disease (i.e. pericardial fat accumulation) in a more creative way. Its aim is to raise awareness among the general population about the aforementioned health disorders

Isabel Arnold, Palmaris Longus Tendon
My name is Isabel Arnold. I am a 4th year undergraduate Anatomy student here at Glasgow. As well as my interest with anatomy, I enjoy performing at open mics around Glasgow and singing with the UofG Jazz society. Having taken art and design throughout school and college, the Anatomy art crafts competition has reignited my love for drawing the human form. I love eating and drinking with family and pals, and enjoy morning runs along river kelvin. 

Inspiration: This piece demonstrates the position of the palmaris longus tendon with the movement of the fingers. Palmaris longus is a forearm flexor originating from the medial epicondyle of the humerus and terminates on the flexor retinaculum. The tendon protrudes when touching the pads of the first and fifth digit and flexing the wrist. Absence of palmaris longus occurs in 15% of the population. The muscles’ function is to assist wrist flexion, and presumably assist grip for hanging; necessary for primates who climbed trees. As bipedal humans have evolved, the muscle is vestigial and no longer has a significant function. 

Joanna Chau, Variations
Joanna is an English student based in Scotland. She is studying medicine at St Andrews.

Inspiration: I wanted to incorporate concepts of anatomical variation with underrepresented groups and body types in medicine.

Joori Park, From the Past to the Present, yet Unchanged
I am a Korean student currently in my fourth year at the University of Pécs Medical School in Hungary. I have been actively involved as a student demonstrator in the anatomy department for three semesters. I have a passion for drawing, and I enjoy creating illustrations.

Inspiration: I expressed the idea that anatomical knowledge accumulated over the years has been applied to various fields in modern times, using the metaphor of a placenta. On the left, I documented my experiences as a student with my professors before and after the era of COVID-19. On the right, I wanted to show that even though the tools may have changed over time, what we see remains the same.

Kilmeny Wong, Human Skull Anterior and Lateral
​Kilmeny Wong is a 4th year undergraduate student studying BSc Anatomy and Development at University of Edinburgh. As part of the course, she takes anatomy of the head and neck and human osteology. Kilmeny is particularly fascinated about bones; having the image of whiteness, dense and life-less appearance and yet it conducts many essential functions of the body is remarkable. Association between anatomy and art is another area of Kilmeny’s interest.

Inspiration: This has inspired her to produce a pencil drawing of the anterior and lateral view of a human skull.

Lydia Hunt, Living Bones
My name is Lydia Hunt. I am a 4th Year Medical Sciences (BSc Hons) student at the University of Edinburgh. I am passionate about the arts; their use for communication in a world that is full of thoughts, philosophies and ideas. Often, I find my heart torn as I enjoy afternoons studying biomedical science in the library while I eagerly await an evening life a drawing class. Creatively connecting people with novel ways of thinking is something that I believe to be a powerful tool! A picture tells 10,000 words.

Inspiration: The diverse and intricate shapes making up and contained within the human body have always fascinated me. This project gave me the opportunity to ponder on the beauty of this diverse array and work with these shapes in a novel way!
Can we learn from our bodies?
​Human life is precious; for many, studying anatomy elicits a sense of awe. Intricate and diverse, many parts form a flourishing and functioning whole. The fundamental frame of the human body is the skeletal system, locking in the core structure upon which other systems rely. We see the complexity of its design in the dissecting theatre as we encounter isolated members of the whole. Each member essential; but together more than the sum of singular parts. As diverse parts come together, we see their full glory. Interconnected and dependent upon one another. Beauty in their diversity, equal value to every member.

Mafalda Reynolds Brandão, Skelly
I'm Mafalda, I am 22 years old. I was born in Portugal, where I grew inspired by its lines, forms, and colors.
I am passionate about people, art, and design. Life has the most meaning to me when I am in a creative state, in a world of infinite possibilities! For this reason, I chose to undertake the intercalated Master of European Design and ended up studying here, in Glasgow.

Inspiration: "Skelly" is a visual narrative that speaks to the wonder of uncovering the intricacies of the human figure, celebrating the fusion of art and anatomy inviting viewers to embark on a voyage of self-discovery through the mesmerizing play of light and colour.

Marilena Dimitriou, The Complexity of the Human Body
My name is Marilena Dimitriou and I am a fourth-year undergraduate medical student at the University of Ioannina. The reason behind my decision of studying medicine is my personality and the drive to help people. I would describe myself as an extroverted introvert who uses art as a way of expression since childhood. I am an artist who wants to become a doctor and paints diseases with acrylics. I want to ease people’s life and help them see life in a different perspective in which positive feelings dominate, just like art makes me see it.
 
Inspiration: Human body. Approximately 80 organs and 36 trillion cells, with coronal, horizontal and sagittal illustrations. Everyone differs, making it difficult to match sections of e.g. a brain to: male, female, tall (big heart), old (bone marrow with fat)… Humans , like an organ’s sections, are diverse, yet made from the same tissue.

Niamh Preacher, Skeleton, Heart & Veins
My name is Niamh Preacher and I have just started first year of product design at Glasgow school of art, I originally applied for design for health and wellbeing but unfortunately this course is no longer going ahead much to my anguish, I also have just left high school this year back in May. Art has always been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember but has become much more prominent in my life over the past year as my passion grew even stronger. For my Advanced Higher portfolio in S6 I decided to focus my work on the anatomy of the human body, from skeletons to vein networks to the heart! When I saw this competition, I knew I would love to submit my work as it is still something I am very proud of and learnt so much from, also while getting to create and design from an artistic point of view.

Inspiration: A huge point of inspiration for me is my mum’s job, she writes medical reviews for doctors who have collected research so that the information can be spread and help people all over the world. Another inspiration for me was the Edinburgh Central Library, the top floor has an art library, when I found books on anatomy drawings, I instantly knew it was a topic I would love to explore. An exhibition that was very inspirational to me was “Anatomy, a matter of life and death” showcased at the National Museum of Scotland. And finally, I have previously studied Human Biology in high school, and it was one of my favourite subjects I have ever covered! My interest in the human body spans far and wide especially in the artistic field!

Xiwang Yu, Anatomical Creation of Adam
My name is Xiwang Yu, a third year anatomy student in University of Glasgow. From a young age, I developed a keen interest in biology, with a particular fascination for dissection. As a teenager, I was fortunate to receive a few specimens, including birds, hamsters, and even a dolphin. Among the intricacies of anatomy, histology and dissection captivated me the most. The intricate study of tissues and the art of carefully examining the inner workings of organisms through dissection became my favourite endeavours. These experiences ignited a lifelong curiosity for the inner workings of life, steering me toward a path of scientific exploration and a deep appreciation for the beauty within biology.
 
Inspiration: The story of God's creation of Adam has long been a source of inspiration for histology and muscle research. The act of breathing life into Adam's clay form symbolises the spark that ignites the functions of the human body, including the complex workings of bones, to muscles and tissues. This narrative inspires scientists to explore the complexities of histology, examining the microscopic world of cells and tissues that make muscles move, strengthening the connection between the sacred and the scientific in understanding human physiology.