Ellen Sandor and Beth Stevens, with PHSColograms of the Mighty Microglia, 2019 and Pruning the Neuronal Forest, 2019, installed at the Steven's Lab at Boston Children's Hospital and The Stanley Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
The Mighty Microglia: Pruning the Synapses PHSCologram sculpture installation and Mighty Microglia: Pruning for Balance Virtual Reality experience was inspired by Ellen Sandor’s grandson, Caleb Sandor Taub, who’s a non-verbal autistic. He was able to communicate with Sandor for the first time in his late teens using the RPM method with emotional depth and intelligence. Cal researched and asked her to study CRISPR-Cas9, which he called “a ray of light.” He also asked her to study the synaptic pruning, which led Sandor and (art)n to collaborate with the Steven's Lab at Boston Children's Hospital and The Stanley Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University.
Mighty Microglia, 2019
Ellen Sandor & (art)n: Diana Torres and Azadeh Gholizadeh
Beth Stevens, The Stevens Lab: Lasse Dissing-Olesen
Special thanks Caleb Sandor Taub
Steven's Lab at Boston Children's Hospital and The Stanley Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
48”x48” Virtual Photograph/Digital PHSCologram Sculpture, Duratrans, Kodalth, Plexiglas, wood
Juxtaposed with Intimate Landscapes Portfolio, Eliot Porter, 1979, Printed by Daniel Wolf Press. from the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Collection.
The PHSCologram sculpture portrays a forest of neurons surrounded by microglia cells and a microglia pruning a synapse. The wooden frames were sculpted to mirror microglia cells. The VR piece features microglia pruning synapses with its goal to maintain the balance (homeostasis) in the brain.
Pruning the Neuronal Forest, 2019
Ellen Sandor & (art)n: Diana Torres and Azadeh Gholizadeh
Beth Stevens, The Stevens Lab: Lasse Dissing-Olesen
Special thanks Caleb Sandor Taub
Steven's Lab at Boston Children's Hospital and The Stanley Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University
48” x 48” Virtual Photograph/Digital PHSCologram Sculpture, Duratrans, Kodalth, Plexiglas, wood
Juxtaposed with Intimate Landscapes Portfolio, Eliot Porter, 1979, Printed by Daniel Wolf Press. from the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Collection.
Eternal Pruning of the Beautiful Mind, 2019
Ellen Sandor & (art)n: Diana Torres and Azadeh Gholizadeh; Coded by Chris Collins
Beth Stevens, The Stevens Lab: Lasse Dissing-Olesen
Special thanks Caleb Sandor Taub
Steven's Lab at Boston Children's Hospital and The Stanley Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Virtual Reality Installation/Oculus Rift
In this immersive VR experience and PHSCologram sculpture installation, the Mighty Microglia is juxtaposed with imagery from Eliot Porter’s Intimate Landscapes Portfolio. Porter’s visceral portraits of trees is a metaphor for pruning the synapses of the human brain. Microglia are the primary immune cells of the central nervous system that are in charge of pruning synapses. During synaptic pruning, the brain eliminates extra synapses–brain structures that allow neurons to transmit electrical or chemical signals to another neuron. Synaptic pruning is thought to be the brain’s way of removing connections in the brain that are no longer needed. The player has to find that balance by directing microglia to correctly prune the right amount of synapses. If microglia prune too many synapses, the sound, color and light begin to disappear. If microglia prune too little, the sound, color and light overwhelm the player. By engaging the player's senses, they will be able to direct microglia to find the balance in the human brain.
Mighty Microglia and Pruning the Neuronal Forest : From left to right: Diana Torres, Beth Stevens, Ellen Sandor, Lasse Dissing-Olesen, and Azadeh Gholizadeh