Wellcome Collection - London

Wellcome Collection

Continuing our time in London, we took a look at one of the city's premiere museums showcasing BioArt by going to the Wellcome Collection. The Wellcome Collection features a variety of items related to health and medicine, including rare books, artworks, films, videos, personal archives, and historical objects. It hosts exhibitions and events that explore the past, present, and future of health and human experience. We were afforded a chance to draw inspiration from intricate pieces of Bio art exhibited at the museum.

Remembering Henrietta Lacks

This glass vial, hand blown by Jochen Holz, contains immortal HeLa cells derived from Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cancer cells have significantly advanced medical research. We discussed the importance of ethics in the sciences through this piece.

PPE Project

We saw Mary Beth Heffernan's work that humanized health workers in protective gear, initially using sticker portraits during the Ebola epidemic to comfort isolated patients. She continued this approach during COVID-19, providing photo stickers for caregivers to create comfort for patients.

Transparent Woman (Anatomical Figure)

This 1980s anatomical model allowed our Bodybuilders to light up different organs by pressing buttons, intended for teaching anatomy. This was a very detailed piece that allowed us to see how intricate we are as

Student Tour

A student host gave us a tour of the collection and information on a few unique pieces, making for a very intimate and unique experience. Art pieces on E. bola, polycystic fibrosis, HIV transmission and the story of Henrietta Lacks were all walked through by our tour guide. The rest of the museum was then available for individual exploration.

Jason and the Adventure of 254

In this exhibition, Jason Wilsher-Mills portrays his experience dealing with an autoimmune disease that paralyzed him from the neck down. Through the use of sequential interactive art pieces, Wilsher-Mills relays the brutal reality of living with chronic fatigue syndrome while pursuing his dreams of becoming an artist. Intriguing visuals mixed with interesting narrative paragraphs provided us with an accessible avenue into understanding Jason's disability and an appreciation for his journey in learning to live with it.

This piece highlights the moment that Wilsher-Mills recieved his diagnosis, which coincided with Sebastian Coe winning the 1500-meter race in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. This was particularly notable as Wilsher-Mills recieved his diagnosis at 2:54pm and Coe's racing number was 254. Reflecting back on this moment, Wilsher-Mills said was influential in directing him towards his path as an artist.

This figure transports the viewer to Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield and allows them to visualize what was happening to Wilsher-Mills' body as his disease progressed. The feet are disproportionally larger than the rest of the body to represent the pain he felt, and the light bulbs scattered all over the figure represent his neurological pathways not working properly.

British Museum of Arts

We also got a chance to visit the worlds largest collection of art, culture, and human history. We explored on our own, allowing us to visit the sections which interested us the most. The museums collection has pieces of from centuries ago documenting the beginnings of human history to present day pieces.

Mummy of Djedkhonsiufankh

Burial assemblage of the lady Henutmehyt

Karyatis (a support column depicting a woman)

Colossal Marble Bust of Zeus

We were blown away by the sheer amount of historical artifacts on display at the museum. Everything from European history to ancient Egypt was on offer for us to look at and learn from. One bodybuilder in particular had a fascination with the Iranian history exhibit: "I never expected to learn so much about a country's rich history in my visit to England of all places."

Big Ben and Houses of Parliament

Sightseeing

The rest of the day was allocated for individual exploration of London (with a buddy system of course). Many of us used this opportunity to take pictures, go to famous locations, or just walk around the beautiful city of London.

The London Eye

Tower Bridge

London Skyline from the River Thames

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