9 Mar 2009

infocus #13 March 2009 Cardio-Active: The foxglove and the heart

CARDIO - ACTIVE explores the relationship between the human heart and the foxglove, through images, words and objects. It is a collaborative project researched and developed by visual artist Pauline Aitken and writer Judith Palmer, in association with the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.42

The project has explored the form and structure of the human heart and also the changes that occur, particularly at the cellular level, when normal function ceases. Structures and forms were simultaneously explored within the foxglove plant, digitalis purpurea. Digitalis is the source of a family of vital cardio-active drugs that have been used for the last 250 years in the treatment of certain heart conditions. Micrographic and macrographic images of plant and human tissue have then been hybridised, to reveal the interconnectivity.

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