Dendrites is an on-going series born from a fascination with our connection to nature, and a growing fear of deforestation and the detrimental effects it has on the planet.
Our biology and the biology of the natural world are intrinsically entwined both scientifically and metaphorically right down to the minutia.
Dendrites originating from the Greek δένδρον dendron, meaning ‘tree’, are appendages that are designed to receive communications from other cells. They’re membranous tree-like projections arising from the body of a neuron. Like the branches of a tree, the dendrites in our cells branch extensively. They form a dense canopy-like arborization called a dendritic tree around the neuron. This creates projections that become stimulated by other neurons and conduct the electrochemical charge to the cell body.
Trees, like dendrites, are part of us. Oxygen created through their photosynthesis power the cells within our bodies, they are integral to our biology. These trees lit from within shine brightly in the blackness, a visual metaphor of their importance as they struggle to survive in the wake of humanities ever growing expansion.
This series offers an ode to the minutia of our biology, and serves as a foreboding celebration of nature’s unique sculptures, standing alone in the darkness, just as we would be, if they go.