NatureVolve issue 8

Issue #8

Special focus:

The brain & mind Discovering..

Mental health

matters - especially during Covid-19 Stunning medical art

Brain blood flow links with

dementia

Exercise -

a science and an art?

plus..

Marine life insights Nature inspired art Explore..

Science Science Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Conservation Conservation

Scicomm Scicomm

Art

Written Word

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NatureVolve.com Communicating science Combining art

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Thank you to the following contributors to this issue: Anushikha Bhas Cassidy Miles Christine Romanell Crystal Groeger Fabio Favoretto Gaelle Chassery Halldis Ringvold Heather Laurence (of EcoArts Wild) Iraklis Gatenadze (of Symbolico) Karthikeyan D. Rajamani Leslie Holt (of Neuro Blooms) Lucy McCroskey (of Atlas Biomedical Media LLC) Matthew Williams Nancy Ruiz Ocean Conservation Trust Oliver Bracko Peter M. Lawrence Xiaojing Yan Yana Zorina

A special thanks also to STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi) and Barrow Neurological Institute

Copyright notice

© NatureVolve digital magazine - all original content providers retain the copyright to their work.

No materials may be reused without permission.

Editor’s note Welcome to NatureVolve issue #8

We are pleased to share issue #8 with you; sharing the

ideas of both scientists and creatives, to achieve our common goal in connecting science, art and the public.

Sharing diverse topics from science to conservation and art, we specially emphasize the brain and mind in issue #8.

We begin the Science section by looking at the role of brain blood flow in neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, before going ‘out of this world’ with a story about the study of exoplanets. Splashing into a marine theme, we dive deep into the discovery of a rare salp to the north of Norway and in the Conservation section, understand the importance of conserving seagrass and isolated coral reefs.

We then look inwards, towards the state of the mind. Just as anxiety and depression cases have grown during the global crisis, we explore mental health and equality advocating crafts.

At a deeper scientific angle, we see the stunning artworks of a medical illustrator working alongside neurosurgeons within an institute. In the Art section you can check out a real mixture of original pieces; coastal-inspired yarn art, a sculpture that is technically alive, plus a therapeutic nature-connecting art programme. Artists have long found it challenging to navigate the art industry, particularly during these times. As a result, an expert tells us about challenges faced when ‘flying solo’ in today’s art industry and changing economic world.

Outside of work and projects, households have faced their own unique challenges during lockdowns. Keeping up exercise has been important for many. To conclude this issue, a writer shares their love of exercise, seeing it as both an art and a science.

Perhaps the stories contributors have all shared here can help inspire us to connect to nature when we can, and to keep up our mental and physical self-care as lockdown restrictions continue for many across the world, before we anticipate a better year ahead with Covid-19 vaccines being continually rolled out.

Enjoy issue #8 and keep well!

Clarissa Wright Editor-in-Chief © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Contents SCIENCE

Art

Busting brain blood flow barriers in neurodegenerative diseases

5

The trace of toxicity that may be hiding in our bread

9

Peering into sacred symmetry with Christine Romanell

43

Xiaojing Yan

47

Coming soon: A revolution in the study 11 of exoplanets!

Yarn art by the Scottish coast with Gaelle Chassery

51

Rare salp discovered in Norway Helicosalpa virgula

Navigating the complex art industry with Symbolico

54

Exposing ourselves to the benefits of nature with EcoArts Wild

58

14

conservation Don’t forget to protect isolated reefs off the Gulf of Mexico

18

Protecting seagrass with the Ocean Conservation Trust

21

Written Word Sport: A kinetic melody of art and science

63

scicomm Creating medical art at Barrow Neurological Institute with medical illustrator Peter M. Lawrence

25

Making mental health vibrantly visible with Neuro Blooms

29

Atlas Biomedical LLC artwork

33

Yana Zorina

37

Fundraising for fisheries education

39

The science of FemininiTee

41

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

extra NatureVolve announcement - Final notes & open call

65

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Science

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SCIENCE

neuroscience

Busting brain blood flow barriers in neurodegenerative diseases While the brain is vastly complex, there is still much more to explore

and understand about this organ and neurodegenerative diseases that can occur. The adequate flow of blood to and from the brain is vital for the proper functioning of our bodies and minds. Via a network of capillary vessels in our bodies, tissues and organs (including the brain) are supplied with oxygen and nutrients.

But when blood flow is blocked for any reason, such as a building up of white blood cells, certain neurodegenerative diseases can seem to simultaneously arise. Could reduced blood flow play a role in the onset of these diseases?

At the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, Oliver Bracko, PhD student Nancy Ruiz and colleagues investigate the important role that brain blood flow plays in the context of neurodegenerative conditions, such as dementia - which affects around 50 million worldwide.

Top, right: 3D rendering of blood vessels of the brain.

Directly right: Cortical brains section, Astrocytes (green), Microglia (red), amyloid-beta plaques.

All: Š Oliver Bracko.

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SCIENCE

neuroscience

Q & A - Oliver Bracko & Nancy Ruiz To understand neurodegenerative diseases, why is it important to investigate brain blood flow? Is there a link between brain blood flow and dementia? [Oliver]

In your published Nature Neuroscience study, how did your team at Cornell University use mice to study the role of brain blood flow in Alzheimer’s diseases? [Oliver]

We have known for decades that blood flow to the brain is reduced up to one-third in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This is a large reduction in blood flow, similar in size to the brain blood flow decrease that causes the transient dizziness sometimes experienced when standing up too quickly after lying down. In Alzheimer’s, large brain blood flow reductions are likely contributing to the memory and cognitive problems, but we don’t yet fully understand the mechanistic connection and studies aiming to understand the mechanism behind these reductions are just beginning. Most likely several mechanisms are in play, and lifestyle factors such as cardiovascular risk factors, like obesity or Type2-diabetes, have an impact. Furthermore, genetic risk factors such as APOE4, the largest genetic risk factor known to be associated with Alzheimer’s, are directly or indirectly contributing to the overall brain blood flow reduction seen in patients. Recently several clinical trials have failed, which aimed to reduce the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s amyloidbeta plaques as well as hyperphosphorylated tau.

It becomes more evident that alternatives to such treatments are in great need. Understanding brain blood flow reductions and their contributions to Alzheimer’s disease is an important prerequisite to develop novel treatment strategies.

We are an engineering lab and develop microscopes.

Our technology enabled us to study capillary blood flow in mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s. Although it is possible to study overall blood flow in human patients with methods like MRI, it is impossible to resolve the blood flow of the smallest vessels (capillaries) of the brain. In mice, we identified that brain blood flow decrease is caused by white blood cells (leucocytes) stuck to the inside of the capillaries in the brain. Because blood cells flow in a single file in capillaries, the adhered white blood cells transiently block blood flow in these vessels. While only a couple percent of capillaries have stalled blood flow due to these blockages, each stalled vessel leads to decreased blood flow in multiple downstream vessels, magnifying the impact on overall brain blood flow. When we used an antibody that blocks leucocytes’ adhesion, the stalled capillaries started flowing again, and brain blood flow speed quickly increased by about 20%. When we tested the impact of improved brain blood flow on mice performance on memory tasks, we found that memory function was improved within hours of giving the antibody that interfered with white blood cell adhesion.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Directly below: Oliver at a two-photon microscope.

Below, left: Vascular inflammation imaging blood is red inflammation blue and green. Both images: © Oliver Bracko. All rights reserved.

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SCIENCE

neuroscience

With your citizen science project Stall Catchers, how are you speeding up Alzheimer’s research?

Have the participants shared their experiences taking part? [Nancy] Stall catchers has been a great tool for us because we have been able to engage a lot of people (scientists and non-scientists) with the research that we do in the lab and they also help us analyze our data, which takes a long time for us to do just by ourselves.

I have seen a lot of enthusiasm from participants, especially elder people who like to help with speeding up Alzheimer’s research, because it feels personal to them.

Playing the game also represents a way in which they can stimulate their brain by using their phones or personal laptops.

“...exercise is beneficial for cognitive function, and should play an active role in therapies against Alzheimer’s disease.”

Which insights from your research aid the future development of Alzheimer’s therapies?

Why may exercise be beneficial for patients, according to your recently published PLOS One pilot study? [Nancy] In our pilot study, even though we did not find any changes in cerebral blood flow or capillary stalls, we found an increase in neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (new neurons being formed in a region in the hippocampus that is crucial for memory) and an improvement in cognitive function, specifically in short term memory tasks, after only three months of voluntary running in mouse models of the disease.

This, along with many other studies of exercise and its effect on Alzheimer’s disease, proves that exercise is beneficial for cognitive function, and that exercise should play an active role in therapies against the disease.

Top right: Vascular inflammation imaging blood is red inflammation blue and green. © Oliver Bracko. All rights reserved.

Directly right: “Nancy” at a two-photon microscope. © Nancy Ruiz.

All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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SCIENCE

neuroscience

What will you be working on next in your own research projects and at Brackolab? [Oliver] The vascular network and brain blood flow are both crucial to supply the brain with oxygen and nutrients to exert proper function, and the aim of my lab at the University of Miami will be to understand this concept in the context of neurodegenerative disease.

One line of research will elucidate common and specific mechanisms of vascular dysfunction and cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disease. Specifically, I am interested if brain blood flow reductions also contribute to other forms of dementia, such as Frontotemporal dementia, and – if accurate – if the underlying mechanism is capillary stalling or if additional, diseasespecific, factors are in play.

In a second line of research I focus on the molecular basis of vasculature plugging. A similar phenomenon was also observed in other diseases and organs, and

one crucial factor that may unify them is vascular inflammation. My current hypothesis is that increased vascular inflammation will cause cells to block the vessels and infiltrate the brain, causing reduced oxygen supply (hypoxia), a leaky bloodbrain barrier, and ultimately blood flow reductions.

This viscous cycle may accelerate the disease progression and contribute to cognitive impairment.

Treating vascular inflammation and consequently brain blood flow reductions may open up new routes to therapeutics that could slow disease progression in patients with different forms of dementia.

Final thoughts While studying the role of brain blood flow reductions in dementia, using mice as a model, Oliver Bracko, Nancy Ruiz and the team in the Schaffer-Nishimura lab at Cornell University, found that an antibody that interfered with the adhesion of white blood cells supported brain blood flow and improved memory function.

In the Brackolab at the University of Miami, Oliver will continue to investigate the link between brain blood flow and neurodegenerative disease. Their research, amongst further investigations into brain blood flow, could aid the future development of more therapeutics for slowing the progression of dementia in some patients.

Bio: Oliver Bracko

Links

My name is Oliver Bracko. I am currently a postdoc in the SchafferNishimura lab at Cornell University and an incoming professor at the University of Miami. I am a neuroscientist, and particularly fascinated by vascular contributions to neurodegenerative disease. In my free time, I enjoy nature, birds, hiking, and the outdoors.

Website: www.brackolab.com

Bio: Nancy Ruiz I am a Colombian PhD student at the department of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. I study the causes and consequences of cerebral blood flow deficits in Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on oxidative stress and inflammation. Outside the lab I enjoy photography, cooking, hiking and rock climbing. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Twitter: @obracko

Twitter: @NancyRuizU

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SCIENCE

health

The trace of toxicity that may be hiding in our bread

By Dr. Karthikeyan D. Rajamani - guest writer

Are you often wondering what the best, yet quickest meal options are

for you each day? In our fast-paced modern world most of us have insufficient time to prepare nutritious food. The ideal quick food choices are often bread sandwiches or other bread-based options. Though saving time, the fast-food option can have more carcinogenesis when produced with the flour enhancer, potassium bromate. Potassium bromate is mostly

used as a flour enhancer, to make more dough, and increase bread rise in the oven. Also, it helps to increase loaf volume and texture. “Flour of death” is the nickname given to the product containing potassium bromate (KBrO3).

The baking process converts potassium bromate into a salt - potassium bromide. But if ingredients aren’t mixed at the correct ratios, or aren’t cooked properly, the original compound may remain. In 1999, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified potassium bromate as possibly carcinogenic to humans. It is classified as category 2B carcinogen (potentially carcinogenic to humans). Recently, our findings about the toxicity of KBrO3 in experimental animals have been published in Cell Biology and Toxicology - An International Journal Devoted to Research at the Cellular Level.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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SCIENCE

health

The findings from our study have clearly emphasized that KBrO3 toxicity can result in renal cancer through renal oxidative stress.

It also has genotoxic effect, in other words, it causes damage to the cell’s DNA. Oxidative damage is the initial injury that can be caused when it is consumed every day, leading to vascular injury and damaging our blood vessels. If you can, it is best to consume such products once a week, so that you can give the body a chance to recover. Compared to normal individuals, a change in blood sugar level, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and abnormal blood filtration are more likely to be early symptoms associated with fertility complications and kidney problems.

You could say that “a bowl of rice may be a healthier choice.” When busy, it is an easy option to consume bread sandwiches, burgers, or pizzas that may have high doses of possible human carcinogens, which lead to renal oxidative stress, through frequent exposure that promotes renal carcinogenesis. A previous report from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi on May 23rd, 2016, mentioned about 84% of analyzed bread samples (KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Subway and McDonald’s) tested positive with potassium bromate/iodate.

Potassium iodate is another carcinogen which causes thyroid disorders. There is increased mortality due to a hormonal imbalance where the frequency of thyroid diseases is increased.

As reported, the incidence rate is 3% of all adult cancer and 85% of all kidney cancer.

The European Union, the UK, China, Canada and Brazil all forbid the use of the additive in baking. Followed by the CSE report, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to remove this from the list of permitted additives which set permissible limits is 50 parts per million as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Despite the banning decision of FSSAI, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Goa have found positive traces (4/18) of potassium bromate in bread samples, but within permissible limits (25 ppm - parts per million).

According to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 the maximum permissible limit is 20 ppm.

Approximately, 1 in 20 of us have been having bread-based food which could have low to high doses of potassium bromate. The steps taken might be absurd for those who are not aware of the toxicity of potassium bromate. The recent decision of FSSAI has helped to nudge organizations to remove potassium bromate from their list of preservatives and permitted additives. People who are less familiar about the toxicity of potassium bromate may find taking precautions absurd.

There are lots of disparate pieces in the food safety system here, where no one knows who has control over toxicity. I think using higherquality ingredients is certainly worth it, if it means protecting the health of you and your loved ones.

Contact Dr. Karthikeyan D. Rajamani, PhD, FBSS Senior Research Scientist (Biomarker) Department of Environmental Health Engineering WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, ICMR Center for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Climate and Health, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur-600056, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Email: rajakarthis14@gmail.com and karthikeyan@ehe.org.in ORCID: 0000-0001-6533-6689 Web of Science Research ID: AAH-9265-2019 Google Scholar: scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=-ORDlecAAAAJ&hl=en LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karthikeyan-rajamani-3725831a © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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SCIENCE

astronomy

Highlight

Coming soon: A revolution in the study of exoplanets!

By Matthew Williams - guest writer

For centuries, philosophers and scholars have wondered if the stars in the night sky might have their own planets. And yet, it has only been in the past few decades that astronomers have been able to find any extrasolar planets (aka. exoplanets). In fact, it wasn’t until 1992 that the first two exoplanets were officially confirmed orbiting a pulsar (PSR B1257+12) 2,300 light-years away.

Since then, thousands of exoplanets have been detected and confirmed, most of them in just the past decade. All of this is due to a combination of technological advancements, refinements in exoplanet-hunting methods, and improved coordination between observatories worldwide.

In the coming years, we can expect many more discoveries as new observatories become operational, space telescopes are launched, and machine learning and citizen scientists get better at sorting through all the data provided. As always, the ultimate goal is to find planets that are habitable, and maybe even inhabited!

Right: Artist’s impression of Proxima b.

Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Source: Link.

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SCIENCE

astronomy

Exoplanet-Hunting Techniques So far, most exoplanets have been discovered using indirect means. Among them, the most popular and effective is the Transit Method (aka.

Transit Photometry). This consists of observing stars for periodic dips in brightness, which can be the result of a planet passing in front of the star (aka. transiting) relative to the observer.

These dips are used to determine the size of the transiting planet, as well as its orbital period.

On rare occasions, light passing through the exoplanet’s atmosphere will provide astronomers with spectra, which can be used to tell what gases the atmosphere is composed of.

The second most popular means is the Radial Velocity Method (aka. Doppler Spectroscopy).

This method consists of measuring the way a star moves back and forth relative to Earth, which indicates that there are gravitational forces acting on it - in other words, one or more planets in orbit.

There’s also Gravitational Microlensing, which takes advantage of the effects predicted by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.

In essence, the gravity of a star will alter the curvature of spacetime around it, which is then used as a “gravitational lens” to enhance and magnify the light of a background star. Over time, distortions may occur that could be the result of planets passing through the lens.

Then there’s Direct Imaging. For this method, astronomers detect exoplanets by looking for light reflected by their atmospheres or surfaces. The reason why this method is so prized is because this light can also be used to obtain spectra on a planet’s atmosphere and/or determine what its surface might look like (i.e. landmasses, oceans, vegetation, etc.).

Unfortunately, this technique is used only in rare cases because of the limits of our current telescopes. Most of the time, any light reflected by an exoplanet will be easily drowned out by the much brighter light coming from its star. Hence, Direct Imaging has only been possible with massive planets (like gas giants) that have wide orbits.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Meanwhile, rocky planets that orbit closer to their stars (like Earth) cannot be seen because of all the light interference. Since it is these planets that astronomers and astrobiologists expect to be the most habitable, being forced to study them indirectly is quite limiting.

However, that’s all likely to change in the near future.

Next-Generation Observatories In 2021, after multiple delays, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will finally be launched. In terms of exoplanet studies, the JWST will rely on nextgeneration infrared optics to conduct follow-up studies of confirmed planets. This will allow it to observe smaller planets that orbit closer to their stars and detect chemical signatures in their atmospheres.

By the mid-2020s, the JWST will be joined by the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Known as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (formerly the WFIRST), this observatory will have 100 times the resolution of its predecessor. Combined with timeseries microlensing of the Milky Way’s central region (the “bulge”), Roman will be able to spot exoplanets the size of Mercury or Mars (“sub-Earths”).

Both observatories will also be equipped with coronagraphs, a special instrument that blocks the direct light from a star so that nearby objects – like a system of planets – are visible. NASA also has plans for a special class of “ qwlter” spaceship that will act as a coronagraph for telescopes that don’t have their own.

As part of the proposed New Worlds Mission (NWM) project, these plans call for a spacecraft equipped with a large “starshade” to fly ahead of a space telescope.

Once in position, the NWM spacecraft will deploy its shade - a flower-shaped structure – to block out the light coming from a specific star so the space telescopes can get a better look at its exoplanets.

There are also some powerful ground-based telescopes that will be operational by the 2020s.

In 2025, the ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will gather light for the first time while the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will commence observations by the mid-2020s and 2029, respectively.

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SCIENCE

astronomy

These telescopes have their own coronagraphs but will also employ what is known as Adaptive Optics (AO). This technique involves using computercontrolled deformable mirrors to correct for distortions caused by the Earth’s atmosphere in real-time.

Equipped with these instruments, astronomers will have the resolution and sensitivity they need to directly image thousands of exoplanets and (more importantly) characterize them.

“By the end of the decade, astronomers could be making direct observations of Earth-like exoplanets on a regular basis.”

From Discovery to Characterization In recent years, the focus of astronomers has slowly shifted away from finding exoplanets (i.e. discovery) to conducting follow-up studies to see if they can support life (i.e. characterization). This trend is expected to pick up speed very soon thanks to the aforementioned telescopes and more sophisticated data-mining techniques.

By the end of the decade, astronomers could be making direct observations of Earth-like exoplanets on a regular basis. These include Proxima b, Ross 128 b, Teegarden’s Star b, 82 G. Eridani e, and the seven planets of TRAPPIST-1 – potentially-habitable worlds that are within 40 light-years of Earth.

The data we glean from observing these exoplanets will go a long way towards helping us decide which we should be sending probes to someday.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll even detect biosignatures on some of these planets (fingers crossed!); in the process, solving the mystery of whether or not we’re alone in the Universe at last!

Above: Portrait of the author, Matthew Williams.

Photo credit: C. Jack. All rights reserved.

Further Reading...

Exoplanets NASA STSCI science themes NASA: Ways to find a planet ESO: Adaptive optics technology SETI: Future space telescopes Universe Today: How the next generation of ground-based super telescopes will directly observe exoplanets

About the author

Links

Matthew S Williams is a writer for Universe Today, Stardom Space, Stellar Amenities, and Interesting Engineering. He is also the Director of Media Communication for Mars City Design, and a published science fiction writer. His specialties include astronomy, earth science, the history of space exploration, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and the future of humanity in space. He lives on Vancouver Island with his wife and family.

Website: storiesbywilliams.com

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Universe Today: universetoday.com/author/mwill Interesting Engineering: interestingengineering.com/author/ matthew-s-williams Stardom Space: stardomspace.com/author/mwilliams/ p13

SCIENCE

biology

Rare salp discovered in Norway Helicosalpa virgula Helicosalpa is a genus of rare salps, and specimens can become over 15 meters long. They are typically recorded in southern latitudes, but recently a few specimens were recorded to the north of Norway.

Only three Helicosalpa species have been described in the world, and with a little help from marine citizen scientists, we are hoping to gain tissue samples for genetic analysis.

Help us to find samples from all three species!

Right: Figure 1 - Helicosalpa virgula, observed in Norway, Kristiansund.

Also referenced as figure 3 from the team’s research paper published in Marine Biology Research of Talylor & Francis Ringvold et al, 2020. © Nils Aukan.

All rights reserved.

Link to research paper and image source.

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SCIENCE

biology

Did you say 15 meter long salps in the ocean?

Yes, you read it right! Salps are free-swimming tunicates, of which Helicosalpa is one genus. They have a fascinating lifecycle. You may

encounter helicosalps either as solitary specimens, a few centimeters long, or giant chains which may become over 15 meters. The long chains look a bit like a ‘giant helix’, and are able to swim by twisting their chains.

Helicosalps begin their lifecycle as solitary salps, and through ‘budding’ (asexual reproduction) they produce a small, long chain with lots of individs.

When long enough, this small chain breaks off from the single salp, and floats away. The small chain is growing by filtrating and eating particles from the water mass. When the chain has grown large enough, and meets another chain, they exchange egg and sperm and produce single salps (sexual reproduction).

Click here to see a short video-clip about their lifecycle.

Salps are tunicates, and belong within Chordata phylum, together with humans, for example. All chordates have a dorsal nerve cord, at least parts of their lives. Helicosalps are among the most rare salps. They have been recorded both from the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, but are typically seen in the tropics, or in the Mediterranean Sea. Only three species have been described: Helicosalpa virgula, H. komaii and H. younti. In the Atlantic, only H. virgula has been recorded. Helicosalpa are so rare that even scientists have seen very few live specimens, and scientific descriptions of species have been based on preserved specimens.

If you have worked with preserved animals, you’ve noticed they look a lot different from live animals: they’ve shrunk, lost color and are somewhat deformed. Because of this, noone knew for sure what these three Helicosalpa species looked like alive – until now: Through our research study (Ringvold et al.*) we conducted google searches looking for pictures and videos of helicosalps from divers all around the world.

A few photos were also borrowed from other researchers.

“Helicosalps are among the most rare salps. They have been recorded both from the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, but are typically seen in the tropics, or in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Gradually, it became clear to us what the three specimens looked like alive!

H. virgula can be seen in Figure 1 (previous page). Notice the yellow, cone-shaped gonads with long protrusions; these are characteristic for H. virgula. In our next project, we wish to sample a small piece of each Helicosalpa species (a tissue sample) in order to conduct genetic analysis. *Ringvold et al. 2020 - Encounters with the rare genus Helicosalpa (Chordata, Thaliacea, Salpida), using citizen science data. Marine Biology Research. 16 (5) 369-379. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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SCIENCE

biology

Are you a diver who can get us a tissue sample?

We are looking for divers that may help us out here!

As a diver, this is how you can help:

1) 2)

3)

Take a picture of the Helicosalpa.

Cut out a small tissue sample (about the size of a golf ball), and place it in a clean plastic bag in your home freezer.

Contact us by e-mailing Halldis Ringvold: post@buzzingkid.no

Have a look at the poster below for more information.

Bio

Above: Helicosalpa virgula citizen science poster.

Photo credit: Nils Aukan/ Kristiansund dykkerklubb. All rights reserved.

Halldis Ringvold is a marine biologist, researcher and manager of Sea Snack Norway (www.buzzingkid.no). Research interest includes helicosalps, jellyfish, as well as taxonomy and distribution on asteroids and holothuroids. With her colleagues, she also recently discovered that the hitherto unknown, huge, floating gelatinous spheres in Norwegian waters, averaging 1m in diameter, were the egg mass of squid Illex coindetii. With the help of citizen scientists, the research team are hoping to reveal the egg mass of other ommastrephid squids, which have yet to be discovered, like Todarodes sagittatus and Todaropsis eblanae. Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Conservation

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conservation

marine

Don’t forget to protect isolated reefs off the Gulf of Mexico Protecting reefs is becoming increasingly important for regions like the southern

Gulf of Mexico where tourism and population is rising. In the past, at first glance, isolated reefs in particular seemed to be relatively safe from the harmful impacts of man-made industry, being cut-off compared to other reef systems. However, in recent times, is this still the case, particularly in areas that have been unprotected?

Fabio Favoretto is a marine ecologist who conducted ecological research at isolated reefs off the coast of the southern Gulf of Mexico. The research team went diving with underwater measurement tools, counting and measuring the marine life in isolated reefs. Some isolated reefs are protected from the dangers of overfishing, however some are not. Fabio and the research team made some striking discoveries about how the states of protected and unprotected reefs compare.

Above: Large predators like this large grouper are a sign of good health of a reef when in high abundance.

Large fishes are the main target of fishermen. Photo credit: Mares Mexicanos, Diego Gamero. All rights reserved. Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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conservation

marine

Q & A - Fabio Favoretto Please tell us about your background and how you began to specialize in marine ecology.

While diving I always wondered why things are where they are, why that coral is in that particular position?

Why in some places do you see only some species of fish? These kinds of question lead me to study marine ecology. Now those questions just became more elaborated, but it is really an endless pursuit to satisfy curiosity that makes you want to be a scientist.

I graduated at the University of Trieste in Italy in Marine Ecology and then I moved to Mexico in the Gulf of California to do my PhD in Marine Seascape Ecology. In the Gulf of California, the beauty and the biodiversity of the seascapes inspired me to use my research to improve monitoring tools and help inform stakeholders and the government for improved conservation strategies.

Why are reef environments in the southern Gulf of Mexico important to study and protect from overfishing and environmental damage?

The southern Gulf of Mexico is a land of legends, pirates, and beautiful beaches. Today, this area is a huge tourist destination. Population increased and as a result, there has been increased interest in eating more and consuming more of what the ocean and its reefs can give. However, there are some places that have not yet been compromised so much beyond the point of no return, where you can still see glimpses of the majesty of pristine nature. The immense biodiversity of the second largest coral reef system in the world is not only a hotspot to defend for the beauty of it, but also because, on it,

depends the livelihood of millions of peoples directly and all of us on the planet indirectly. Overfishing cause immense disruption, it can turn coral reefs into wastelands, complicate the relationship human beings have with nature and between themselves.

The environmental damage is more obvious when we see the direct damage caused, such as with polluted river discharge and the changes in coastal areas made to make room for hotels or industries. All these can cooperate in a dreadful concerto that we can stop only by giving nature its space and time to recover by defending the last pillars of wilderness.

Why have you focused on isolated reefs in your recent study, as opposed to only studying coastal reefs?

Isolated coral reefs are considered to be so far away that human activity does not affect them. In particular, they are considered safe from overfishing because are dubbed too far for being overexploited.

However, in our study we show that due to the technological improvement of the fisheries (e.g. better engines, boats etc.) even those once pristine places are under direct threat. So, we wanted to compare two isolated reefs system, one protected by a Marine Protected Area where fishing is regulated or prohibited, against another reef system that was under no protection and fishery could be unregulated.

Right: Beautiful coral reef seascape in Alacranes reef full of life.

Photo credit: Mares Mexicanos, Diego Gamero. All rights reserved. Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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What tools did you use to help you monitor reef systems?

Was remote sensing involved?

We didn’t use remote sensing technologies in our study, all we did was go diving, and with underwater slates and transects, manually counted and measured fish, invertebrates (corals, sea urchins etc.) and algae.

With that data we can use statistical techniques that allow us to estimate overall biomass and cover of key organisms that we use as environmental indicators.

Please explain the first part of your recent publication’s title: “Being isolated and protected is better than just being isolated.”

How does your research justify this statement?

Above: A seascape in “Bajos del Norte” with very low fish abundance and higher algae cover, a sign of lower reef ecological health.

Photo credit: Mares Mexicanos, Diego Gamero. All rights reserved.

Final thoughts

The importance of protecting reefs was made crystal clear in Fabio’s study. The research In our study we compared two isolated (i.e. remote) reef systems: one is The Alacranes Reef, protected by team found that the reefs that weren’t a Marine Protected area where fishery is regulated; protected had much less fish biomass and the other the Bajos del Norte is not protected and coral cover than the protected sites - showing fishery is not regulated. that even those areas that seem to be cut off enough to be safe from human impacts, can We show in our study that the non-protected reef be harmfully depleted when not protected. showed much less fish biomass and less coral cover than the protected sites, thus indicating that protection was helping in maintaining a higher ecological health. Fabio encourages us to consider that even Therefore, in the Anthropocene, no place on earth is places that seem ‘cut-off’ from the outside safe from our impacts and we need to defend those world may not be entirely free of human last places before it is too late.

impacts, particularly in modern times as technology advances.

Bio

Links

I’m a Professor of Oceanography and Geographic Information Systems at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, Mexico and Chief Scientist coordinator of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) based in La Paz, Mexico. My research focuses on the ecological processes that governs coastal and marine habitats and how we can improve the tools to protect their health and the services these systems provide to humans.

Google Scholar: Profile link.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Twitter: @FabioFavoretto Email: favoretto@uabcs.mx

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Protecting Seagrass with the Ocean Conservation Trust There are many incredible habitats around the South of England (UK).

Some of these habitats are visible when we walk and explore the coastlines, woodlands, heath and grasslands alongside cultivated farmland which support a variety of wildlife, with insects, birds and mammals thriving in these places.

Often unseen are the habitats off the shore, hidden away, beneath our coastal waters.

These places are full of marine life and are of enormous importance to humans for many reasons.

Seagrass is one such habitat supporting many species of fish of commercial importance, protecting our shorelines from damaging waves and storing carbon which helps in the fight against climate change.

Right: Seagrass, Castle Cove, Weymouth. Š Georgie Bull. All rights reserved.

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Because they are out of sight, habitats such as

seagrass can be damaged without people realising and our everyday actions can have impacts which can be difficult to see.

Over time, these impacts can lead to the habitats, and the animals which rely on them, disappearing. Seagrass habitat around the UK has declined by around 92% over the last century. This sort of decline can have negative impacts on the fishing industry, can increase coastal erosion and affect carbon levels in the environment.

By restoring, and protecting seagrass, we can improve the habitat while helping the animals which live there, and improving the services these habitats provide for humans.

In June 2020, the Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) opened a seagrass cultivation lab with funding from EU Life Remedies within the National Marine Aquarium (NMA), the first of its kind in the UK. This lab is designed to grow seagrass in batches to be sown into the Ocean in pre-determined sites. There are several stages to this process.

Firstly, suitable sites for collection need to be identified.

These sites should consist of healthy seagrass beds, with a large extent of densely growing seagrass and with a high number of reproductive shoots.

Seed collection involves collecting the seed-bearing reproductive shoots. Each reproductive shoot consists of approximately 40 seeds, so 17,500 shoots need to be collected to reach our target of 700,000 seeds. Seed collection is a little like mowing a grass meadow, but by hand, and underwater!

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Divers hand-pick each shoot, leaving the base and rhizome (root) of the plant, ensuring that the bed remains intact. Collecting from a healthy bed safeguards the habitat even further.

All the precious seeds are then transported back to the Seagrass Lab at the NMA and are held in specialized tanks. Conditions are carefully controlled to mimic their natural environment – light levels, water movement and water quality are all at optimum levels to promote the seeds to naturally fall out of their shoots.

To date, the OCT dive team have conducted four days of seed collection dives in different locations along the south coast and have nearly fulfilled their mission of collecting 700,000 seeds.

This work will go a long way towards helping to protect this incredible habitat which is found right on our doorstep.

All of this work is carried out with the purpose of restoring a habitat which is vital to us all.

“By restoring and protecting seagrass, we can improve the habitat while helping the animals which live there, and improving the services these habitats provide for humans. ”

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The 5 reasons why we all need healthy seagrass habitats 1. Seagrass is a flowering plant

Just like plants on land, seagrass has roots, makes seeds and needs light to grow. This makes seagrass different to seaweeds (algae) because they have no roots, relying instead on a holdfast, a hand-like gripping structure, to provide a strong anchor to the seafloor. This makes seagrass the only flowering plant to be found in the Ocean.

2. Seagrass grows around the world

Seagrass grows in both cool water and in the tropics.

In the UK, we have four species of this super plant, two of which are found in the Ocean. Zostera marina and Zostera noltii are both species of Ocean-growing seagrass known as eelgrass. Worldwide, there are over 70 species of seagrass, found in a variety of coastal locations. Globally, they support an enormous array of life, including juvenile sharks and rays, as well as turtles and manatees, which survive by eating the seagrass.

4. Seagrass is a natural coastal defence

Seagrass takes energy out of the waves approaching our shores, protecting coasts from erosion. When habitats like seagrass are removed, waves can become more destructive, washing away our coastlines. Without the seagrass roots, the sediment can also wash away under the sea, affecting the animals which live there

5. Seagrass stores carbon

This amazing plant stores carbon in the sediment which surrounds its roots. This ability has huge potential for helping the fight against climate change. In fact, the amount of carbon storage ability could rival that of the rainforests.

Below: Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) logo. Š Ocean Conservation Trust. All Rights Reserved.

3. Seagrass provides a sheltered habitat

Seagrass is a nursery for juvenile fish. It also supports an enormous amount of invertebrate life as well as harbouring rare species such as stalked jellyfish and seahorses. This is of enormous importance to the fishing industry because the fish which spend their juvenile years in this nursery will become the adult fish our fishermen catch and deliver to our tables.

Bio

The Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) is an ocean conservation charity that inspires people by showing them the incredible animals and habitats that can be found around the world.

The OCT team get outs and about helping people to have an amazing Ocean experience by going snorkelling, rock pooling and using virtual reality. We are Ocean Optimists and we really believe if you love the Ocean, you are more likely to protect it.

Links

Website: www.oceanconservationtrust.org Twitter: @OceanCTrust

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Scicomm (Science communication)

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Creating medical art at Barrow Neurological Institute

with medical illustrator Peter M. Lawrence

Science illustration is vital in medical fields

to help medical students and staff continually learn and conceive of medical concepts.

Quality medical illustrations support doctors and medical researchers with their life-saving work. Pursuing a career as a medical illustrator can be deeply challenging, collaborative and stimulating within an institution.

This is particularly the case for Peter M. Lawrence who is working as a medical illustrator at the Barrow Neurological Institute.

Having a background in fine art, his illustrative skills are continually cultivated here while working alongside surgeons to create accurate and educational medical art. Peter shares the unique experience with us.

Above: Skullbase surgery. © Barrow Neurological Institute. All rights reserved.

Used with permission from Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona.

This illustration depicts three different surgical options to consider for skull base surgery - endoscopic, microsurgical, and radiosurgical strategies.

It serves as a visual representation of the book’s central question: which is the appropriate surgical option?

Left: Peter M. Lawrence at Barrow Neurological Institute. © Peter M. Lawrence.

All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Q & A - Peter M. Lawrence Please tell us about your background and how you became a medical illustrator.

As far back as I can remember, I have been obsessed with drawing. I can remember finding an anatomy book for kids in kindergarten and covering my workbooks with drawings of skeletons. However, it was much later in life when I found out about the medical illustration profession.

I was two months away from completing my undergraduate studies at George Mason University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Drawing Concentration, when a friend of mine sent me a link to the Johns Hopkins “Art as Applied to Medicine” grad program website. I vividly remember scrolling from one piece of medical art to the next, in complete amazement.

The illustrations were elegantly rendered and clearly explained scientific concepts. I knew in that moment that this was the perfect career for me. It was the intersection of my two passions: art and science.

Describe your experience working at the Barrow Neurological Institute.

What does the average project look like?

As I mentioned, my background was in fine art, and I was always more comfortable drawing my illustrations out with pencil and scanning them before working on the computer. But digital painting has come a long way in recent years.

There is virtually no input lag when using a stylus on a powerful monitor, so it feels very intuitive and similar to traditional drawing. I now start and finish all my illustrations in Photoshop using a Wacom Cintiq monitor.

Working at a research institute as an illustrator is a real luxury. I get the opportunity to observe surgeries directly. Being able to examine the operations firsthand is valuable for understanding the steps of a procedure and conceptualizing tissue dynamics.

The surgeons are often generous with their time and encourage questions throughout the operation - they want the illustrations to be as accurate as possible.

I also occasionally get to observe autopsies with medical students and residents. The pathologists will describe their findings and quiz us on anatomy and pathology.

Below: Head and neck anatomy. © Peter M. Lawrence. All rights reserved.

I started working at Barrow in May 2016. I primarily service the surgeons and researchers in the Department of Neurosurgery.

A huge benefit to working at an institution is being able to communicate directly with these authors.

They are excited to work with medical illustrators and frequently make time to visit our department to discuss their projects with us directly.

The authors will bring in reference materials such as interoperative videos or diagnostic images, and I will sketch out concepts as they explain what they need. I then take my concept sketches and begin drawing digitally in Photoshop. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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My projects are related to cerebral, spine, or endovascular surgery, microneurosurgery, brain and spine conditions and pathologies, and patient education. Certain projects require more research, so the time an illustration takes depends on the complexity of the content. On average, I can start and finish a full illustration in two days - about 16 hours of work. We have an archive of medical illustrations that spans close to three decades. To save time, I will sometimes pull relevant illustrations from the archive and modify them for projects.

Are there any misconceptions surrounding medical illustration?

I would say there are several misconceptions about artists in general, especially digital artists: lots of people think it is effortless, or that the computer does all the work, or that it is not a real job.

The reality is that I often struggle; I have been drawing my whole life, and I still feel like it takes time, careful consideration, and several failed attempts before I get it right.

Do you consider yourself more a part of the art or science community?

“I personally believe that art is anything that makes you feel something, and a medical illustration can both teach and elicit an emotional reaction...”

There is a false idea that instructional illustration is a lesser art-form. Some of my colleagues from art school have claimed that if an image is didactic, if it is meant to teach, then it is not really art; if I became a medical illustrator I would be “sacrificing my artistic integrity.” I personally believe that art is anything that makes you feel something, and a medical illustration can both teach and elicit an emotional reaction - the two are not mutually exclusive. Most of my fellow medical illustrators were science majors and art minors or took art classes on the side. I was an art major who took the necessary science prerequisites. For me, the creation of art has always been more important than the scientific content itself; I personally feel more like an artist with scientific knowledge, rather than a scientist with artistic knowledge.

Top, right: Surgery of the Brainstem. © Barrow Neurological Institute.

All rights reserved. This illustration dissects the complex anatomy of the nervous system and is intended to help neurosurgeons gain a better understanding of the narrow corridors and relationships that comprise the brainstem. Right: OLIF-LLIF illustration. © Barrow Neurological Institute.

All rights reserved. Two surgical options of accessing the lumbar disc space for interbody fusion: oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) or prepsoas, and lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) or transpsoas. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Both images above: Used with permission from Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona.

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What are some of the challenges and rewards of being a medical illustrator?

It can be difficult to grasp the complexity of neuroanatomy from various orientations or conceptualize the depth of surgical corridors or certain structural relationships. Drawing brain surgery is not easy. There have been instances where I worked on a single textbook cover image for over 80 hours before feeling like it was finally coming together. But after it starts working, and you realize the effectiveness of what you have created, it is the most satisfying feeling in the world.

Do you have any recommendations or advice for other aspiring medical illustrators?

I would say to try and find your niche, something you are genuinely interested in or passionate about.

Many medical illustrators go through school and complete their work, but do not think about what field or medium they are drawn to. Work on differentiating yourself, find your passion and find your voice as an artist: the thing that is undeniably you.

Above: Peter M. Lawrence and Dr. Michael Lawton at Barrow Neurological Institute. Š Peter M. Lawrence. All rights reserved.

Final thoughts Peter M. Lawrence has always had an interest in drawing and anatomy.

With a background in fine art, as soon as he came across the field of medical art - this was an opportunity to converge his interests in both science and art.

As a medical illustrator working at the Barrow Neurological Institute, he creates accurate and educational medical illustrations (some of which are shown here). His skills are continually cultivated at the institute while working alongside surgeons - even witnessing surgeries and autopsies!

Brain surgery is a very complex topic, but that has not deterred Peter from diving into this subject at the institute while staying true to his artistic roots.

Bio

Links

Peter M. Lawrence is a certified medical illustrator and visual artist. He currently works at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona (US) where he provides media expertise for academic publishing to support residents, attending physicians, and researchers in neuroscience. Lawrence studied drawing and painting at George Mason University and attended the medical illustration graduate program at Medical College of Georgia, now Augusta University.

Twitter: @petermlawrence1

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: @petermlawrence Facebook: Synaptic Studio Email: peter.lawrence@barrowneuro.org

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Making mental health vibrantly visible with Neuro Blooms Mental health awareness is ever more vital during the challenging times of the

coronavirus pandemic, as mental health conditions have risen under these adverse circumstances. Times of stress relating to finances, personal relationships, and states of health, among many other triggers have accounted for rising cases of anxiety and depression since 2020.

On social media, some mental health awareness movements have shown glimmers of hope and support for those struggling, whether it be in relation to stress-related anxiety and depression or life-long neurodiverse conditions. Leslie Holt is an artist with a therapeutic background who started the project Neuro Blooms - to raise awareness of mental health. Inspired by the coloring of PET scans by patients of different mental health conditions, Leslie Holt creates paintings and pin badges showing the striking differences between the states of mind of those afflicted.

Above, left: ADHD Stain. Acrylic and embroidery on canvas, 10 x 10”.

Above, right: Depression Stain (detail). Acrylic and embroidery on canvas, 16 x 14”.

Both images: © Leslie Holt. All Rights Reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Q & A - Leslie Holt (Neuro Blooms) Tell us about your background in painting and community work. How did Neuro Blooms start?

I am a visual artist and educator who has worked extensively with people with disabilities, including developmental and mental health conditions. The Neuro Blooms project began with my mixed media paintings called Brain Stains. I am compelled by the visual beauty of PET scans, as well as their power to convey the brain’s role in mental illness. This project has personal roots in my own experience with major depression as well as my mother’s struggle with bipolar disorder.

In 2018 I partnered with Shiny Apple Studio to design a series of enamel pins based on my original art. Initially I envisioned using them to accompany exhibits of my paintings. But when we released them on social media, Neuro Blooms proved to be very popular, particularly among young adults, the age at which mental illness often begins. People post pictures wearing the pins in support of loved ones or tell stories of their own mental health conditions. Social workers, doctors, therapists, educators, scientists, and people with direct experience with mental illness all have points of connection to the imagery.

“Social workers, doctors, therapists, educators, scientists and people with direct experience with mental illness all have points of connection to the imagery.”

Above: Depression pin in hand.

Below, left: Neuro Blooms set of 3.

Both images: © Leslie Holt. All Rights Reserved.

Please explain how brain positron emission tomography (PET) scans work and where you gained your PET scan references and research for your artwork?

I am not a scientist, so I have a very basic understanding of how PET scans work based on my lay research. A patient ingests a small amount of radioactive glucose.

The scan then detects where blood is flowing by tracking the activity of the glucose. The scans provide evidence that each diagnosis causes unique patterns of brain activity. The imagery is not yet exact enough to be used for diagnostic purposes.

There are too many individual variations in our brains, as well as a lot of co-occurring mental health conditions that make it hard to get data beyond general trends.

My images come primarily from educational and research institution websites such as NIH. The scans I find are representative of a set of scans, rather than a scan of an individual. They represent trends in these diagnoses which is what makes the research so interesting. While PET scan technology is still in early stages of development and not used for diagnostic purposes, the trends give a lot of credence

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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to mental illness being a disorder largely based in the brain. My designs are not a direct copy but are inspired by the originals with a lot of simplification involved for aesthetic reasons and to respect the owners of the originals. But I try to stay true to the basic patterning and color schemes of the original image. As far as research, I am also fortunate to have a sister who studies schizophrenia through brain imaging. She focuses on fMRI, but has shared helpful knowledge about PET scans as I develop this project.

What do the different PET scan colors represent and why are these important to highlight? How do you think representing these artistically raises awareness about mental health in society?

The warmer colors represent more activity and the cooler represent less activity. It is clear in the depression scan, for example, that there is little activity in the brain with a preponderance of cool blues and purples and just a few small patches of yellow and orange. Compare this to a scan representing bipolar disorder (the manic state) and you see a lot of warm reds and yellows which suggest a very activated brain.

The Neuro Blooms project is designed to spark curiosity and conversations about the causes and stigmatizing myths of mental health conditions.

Stigma against these conditions persists and causes isolation, discrimination, and worse – people not seeking help for treatable conditions. Bringing these conversations out into the open can help combat stigma and promote understanding of the struggles and unique offerings of neurodiverse people.

People are hungry to explore and be honest about mental health. A small, eye-catching pin can inspire a brave conversation in which people create their own message about mental health conditions.

The power of art to promote visibility and discussion are at the heart of the Neuro Blooms project.

The tagline of Neuro Blooms is: making mental © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Above: Neuro Blooms complete set. © Leslie Holt. All rights reserved.

If you’d like to grab a Neuro Blooms pin badge to help the project raise awareness of mental health, click here to go to Leslie’s shop.

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health conditions visible and beautiful. The visibility is key to get the conversations out in the open, because mental illness is by its nature invisible.

The beauty is recognizing the unique contributions people with mental health conditions have to offer.

Some of the most interesting and resilient people I know have some sort of mental health condition.

Your enamel pins show striking differences in brain activity between various conditions.

Which of these pins are most meaningful to you in what they represent and why?

I have struggled with depression on and off for over 20 years. Luckily it is mostly well controlled, although the pandemic and contemporary politics are putting that to the test! The PET scan representing depression is my favorite visually, and I think portrays the experience of depression in quite a lovely way. Lots of darkness in the blues and purples and then little patches of yellows and oranges that for me represent glimmers of hope.

Final thoughts

“The PET scan representing depression is my favorite visually... I think it portrays the expereince in quite a lovely way.”

The Bipolar design is also very personal to me, as that is the illness my mother struggled with most of her adult life. I would say my experience growing up with her is what really compelled me to start this work in the first place. She struggled and persevered so much through a really debilitating condition. It was both heartbreaking and inspiring to witness.

Finally, dementia is also personal to me as my father suffered with it in the last years of his life. It is such an unforgiving illness that only gets worse with time with no hope in sight. It is so wrenching to see your loved one kind of disappear in front of you. When I first saw the scans for dementia it took my breath away.

The big expanse of black in the center is so jarring and illustrative of what seems to be happening during the course of the illness.

Leslie Holt is a mental health advocate, educator and artist who has found a striking way to make mental health conditions that are normally invisible, much more visible and memorable with her Neuro Blooms designs which are available as various types of products on her websites. Leslie sees beauty in PET scans, which are well presented in her artworks - all showing great diversity across a vast spectrum of mental health conditions. Having undergone mental health challenges in her family and in herself, raising awarenss with her art is a deeply purposeful practice.

Bio

Links

Leslie Holt is an artist living in Hyattsville, MD. Leslie has taught college and in community locations since 2001.

She has also worked as a social worker and advocate for people with various disabilities.

Neuro Blooms site: neuroblooms.com

Currently, Leslie teaches art to adults with mental illness and developmental disabilities, and online for Fontbonne University. She exhibits her work nationally and is represented by David Lusk Gallery in Memphis. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Leslie’s art site: www.leslieholt.net Instagram: @neuroblooms Twitter: @leslieholtart Email hello@neuroblooms.com p32

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Atlas Biomedical Media LLC with science illustrator Lucy McCroskey

Science illustrator Lucy McCroskey has had an interest in drawing and science since high school. From drawing skulls in the anatomy classroom, she then went on to study science illustration at the University of Georgia, before completing an internship there and launching her own business Atlas Biomedical Media LLC. Lucy has a drive to stay curious and ask questions to continually learn, whether it is regarding a specific field of science, business or illustration. Here, we listen to Lucy’s story about her pursuit for excellence in her science illustration career.

Image above: Birth of a new planet inside a black hole. © Isha Parlikar 2020.

All rights reserved.

Above: “The White Rhinoceros: Bony Anatomy” A series of illustrations showing the skeletal anatomy of the white rhinoceros. This poster is currently on display in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine accompanying the posed white rhino skeleton in the Reading Room. © 2020 Lucy McCroskey. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Q & A - Lucy McCroskey From your initial interest in working with both art and science, how did you come to found Atlas Biomedical Media LLC?

Please tell us about your recently completed internship at the Center for BioMedical Visualization at St. George’s University.

The remote internship period was from August to December 2020. I had the opportunity to be mentored by and work alongside numerous I was in an advanced drawing course (AP) my junior professional medical illustrators. My work facilitated year of high school; I began drawing skulls from the lecture materials for the Biology, Ecology and anatomy classroom for my sketchbook assignments.

Conservation department at St. George’s University.

My teacher, Marea Haslett, noticed this science-based For my first project, I became a teaching assistant interest and encouraged me to look into Medical for a 2-week intensive Pixologic ZBrush course for Illustration. From then forward, I knew it was the career Scientific Illustration students at UGA. for me, so I pursued the Scientific Illustration bachelor’s Joshua Hatfield, Michael Pollard and I assisted indegree at the University of Georgia. person while Wes Price taught the classes via Zoom from Grenada. The students created 3D models of I honed my artistic skills within the program there, and insects and mythical creatures, and explored ZBrush also found I have strong interest in business. I began as a resource to be used in their illustration projects. buying business books from local shops to learn more My next project was a collaboration with fellow from some of the leaders of the business world. As the intern, Ashley Mastin, to create a comparative poster Covid-19 pandemic hit and I graduated from UGA, I of the Brown and Black Rat (Rattus rattus and decided this was the best time to pursue a Masters in Rattus norvegicus). I worked on other illustration Business Administration locally before pursuing my MS and animation projects, but my favorite was to in Medical Illustration more distantly. I also decided to create illustrations of the Common Octopus. It was start my own business, Atlas Biomedical Media LLC, fascinating and I enjoyed researching octopi. to give me portfolio space and to begin working with clients. This also gives me opportunity to learn by Below: A collaborative poster with Ashley Mastin illustrating the distinctive doing, both in illustration and in business. anatomy of the Black Rat and Brown Rat, their diet, and mating practices of each animal. © 2020 Ashley Mastin and Lucy McCroskey.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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The illustrations showed dorsal and ventral views and another showed octopi mating. This benefitted the students as they were unable to do this anatomy lab in-person due to pandemic restrictions at SGU. The internship experience was valuable and I gained lifelong colleagues.

What advice can you share with others who may like to undertake similar opportunities and pursue a career in science illustration?

This is an amazing field where you never stop learning and growing. The best advice I can give is to ask as many questions as you can from the people who inspire you, have a different skill set than you, or has years of experience in a topic that interests you. Someone will always have more experience and talent, have completed more research, or generally have more career wisdom; use that to your advantage and learn as much as you can from others in the field.

Your Covid-19 Portrait is really striking and universally relatable during these difficult times. Did you create this during an online class?

Thank you, my goal was to create a piece that was universally relatable to mark the historical Covid-19 pandemic. When the pandemic began, I was in Gene Wright’s Advanced Figure Drawing class at UGA. The class ended up moving to an entirely online format in order to be completed.

Several project assignments were revised due to the online format of the class, including this project. For this project, we were asked to create a head and neck portrait to be a representation of our experience of wearing a protective mask. I chose to focus on my experience of human disconnect through eye contact. At the time, I was frustrated with the observable detachment of people among each other. Going to grocery stores (as the only allowed outing) and walking past other masked people

Above: “COVID-19 Portrait” A self portrait completed during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

This illustration features intense eye contact with the viewer. © 2020 Lucy McCroskey.

“I used this as an opportunity to

project the social disengagement taking place... by focusing on the detail of the eyes...”

Right: “Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus clarkii” A scientific illustration of Procambarus clarkii in its natural environment. © 2020 Lucy McCroskey, St George’s University. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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who were avoiding eye contact led to less engagement with others. So when given this prompt, I used it as an opportunity to project the social disengagement taking place. I used the technique of over-focusing on the detail of the eyes to create an image that forces the viewer to ‘make eye contact’ with another person wearing a mask.

Do you think online learning is a good way forward at the moment for those wanting to develop their art skills?

There is so much to learn in this field that any and all learning opportunities are valuable in my opinion.

There are some artistic skills that are predominantly technical and require more refinement through practice more than instruction. Many artistic mediums that are used today are computer based, so by incorporating online learning is a natural fit.

How has the pandemic affected your art practice, if at all, and what are your plans in the near future?

The pandemic has given me the opportunity to focus more on my art. When the pandemic started, my classes at UGA shifted into an online format.

I graduated May of 2020, started my MBA program in August of 2020, and my internship with the Center for BioMedical Visualization was through December 2020.

Currently, I am starting this new year continuing my MBA classes and working at Nucleus Medical Media in Kennesaw, GA. As far as the future, I plan to complete my MBA in the Spring of 2022 and go on to pursue my MS in Medical Illustration.

Final thoughts Having a university background in science illustration, Lucy McCroskey has a wide portfolio of stunning science illustrations and tackles a diversity of subjects in both independent and collaborative projects.

Particularly relevant to the times is her piece “COVID-19 Portrait”, highlighting the social disengagement often experienced during the pandemic. As university classes moved online, this allowed her time to focus on the progression of her illustrative techniques - at least there have been some positives in these unprecedented times. With a philosophy to continuously learn, listen and take on new challenges, through her company Atlas Biomedical LLC, Lucy is open to new project proposals and inquiries.

Bio

Lucy McCroskey is a Scientific Illustrator and founder of Atlas Biomedical Media LLC, located in Atlanta, GA. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Scientific Illustration program and currently pursuing her MBA at Kennesaw State University.

She is known for her aggressive pursuit of knowledge, attention to detail, and goal orientation with adaptability.

Links Website: www.atlasbiomedicalmedia.com Instagram: @atlasbiomedicalmedia Facebook: www.facebook.com/atlasbiomedicalmedia LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-mccroskey Email: atlasbiomedicalmedia@gmail.com © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Yana Zorina Yana Zorina, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist with a lifelong passion for the arts.

In her scientific career, Yana has always been attracted to microscopy as a means of taking a closer look at the beautiful structures that compose the mammalian brain. In her scientifically-inspired artwork, she uses her scientific knowledge to accurately recreate scientific images into 3D-beaded renderings of cellular structures that can bring the beauty of scientific research to a wider audience. In seeing beads as analogs of pixels that we observe on a screen, Yana turns microscopy on its head by transforming ultra-thin optical sections into 3D structures. Beyond being passionate about the breathtaking beauty of microscopy images, Yana uses them to serve a greater purpose of communicating science to a wider audience and initiating conversations on difficult topics, such as neurological conditions.

Artwork Fragile Memory

(right)

© Yana Zorina. All rights reserved.

“Fragile Memory” is based on an image of a Brainbow mouse hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory formation, processing and storage. The Brainbow mouse is genetically engineered to express a different combination of four fluorescent markers in each neuron, which makes it burst with over a dozen different colors and permits for better tracing of connections and circuit delineation.

While it has long been believed that formation of memory progresses from learning to long-term storage to retrieval, more recent research suggests that every time a memory is recalled it becomes labile.

On the one hand, it allows us to continue learning and updating our understanding of the world as we acquire new information. On the other hand, each time a given memory is recalled, it becomes unstable, at the risk of being inaccurately modified or possibly even lost. The white jewel in this work represents a memory of a good time in our life that we would like to keep revisiting yet being able to preserve. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Brilliant Mind

(right)

© Yana Zorina. All rights reserved.

The human mind is a truly beautiful and elusive concept.

Despite considerable progress in neuroscience research, we still cannot quite explain where our mind is and what it looks like.

The “Brilliant Mind” was created by taking schematic images of the human brain from the Allen Brain Atlas and portraying them as beaded histological sections on 6 sheets of plexiglass.

Such sections of human tissue are typically used to study anatomy in healthy and diseased states. The sections can be assembled into a sculpture or be displayed individually.

Links Website: www.neurobead.com Instagram: @neurobead_boutique Twitter: @YZorina Facebook: NeuroBead Etsy: NeuroBead

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Fundraising for equality outdoors Bio

Cassidy Miles is a graduate student at Western Illinois University. She wanted to start a fundraiser for the American Fisheries Society Hutton Program.

This program provides paid summer internships with a mentor in fisheries for high school students (particularly from under-represented groups) from Canada, America, and Mexico. The Hutton Scholars gain field and lab experience in fisheries.

Cassidy collaborated with artist Drew Wilson and created the Diversity and Inclusion Fish logo. It is a bluegill outline filled with the more inclusive PRIDE flag (includes Trans flag colors and Black and Brown stripes for LGBTQ+ People of Color.)

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Artwork Outdoors for everyone pin badge (below) Š Cassidy Miles. All rights reserved.

This was the first piece of merchandise created for the AFS Hutton Program Fundraiser.

The pins were a limited batch that were created and sold out in 1 and a half days.

These raised over $1,000 for the program! The design was created in collaboration with artist Drew Wilson (known as @drewlr on Instagram.)

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Outdoors for everyone travel mug (right) © Cassidy Miles. All rights reserved.

After the success of the pins, Cassidy created a Society 6 account which allowed her to put her design on various merch items, such as this travel mug.

Find out more If you would like to support the cause, you can go here to purchase your own Diversity and Inclusion merchandise!

All profits made are donated to the AFS Hutton Program.

You can find out more about the AFS Hutton Program and donate to them directly at: hutton.fisheries.org If unable to spare cash, no worries, you can still show support by following artist Drew Wilson on Intagram with the handle @drewlr. He is an avid fisherman and a talented professional tattoo artist. Cassidy said “Without his artistic touch, help, and guidance, I would not have such a wonderful logo and successful ongoing fundraiser!”

You may also follow @afshuttonprogram on Instagram to keep updated with the Hutton Scholars and Cassidy on IMGINN at @s_miles240.

To show your support on your own social media page, feel free to use the hashtag #OutdoorsIsForEveryone to help bring increased awareness to diversity, equality, and inclusion in outdoor spaces and places.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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awareness

The Science of FemininiTee Crystal Groeger started The

Science of FemininiTee in order to advocate for women of all ages interested in science.

She was inspired to start this company after noticing in many stores that science shirts were only marketed towards men and young boys.

Her mission is to inspire more young girls to cultivate an interest in science, and also aim to empower women currently working in all science fields.

Find out more

www.scienceoffemininitee.com Instagram and Facebook: @scienceoffemininitee

Artwork Steminist t-shirt

(above)

© Crystal Groeger. All rights reserved.

The Steminist t-shirt was designed to promote women and girls of all ages who have a passion for science. It features images relating to all fields of science.

Science and art t-shirt © Crystal Groeger. All rights reserved.

(left)

The science and art t-shirt features a quote from Dr. Mae Jemison explaining the importance and interconnectedness of both science and art, including original artwork created by The Science of Femininitee’s founder, Crystal Groeger.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Artist interview

Peering into sacred symmetry with Christine Romanell Artist Christine Romanell brings the

hidden mathematics of the world to life in a radial, colorful way. Having been inspired by sacred geometry and intriguing mathematical laws, her artworks are numerically and traditionally symbolic but also captivating to the eye. In addition to science, islamic art has greatly influenced her creations, as she explains to us.

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Above: Setaareh , 2017, Acrylic on Laser Cut wood, 45 x 45 x 2 in.

Below: Flame, 2020, Acrylic On Wood, 31.5 x 31.5 x 3 in.

Both images: Š Christine Romanell. All rights reserved.

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Q & A - Christine Romanell In your artwork, how do you represent nonrepeating patterns observed in cosmology and physics? What inspired you to start doing this?

for the eye, albeit unsuccessfully, with hopes to allow the imagination to fill in the possibilities of what is beyond.

I was not satisfied making abstract paintings using repetitive marks. In an effort to move beyond the edge of the canvas, I explored different types of patterns. I came across the Penrose tiling created by mathematician/ physicist Dr. Roger Penrose. This pattern uses two rhomb shapes - one skinny and one fat - that tessellate covering the space of a plane completely with no gaps and never repeats. The angles of the rhombs follow a ​ 72, 108, 72, and 108​degree rotation.

Your pieces look impressively geometric and precise. Please take us through the technical and creative process involved in producing your works.

Rotational symmetry repeats difference (not sameness like your typical square bathroom tile.) Non-repeating patterns appeal to me because they allude to the infinite.

The human perspective of reality limits the experience of infinity since there is always a boundary that we cannot see beyond. Each of my pieces work to break the barrier

The most important factors for me are light and motion in the final work. I want the observer to be pulled into a visual gravity well. I use Adobe Illustrator for sketching and color choice which allows me a tremendous amount of precision.

WIthout that precision the illusion wouldn’t be as powerful. Usually, I start with a single shape: either a rectangle, ellipse or a freeland form.

Using a variety of degree angles for rotation, I step and repeat the form until it completes a circle.

Left: Point Conjunction, 2020, Acrylic on Laser Cut wood, 27 x 36.5 x 4 in. © Christine Romanell.

All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Once I land on a pattern that feels balanced and harmonious, I move onto working out the color and separate the digital drawing into layers. At this point, the design is ready to be sent out to be laser cut. My three main materials are wood, plexi glass and paper. I work with the fabricator for materials selection and sometimes the Illustration needs adjustment before it can be cut.

Once I receive the cuts back - usually 16 or more layers of material - I paint and glue everything together for the final work. Each stage requires attention to detail to bring out the beauty in the pattern.

How is your art influenced by Islamic patterning and forms of sacred geometry?

Do fractals play a role too?

As a teenager, I visited Seville (Spain) and saw Islamic tiles for the first time.​I gazed up at the intricate patterns on the ceilings of old mosques, feeling like I was looking up at the stars, into infinity itself.

“Sacred geometry visualizes a number in space that is holding a deeper meaning connected to the origins of creation...

The self-similarity of rotational symmetry is a key device that I employ in my work.”

Below: Quasi One , 2019, Light art, acrylic, LEDs and Ardrino, 21 x 22.5 x 4 in. © Christine Romanell. All rights reserved.

Sacred geometry visualizes a number in space that is holding a deeper meaning connected to the origins of creation.

The goal of the ceilings in mosques is to bring a feeling of god/the sacred to the faithful. Little did I know then how much that experience would influence me as an artist. The Penrose tiling is similar to the girih tiling found in mosques in Iran.

Both are considered a fractal pattern.

The tiles can be scaled up or scaled down using the Golden Ratio. Also, the tiles can be ‘decorated’ mathematically, meaning the forms can be divided using the Golden Ratio which also points to the fractal nature of the tilings. The selfsimilarity of rotational symmetry is a key device that I employ in my work.

For example, in “Setaareh Do” (2019) [first page of article] I use the penrose tiling as a base but then ‘decorate’ the tiles by dividing them. Moving on from such a direct interpretation, a recent piece “Conjunction” (2020) [previous page], uses rotational symmetry for the main form and then the golden ratio for deflation of the satellites. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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How has the pandemic affected your art practice and what are your next plans for the future?

It’s not been nearly as bad as I thought it would be from an artistic viewpoint. I’ve been more productive this year, than before Covid. My laser cutting fabricator had to shut down because of the pandemic, so I had to find another way to work.

I had time and space to explore new material.

I investigated the capabilities of a desktop digital paper cutting machine. Using layers of paper and acrylic gouache, I was able to produce small works on paper. It’s a nice way to work and experiment with designs before I move onto the more expensive wood or plexiglass fabrications.

I had a solo show scheduled for March 2021 in New Jersey, but the museum closed down because of Covid. Right now, I’m quarantining because my husband just tested positive for the virus. We are all symptom-free at the moment and hoping it stays that way. I expect to get back into the studio as soon as our quarantine period is over and put 2020 behind me (as I’m sure many people hope to do as well.) I have a residency scheduled in November 2021 at Chateau d’Orquevaux in France and am hopeful that I’ll be able to attend.

Above: Tempesta Verde, 2020, Gouache on paper, 11 x 11 in. © Christine Romanell. All rights reserved.

Final thoughts Christine Romanell creates unique mathematical works of art inspired by forms found in sacred geometry, tradition and science.

Radial, mathematically accurate, and colorfully mesmerising, Chrsitine captivates the beauty of the mathematical world. Like many, she looks to leave the year of 2020 in the past when she begins a new chapter in 2021 - at Chateau d’Orquevaux in France.

Artist Bio

Links

Christine Romanell’s colorful wall sculptures and installations explore non-repeating patterns informed by cosmology and physics, while rooting itself in applied design similar to Islamic patterning. Her use of rotational symmetry to generate dimensional forms allude to movement and create an event horizon - a space where the infinite tessellations of universal physics can intersect with patterns - collapsing the divide between the theoretical and the real.

Website: www.christineromanell.com

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: @csromanell Email: cr@christineromanell.com

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Artist interview

Xiaojing Yan Experimental, symbolic 3D art created

by Xiaojing Yan incorporates a rich history of Chinese culture, the artist’s personal experiences settling in Canada, and current environmental issues like climate change.

A recent medium she has been focusing on is the lingzhi mushroom - a type of mushroom with a rich cultural history and unique properties.

She shares what makes this distinctive fungus so important, being rare and with unique properties that have long been utilized in Chinese traditional medicine. The artist’s lingzhi mushroom sculptures are technically ‘alive’. This unique bio-art experiment is in part sculpted by the workings of nature (as shown in the image below). Xiaojing explains more.

Top, right: 3D art display from 2017. © Xiajoing Yan. All rights reserved. Directly above: Far from where you divined.

Cultivated lingzhi mushroom and wood chips, dimension various, 2017 Photo credit: Toni Hafkenscheid. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Image below: Lingzhi girl. cultivated lingzhi mushroom and wood chips, dimension various, 2015-2017. © Xiajoing Yan. All rights reserved.

Q & A - Xiaojing Yan How has your artwork been influenced by living in Canada and your Chinese background?

Chinese culture, training, and traditions inspire my work. Here in Canada, adapting outside of my native culture molds and informs my work as I appreciate the richness of my multicultural background. Living in Canada for the past 19 years, I am motivated in my practice to find new ways to breathe life into these very specifically Chinese ideas, the traditions, rituals, and materials rich in religion, mythology, and culture.

My current body of work focuses on how nature— an inherent force within traditional Chinese art— transcends culture through its references to eternal and natural geological time. I use lingzhi mushroom, pine needles, cicada exuviates, freshwater pearls, star anise, and many other natural materials to create ethereal installations that investigate the intersection between science, nature and culture, therefore, speak to global situations and concerns and the modern, post-modern, and post-human conditions.

Although my work combines stylistic conventions and iconography that are readily related to conventional Chinese art’s artistic corpus, they are not supposed to be purely nostalgia or recuperative.

Instead, they are capacious and exist in the present moment, engaging in issues of great current significance, such as climate change and the challenges it presents to our environment and its future.

Why is lingzhi a significant type of mushroom from a cultural and scientific perspective?

Lingzhi is a distinctive fan-shaped, red varnished-looking fungus, also called reishi in Japanese, and scientifically known as Ganoderma. This type of mushroom is rare in nature and only grows on a small percentage of fallen, decaying trees. The remarkable features of lingzhi have drawn the attention of people across the world throughout the © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

ages. On top of its distinguished appearance, lingzhi is also a herb used in Chinese traditional medicine for over 2000 years and thought to bring longevity and boost immune function. Chinese Sages and doctors also believed it to possess mystical properties.

Therefore, it has been called ‘the mushroom of immortality,’ and viewed as a magic herb as well as an auspicious symbol with the meaning of good fortune and longevity. Numerous myths and literature mentioning people’s love, worship of, and belief in lingzhi can be found in Chinese history since ancient times.

Thus, the characteristics of good fortune and longevity associated with lingzhi became a unique component throughout Chinese culture. The symbolism of lingzhi has been immortalized and embraced into a variety of art forms. But by the 17th century, lingzhi as an art motif was so popular that it eventually lost its earlier religious connotations, gradually becoming a motif of botanical elements appearing on artworks on its own, and can be found in countless motifs and patterns taking the form of clouds and waves in traditional Chinese painting and drawing, textiles, crafts, and architectural design. Some indigenous cultures across the world also revere lingzhi. Lingzhi masks found in Peru and British Columbia, Canada are believed to have been worn for ritual events. Lingzhi provides us a window into the reciprocal relationships with nature that permeated every aspect of human life.

How did you create your lingzhi mushroom sculptures and what do they represent?

I packed a mixture of sterilized woodchips and prepared lingzhi spores into the mould I created.

The light, temperature, and humidity are controlled to ensure the germination of the spores. The spores then start to produce mycelium.

Appearing as a series of feathery webs, mycelium fills up the gaps between the woodchips, and it binds them together, acting as a binding agent. I then remove the mould, and p48

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the sculpture is now structurally intact, thanks to the activities of the mycelium. I then placed it in a small greenhouse with a controlled growth environment. At this point, I stepped back and let the sculpture sculpt itself.

The sculpture continues to evolve as the mycelium develops under the surface, and in a few weeks, the pinheads of the lingzhi pop up, slowly fruiting into lingzhi fruit bodies. After about 3-4 months, the mushrooms mature and produce a coco-powder-like dusting of spores on the surface of the sculpture.

This hybrid bio-art experiment, which relies as much on science as it does on fate, seems to restore some kind of balance, with science and chance playing equal parts and with the hand of the artist, for the most part, at the sidelines. For me, it is important that each side of this equation has a chance to shine.

This body of sculptural works shows nature as the manifestation of uncontrollable phenomena supporting a cycle of life that is dynamic and inexplicable.

Top: Con

Please tell us about some of your other recent 3D art which have connections to science and climate change.

Many of my works have touched upon the topics of science and climate change. Cloud Cell (shown to the right) is a hanging work made by suspending 13,000 freshwater pearls to create a curvilinear form, which was inspired by Chinese scholar’s rock, cloud, and smoke. Cloud Cell, as the title implies, the “cell” refers to the insertion of science into © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Top: Mountain of Pines presented at exhibition. Photo credit: Michael Love.

All rights reserved. Directly above: Cloud Cell - Freshwater pearls, monofilament thread, aluminum, 96’’ x 45’’ x 45’, 2014. © Xiajoing Yan. All rights reserved. p49

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nature, and its ever-more microscopic examination of its cellular makeup, which refers to the formation of cloud.

The structural disintegration of Cloud Cell resonates with biology and cosmology imagery, leading to other paths of human discovery of the cosmos. Clouds have long been associated with longevity in Chinese culture as the habitat of the immortals. However, the form of the installation also resembles a mushroom cloud, the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. Here, the duality of once peaceful yet destructive is presented to the viewer.

Mountain of Pines is a work made by piercing thousands of dry pine needles into silk organza to form images of mountain ranges. Pine is associated with longevity in Chinese culture. Since ancient times, mountains have also been imbued with spiritual strength in the Chinese imagination as expressions of the essential energy of nature. Inspired by the utopian scenes depicted in traditional Chinese Shanshui paintings, I assembled a contemplative landscape charged with symbolism.

Nature has played a more significant role in art in no other cultural tradition than in that of China. When we feel so powerless in the face of natural disturbance, looking back to our ancestors and their relationship to nature can help us to reflect upon and build resilience using natural means.

Final thoughts

Above: Detail from Mountain of Pines.

Photo credit: Akira Dawn. All rights reserved.

Xiaojing Yan fuses inspirations from a background in China with experiences settling in Canada, creating imaginative 3D artwork, such as her lingzhi mushroom bio-art sculptures which were in part sculpted by the workings of nature. Lingzhi mushrooms have a deep cultural history and symbolic significance in Chinese culture, but this does not mean her works are confined by cultural traditions. She brings her art into the modern times, highlighting themes in climate change and the worldwide environment through experimental practice, as we particularly see in the artworks Cloud Cell and Mountain of Pines.

Bio

Links

Born in 1978 in Jiangsu, China, Xiaojing Yan is truly a transnational artist, combining her Chinese roots and education in China, Canada and USA. Settling permanently in Toronto, her work reflects her journey through these various cultures, arriving at her own personal vocabulary. Most recently, she has had solo shows at Hermès Maison, Shanghai, China, Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC, Canada and Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China.

Website: yanxiaojing.com

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: @xiaojing.yan.studio LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/xiaojingyan p50

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craft interview

Yarn art by the Scottish coast with Gaelle Chassery Yarn art is a therapeutic creative

outlet for Gaelle Chassery who is originally from France but currently living next to the rugged waters along the Scottish West Coast. This coastal environment serves as inspiration for her crochet and paintings works.

Materials and colors are carefully selected for each piece of yarn art (shown below) and the paintings she produces (shown to the right).

Gaelle opens up about how and why she creates these pieces.

Right: Painting Medley, a tribute to the gentle and wild landscapes of the Scottish West Coast.

Directly below: Gaelle and her Plants. Taking care of houseplants hugely contributes to my wellbeing and directly fuels my creativity.

Below, right: Colonsay Lichens and Rocks Comfort Shawl, made with yarn from Balnahard farm. Yarn grown on the island, dyed with native plants, distilling tails and spent botanicals from the Colonsay Gin distillery.

All images: Š Gaelle Chassery. All rights reserved.

Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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craft interview

Q & A - Gaelle Chassery How did you first start to create yarn art?

I learned to knit when I was 8 to make a scarf for a doll, and hated everything about it. Throughout the years I persisted in a lukewarm, aggravated sort of way! When I turned 20 I realized knitting was a brilliant way to play with colors, so I became much more committed to it. I also learned to weave with yarn, and through those two crafts, I explored my love of putting colors and textures together, really delighting in creating unique gradients and very tactile pieces.

When I had to stop knitting a few years ago due to chronic pain, I was crestfallen: working with yarn had become such a passion for me. I just had to find a way to continue—so I taught myself to crochet. I had always shunned crochet, thinking I would not enjoy it or be good at it, but to my surprise I took to it immediately and very quickly started improvising. Thankfully, crochet does not make the pain worse and even acts as a welcome respite from it, offering me a bubble of relaxation, contentment and creativity. I have been crocheting pretty much every day since!

Please describe the technical, creative process behind your yarn art.

I describe myself as an intuitive yarn artist who specializes in improvisation that brings soothing comfort. When I work on a piece, I do not plan or rehearse. I just pick a color palette and start crocheting. As each row is completed, it highlights the next steps: which type of yarn I will pick, which color will work best, which stitches I will choose and which size of hook I will use for the next row. It’s a really fun, immersive and meditative way to work, which prioritizes a continuous and relaxed dialogue with the piece. This way of working means that each piece is a completely unique heirloom with no existing pattern, so every creation is truly a one-off and is constructed like an interactive yarn sculpture that tells its own story, inspired by nature.

How are your heirloom pieces inspired by aspects of nature, particularly, along the West Coast of Scotland where you live?

I am always inspired by the colors and textures of nature.

These are the dominant features in each heirloom piece through my signature wave pattern and my textural use of stitches. The colors invite the eye to rest and the textures invite the body to interact with the piece, to relax into it as “your very own piece of nature.” My Rocky Shore Throw made with Hebridean wool emulates the layers and © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Top: Rocky Shore Throw, made with wonderful Hebridean yarns from Ardalanish Mill and Uist Wool. Directly above: Winter Shore Blanket, inspired by the texture of sea foam and the fascinating blues of moody, stormy days. Both: © Gaelle Chassery. All rights reserved.

textures of those beautiful rocks found on the Hebridean shores and the delicately intricate marks left by seawater running on grey sands.

My Winter Shore Blanket evokes those moody days where sea foam flies over the sand and stormy waves rise in fascinating blues. My preference for working with small Scottish yarn producers is a direct connection to the land that grows and dyes the wool I love to use.

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Please also tell us about your paintings – what mediums do you use and how are these works inspired by the natural world too?

Do you have any personal reflections to share as an artist during the pandemic, or plans about what you will be working on next?

For my soothing paintings I also work intuitively in an open dialogue with each piece, allowing that to lead every choice of color, texture and tool. I love applying paint with sponges, toothbrushes, paintbrushes of all shapes and sizes, and my fingers. I enjoy working in shimmering shades that capture the light changes we are so privileged to enjoy on the Scottish West Coast.

I use a lot of diluted gold and silver as a kind of filter on most of my paintings to honour the ethereal, gentle and mystical qualities of the landscape. Each painting is the accumulation of many thin layers of paint with a lot of water to create subtle color changes and relaxing gradients full of natural and captivating detail.

I work in all sizes, but have a particular fondness for producing tiny paintings that fit in the palm of the hand, opening miniature windows into dream worlds, cherished memories of treasured moments and places. I love creating mini worlds to relax in. At the moment I work with acrylic on canvas, but would love to explore natural pigments in the future and a more monochromatic palette.

The pandemic has given me the space and time to fully focus on my art without neglecting self-care, which is an important foundation of my creativity.

Having this complete permission to create without distraction has been a fertile journey, allowing me to explore all the ways in which we can thrive and stay connected. Creating pieces that celebrate our connection to nature as a reliable constant is a gift I never take for granted. I love how I can enhance people’s quality of life in that way, even when isolating for many months. One of my ongoing project is to source yarns from each Scottish Island and make a piece exclusive to that place, inspired by its colors and unique characteristics. I recently completed my first piece created in this way with yarn grown and dyed on Colonsay. It’s a very beautiful way to deeply relate to a place from a distance and pay tribute to it. In my painting I want to carry on exploring the wonderfully comforting wildness of the West Coast by creating landscapes that touch the heart and soul.

I will also continue to share my writing and nature photography through my slow living blog.

Final thoughts With Scottish coastal waters as a muse, Gaelle Chassery gets creative with intricate yarn art and atmospheric paintings. The yarn art is influenced by detailed observations found in nature, from rough coastal rocks next to lively stormy seas, and the unique texture of lichen. As we have seen in the throws and shawls presented, each fabric color is carefully considered and reflects an aspect of the environment.

The material used is also not an after-thought, made of quality yarn sourced from small independent yarn producers. For Gaelle, crochet has been a valued outlet when dealing with chronic pain. Perhaps for many more, it can be a beneficial activity in times of personal difficulty.

Bio

Links

I am French, feeling much at home in Scotland as an intuitive artist who loves to honour nature’s patterns, textures and colors.

I help to enhance quality of life and support people to slow down with soothing art pieces that offer bubbles of peace for a joyful and calming connection to nature. Living with chronic illness, slow living is essential to my creativity, and creativity is essential to my wellbeing.

Website: www.gaellechassery.com

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: @gaellechassery_soothing_art

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industry

Navigating the complex art industry with Symbolico T

he art industry can be difficult to navigate as a solo-flying artist, particularly as the market has long been difficult to infiltrate. The obstacles faced are further strenghtened by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. With limited physical exhibitions taking place, how can an artist sell themselves well today?

The business side of being an artist can also distract from the creative process which artists could otherwise fully focus on. At times, it may be disheartening for an artist to network and market all on their own. All these challenges are taken on by Symbolico - a consultancy that supports emerging artists to develop their reputation and business. Iraklis Gatenadze, the founder, explains how.

Above: Nyübu’ - acrylic, enamel paint and ink on canvas. © Loredana Lupu. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Q & A - Iraklis Gatenadze (Symbolico) How do you think the art industry can improve, adapt or grow during these times?

In the modern era of technological and cultural innovations, the art industry was left behind. Since the time of Leonardo Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa phenomenon, the art industry has seen little change in the way its operations are conducted.

Such business models are a hindrance to what makes the industry special: the discovery of unique artists. The industry needs a new perspective which will put artistic capability above personal connections and encourage unique talents to rise up to the top of the industry. How can this be achieved? By opening the doors and liberalising market conditions to suit the abilities of all artists trying to sell their work. As a result, the industry would witness a surge in a more diverse range of artists who excel in their practice – they are able to dedicate their time fully to creating masterpieces, instead of spending time networking and building connections from scratch.

because of the complex nature of the industry. We are therefore here to update market conditions and eventually change this.

The idea was born when emerging artists started to approach our sister company, Gammas Art Gallery, which specializes in Tibetan art (and does not work with modern contemporary artists). Nevertheless, the artists were hoping we could help them find the right industry connections due to our reputation in the industry.

Below: ‘Atlachinoli’ - acrylic and oil pastel on canvas. © Loredana Lupu. All rights reserved.

This is exactly what Symbolico hopes to achieve – providing guidance to emerging artists, improving their professional reputation and simplifying the process of gaining recognition. We aim to make the industry more approachable to artists by challenging outdated conventions and breaking down pre-existing barriers which have long dictated the art world.

What inspired the creation of Symbolico?

Since starting out in the art world, we have witnessed exceptional talents unable to navigate the hierarchical world of art business due to its overly complicated nature. An artist can lose their creativity when putting their effort into a monotonous job of data gathering and finding industry connections. They can also feel discouraged by constant refusal of their paintings by art galleries – not because their paintings are not exceptional but © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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As a result, we realized the need to encourage hundreds of emerging artists to express themselves and lend them a helping hand to reach a vast audience of collectors, corporate clients and industry experts.

Thus, was born – Symbolico Art Agency & Consultancy.

Since then, Symbolico has become a global player in the art industry, overseeing international operations from the capital of art business in Berkeley Square, London.

How do you support up and coming artists to reach their goals?

We offer our services to artists through the choice of three different packages, tailored towards their previous experience and the current aspirations.

The simplest package, and which is the most value-formoney, offers exclusive services aimed at liberalising the art industry and opening the doors to increased sales. We match each artist’s requirements with specific selection criteria of our global art network consisting of thousands of art gallery owners, museum curators and interior designers.

Below: ‘Svadhyaya’ - acrylic and ink on canvas. © Loredana Lupu. All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Our second package has all the benefits of its simpler counterpart, plus the added advantage of a chance to be introduced to the most soughtafter private collectors and art dealers. In addition, we commit to sourcing government grants and art competitions for our artists to enter into. On top of this, we assist artists get published in local and international magazines to help increase their professional acclaim.

The third package consists of everything from the first two and much more. We help artists to organize their strategy planning to maximize the effectiveness of the efforts we put in. We also attend art exhibits and events in the capital of art business – London, on behalf of an artist to promote their works and international reputation.

Please describe the diverse sides of your network and how they can contribute to support Symbolico artists in different ways.

We have spent thousands of hours gathering data and liaising with industry contacts so that our artists do not need to waste time scrupulously searching through online databases and networking platforms.

Moreover, industry experts, such as art collectors, dealers and galleries, do not typically encourage a direct approach. This creates a vicious cycle in which even the most experienced artists are unable to find a way into the industry due to its overly complex nature.

Symbolico intends to break this unjust cycle and simplify the process of discovering artistic talent through our art agency division. Combined with our expert knowledge of the art industry as a whole, and our understanding of what makes an artist’s portfolio stand out, we are able to fast-track our artist’s careers and expand their potential. p56

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Similarly, we provide expertise in the modern art market to trade clients from around the world through our art consultancy branch. Opening up this branch offers us a chance to directly promote artists under our management to various buyers globally. The combination of agency and consultancy branches creates a powerful force in the art industry, and ultimately helps us to fulfil our main goal – to liberalize market conditions and prioritize talent before connections.

coping with the challenges brought forward by the pandemic, such as being unable to exhibit artist’s works in the galleries and meet potential buyers while attending art events.

Personally, do you have any advice or thoughts to share for professional or amateur artists who are facing challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic?

At Symbolico we care about nurturing promising artists from various backgrounds, and encourage individuals to flourish throughout their journey with us. We believe art is and should be for all, hence we are changing the foundations of the art industry and adapting to the fast-changing new realities of doing business. We give promising artists a chance to get noticed and become established internationally, and hope to change the lives of these talented individuals for the better.

Entering the art industry was no easy task even before the pandemic, and it has certainly become even more complex now. The art market has long been built on a very elitist and traditional model, one that is difficult to access and even harder to endure.

Consequentialy, the industry will have a hard time

It is thus of paramount importance that artists effectively use the tools they have at hand to find their way through the art industry. One way of doing this is to find enthusiastic people who are willing to support you and help you realize your dream career-goals.

Final thoughts Based at Berkeley Square, London, Symbolico helps emerging artists widen their networks and solidify their reputation. Having shared some vibrant pieces by artist Loredana Lupu here, Symbolico looks to continue to support artists to professionally flourish. The founder, Iraklis, believes that the art industry has not changed enough in modern times to allow new talent to thrive. Modern business models may stunt the creativity of artists or discourage them.

This is why Iraklis founded Symbolico - to support emerging artists with building their portfolios and reputation. Being deeply experienced as a collector of fine Tibetan art at Gammas Art Gallery, Iraklis started Symbolico to support artists to navigate the complex world of the art industry and broaden their connections to art gallery owners, dealers and wide audiences.

Bio Symbolico Art Agency & Consultancy is a global player in the art industry, overseeing international operations from the capital of art business in Berkeley Square, London. We work with emerging artists to help them establish themselves and gain recognition worldwide. Art is our passion, which is why we are transforming the industry and unlocking its full potential! Š NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links Website: www.symbolico.com Email: info@symbolico.com

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Exposing ourselves to the benefits of nature with EcoArts Wild Connecting to the natural world has been shown

to reduce stress and improve our mental health in a number of ways by studies in recent years.

A unique set of programs offered by EcoArts Wild incorporates techniques that enhance our connection to the natural world to improve our wellbeing.

The program was founded by Heather Laurence, an artist inspired by wildlife and nature, with diverse experience across a range of therapeutic practices, often involving animals and nature.

Top right: ‘Blue tit’ artwork. Directly above: Pet illustration of dogs ‘Porridge’ and ‘Pumpkin’.

All images above: © Heather Laurence. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Q & A - Heather Laurence

(EcoArts Wild)

Please share your past experience working in therapeutic roles alongside animals.

With over 30 years of experience working in a therapeutic role, Heather has developed her own methods of working with individuals and families which encompass a mixture of ecopsychology, (a blend of eco and traditional science-based theories).. and a mixture of creative activities, nature, and her beloved animals. to help people gain the most from wherever they find themselves.

Setting up a small organization in 2002, North East Ponies as Therapy (NEPAT) began her work in teaching the reconnection, with some amazing and fascinating results which she is more than happy to tell you about and show photos of same.

Heather and her ponies went to schools, hospices, day therapy centres, and hospitals.

NEPAT was a frequent visitor at local events and local authority fun days, and Heather still treasures some of the artworks that she was gifted by some of the service users. Her own love of creativity and the arts being prevalent in her life since school days, a commissioned artist, a published author, and performer (having appeared on stage and screen) she is more than aware of the therapeutic benefits of the arts. Her own life experiences have gone a long way towards creating an empathetic professional therapist who is passionate about her work.

Heather also is a well-known and highly regarded professional dog trainer and handler who has worked and trained over 4000 dogs, educating everything from pet puppies, and screen stars, to detection dogs and therapy dogs, with all kinds of behavior issues in-between, Her own detection dog winning a commendation from the PDSA for her work. and her own dogs being therapy animals and who on one occasion were smuggled into a hospital, (along with Heather and her now Husband) to give comfort to a dying girl whose only wish was to be with dogs one more time.

Her ability to teach people to get the most from their relationship with their animals is the pinnacle of the structure of the successful well-established business that she has run with her husband since 2010. Heather states “..animals give us such a lot back, they say such a lot, you just have to listen, it doesn’t stop at animals, the whole planet talks to each and every living thing on it, but only humans use the words we understand.” © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Top: Friendly swallows.

Directly above: Horse portrait - ‘Meggie Scott’.

All images above: © Heather Laurence. All rights reserved. p59

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Below: Black and white pony portrait - ‘Kiayaz Lani’. © Heather Laurence. All rights reserved.

“Nature is the best teacher we have, we need to spend more time getting to know nature in order to learn more about ourselves.”

How did you come to begin your PhD in Applied Eco-Art Therapy and Ecopsychology and how is it going?

This is where it gets a little complicated. I discovered the work of Dr Michael J Cohen, Ed.D., Ph.D. has spent his life since 1953 developing the art of his hands on science, the Organic Application of Ecopsychology.

His work gives a fascinating insight into “How to create 54-sense moments in natural areas that transform problems into love.” His programmes cover in depth “The Organics of Applied Ecopsychology in Action, Educating, Counselling and Healing in Natural Areas” I was delighted when I first began to work with others who are familiar with the work of Dr. Mike Cohen, it was only when I discovered his work that I realized that we have been doing things so far off track for so long, that most people have become so disconnected from nature that they may as well have divorced it.

Dr Cohen had put into words exactly what I knew to be innate. I also discovered that he offers courses in his work, so I enrolled right away, signed up and being accepted for the PhD course. I worked alongside Mike and his team for over eighteen months, I was just about ready to begin my dissertation, had even gone so far as submitting a rough proposal when between the team and I we realized that there was an accreditation issue, the university they use are not accredited, so it meant my PhD was not classed as viable.

This meant that I needed a rethink, and quickly, I am so passionate about ecopsychology, that I wanted to continue in the field. My only alternative was to find another university who would accept my proposal, I have now enrolled in a PhD with an Open University who has allowed some credit transfer, and I am about to submit a dissertation proposal to them which will allow me to encompass a marriage of traditional, science-based psychology and ecopsychology.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Can you define ecopsychology and eco-arts therapy? How do you combine the two at EcoArts Wild?

When we combine the principles of both ecoart(s) and ecopsychology and using the natural environment as an area to work, talk, listen and learn we can achieve results that speak for themselves. Using the natural systems thinking process and exploring our 54 senses until we discover what becomes self-evident.

Ecopsychology

Ecopsychology studies the relationship between human beings and the natural world through ecological and psychological principles.

The field seeks to develop and understand ways of expanding the emotional connection between individuals and the natural world, thereby assisting individuals with developing sustainable lifestyles and remedying alienation from nature.

Evidence suggests that many environmentally damaging behaviours are addictive at some level, and thus are more effectively addressed through p60

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positive emotional fulfillment rather than by inflicting shame. Other names used to refer to ecopsychology include, Gaia psychology, ecotherapy, environmental psychology, green psychology, global therapy, green therapy, Earth-centered therapy, nature-based psychotherapy.

Eco-Arts

Pictures have been used as communication since man first picked up clay and made markings on walls of caves. Indigenous people used symbols to share stories, record events and celebrate occasions.

The barrier of the spoken word or language was never an issue. When we use art to communicate, we eliminate all the barriers of traditional communication, the words we struggle to say, the thoughts we are struggling to make sense of. With natures teaching, we can reconnect with our inner child and communicate with the same ease as we did when we were children and first picked up crayons to draw.

A combination of traditional science-based psychology and ecopsychology, eco-art therapy offers a solution to crossing barriers and negatives.

“You will be amazed at the difference really connecting to nature for even one hour can make to your wellbeing.”

Artist Bio

As an artist, personally, what aspects of nature inspire you?

All of nature is inspirational, it is more a question of what are you attracted to at the time, my personal art work is definitely animal inspired, but when working with clients it is often about what is attractive in the moment, and which area of nature we are in, we could for example be in a woodland area, which has endless inspirations or perhaps the coast which again provides a plethora of tactile and visual elements as well as the unconscious inspirations.

For personal art, commissions etc I work in pastels, and I am attracted mostly to draw animals, but I also create ephemeral art in outdoor areas.

Final thoughts Nature and animals can be a source of therapy, as Heather Laurence explains - particularly when combining eco-art therapy, ecopsychology programs and science-based psychology.

Heather shows us that through nature, we can discover new ways to connect with ourselves and communicate in artistic ways.

This is particularly the case through the guidance of her EcoArts Wild programmes, for improving our wellbeing and mental health.

Above: Portrait of Heather Laurence. © Heather Laurence.

All rights reserved.

Heather Laurence is an ecopsychologist, author, and artist from County Durham; using the arts and the natural intelligence of nature to rescue and rehabilitate your mental health, in a style that is both wild and fun.

Heather says “When we learn to love our planet, we can then learn to love ourselves. When were you last able to just ‘be’?” © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links Website: www.ecoartswild.co.uk Blog: ecoartswild.wordpress.com Facebook: EcoArtsWild Twitter: @wild_eco p61

Written Word

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Highlight

Written Word thought-notes

Sport:

A kinetic melody of art and science

By Anushikha Bhas - guest writer

“The scene is instant, whole and wonderful. In its beauty and design that vision of the soaring stands, the pattern of forty thousand empetalled faces, the velvet and unalterable geometry of the playing field, and the small lean figures of the players, set there, lonely, tense and waiting in their places, bright, desperately solitary atoms encircled by that huge wall of nameless faces, is incredible.”

—Thomas Wolfe (Of Time and the River)

An amalgamation of various hues,

different colors even, altogether and yet not in the tiniest fraction of a little bit obfuscating their intrinsic souls.

Different but united by the sheer enormity of the spirit that has manifested itself as MOVEMENT. That is what SPORT represents for me; the manifestation of the power of the human spirit and will at its peak. It lies there, ensconced - in not just the thud and thump of a thundering heart beat - but in the beads of perspiration, the mélange of voices in one’s head, dichotomously so of course (calming that mental chatter requires tapping into some of that will), the contraction and relaxation of one’s muscles, the feeling of one’s lungs on fire. It is the core of every sportsperson. Sport, I believe is energy in

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

manifest form as I’d mentioned earlier, a conduit for the patterns of the universe to play themselves out. Allowing that spirit to take shape in its own unique way is indeed a herculean task and the tools and techniques that science has to offer, I believe, provides the fuel for this process.

My personal experiences competing in martial arts at both the national and international levels from a young age, has given me the opportunity to gain better insight into the conditions and mental states that improve or hinder sporting performance; like ‘flow states’ and sporting anxiety, both of which I have experienced. Injury and the ensuing recovery processes were something that I experienced as well. A ‘flow state can bring out one’s ‘A-game’ while anxiety can be crippling and can often lead to outcomes p63

Written Word thought-notes a lot worse than defeat, if not channeled in the right way. The several victories I have enjoyed have been a result of the inadvertent use of the right effort, training methods and mental states.

I say inadvertent because my experiences in sport had been more performance oriented than analyzing the process behind its optimization. What allowed me to start focusing on ‘process’ and ‘deliberate practice’ had been the defeats I suffered from and the breaks I’d been forced to take due to injury, which gave me time to think. My first-hand experience of training and competing in combat sports, is, I feel, one of the reasons I began to develop a fascination for sport and all the science working in conjunction with it.

In order to maximize one’s potential, one must, incorporate scientific principles into their respective training. The role of a sports scientist lies in the aforementioned detail, to work assiduously at providing the scientific backbone to every technique, regimen/training sequence. The rationality, experimentation, hypothesizing, observing and active partaking of the fruit of curiosity that is innate in science (to mention a few) intertwined with the beauty of sport, both fascinates and inspires me to delve more deeply into this area.

The nuances and intricacies associated with sport are so multitudinous, that I feel I must - in order to dive into deeper waters - both study and employ the scientific method associated with it.

In Oliver Sack’s book, ‘A Leg to Stand On’, he describes movement as a ‘kinetic melody’.

I truly feel like the term perfectly encapsulates the process. Muscle coordination, synchronization, timing; all played out as music in kinetic form.

My appreciation for even the simplest of coordinated movements springs from the very fact of my having read about the proprioceptive mechanisms behind movement, which was so beautifully delineated in the book. As elegant or magnificent as movement looks (in terms of sport and exercise), it is the science with all its alluring complexity, that offers meaning to it all.

That any maneuver, as simple as it may look, is held up by so many scientific processes, working so efficiently even without the knowledge of the doer, amazes me beyond measure.

Cracked beauty - like the Japanese process of inlaying broken porcelain with gold - is what sums up sports science for me. It is like a constant osmosis between piercing the whole discipline with the intellect, subjecting it to scientific reasoning and the aesthetic elements of sport: logic forming the region of high concentration at some moments and beauty/ aesthetics making up the region at other moments - me being the semipermeable membrane-dynamic equilibrium at its best, perhaps.

About the author Anushikha Bhas has multidomain experience in the fields of life-sciences, sport and health with a Master’s Degree from the University of Exeter, UK. Her interests span across domains of sport, art, science, literature and creative writing. Her current research explores the psychophysiology of flow states.

Links Twitter: @acesport_bhas © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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announcement

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