Cancer Cells Clinging to a Human Hair

This is a fluorescence microscopy image of healthy and dying cancer cells clinging to a human hair which fell onto the microscope. The red spheres depict dying cancer cells and the green spheres depict healthy cancer cells. The long green line running diagonally across the image is the human hair.   

Romance

This is an image depicting two dying cancer cells side by side using an Atomic Force Mcroscope (AFM). We observed lines connecting the two amber coloured cells as each cell was going through it's process of dying. It is not fully understood why the cells are trying to communicate with one another in this way as they are dying. In a way it seems like a desperate romantic gesture between two dying entities - like Romeo and Juliet, or Tristan and Isolde. It seems this way until one realises that these entities are cancer cells. Cancer is a destructive disease from the perspective of the human race; a disease which has caused a lot of pain, anguish, and anger for numerous people. Is it possible to empathize with these little cells? How could one empathize? Why or why not?

Cancer Cells (Colon) The Movie - Minute Immortals

The following images are of a recent group exhibition I participated in at the Back Loft, St. Augustine street, Dublin. I collaborated with Eamonn Kennedy, who is doing a PhD in bio-nano imaging at UCD. He is researching cancer cells at the moment using imaging techniques such as atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Most of the images we used would be considered "grey data" - research that may not make it into academic journals, but nonetheless may be interesting in other ways. We found the images to be interesting on an aesthetic, philosophical, cultural and social level.

Colon cancer cell samples in the space at the Back Loft

Alternate view of cancer cells in the space.

The looming projected AFM image of a dying cancer cell. The image looked ghostly hanging above the actual cancer cell samples. We discovered afterward that apparently the alcove in the Back Loft is haunted!

Three A2 duratrans prints of dying cancer cells illuminated in the darkness of the space.

We built light boxes to light the images.

A large A0 duratrans print of dying cancer cells imaged through fluorescence microscopy.