Photographed and edited by Gordon Veitch G5 Visuals
‘I’ve got yer back’: a community collaborative art/science project led by Fusion members Janet Philp
and Joan Smith.
The project came about when we were writing a book chapter on the use of craft in learning about and understanding human anatomy. We wondered what it would be like to have a group of people make a human spine in needle felt. Janet, an expert needle felter, has previously made a spine in this way and this had necessitated careful handling and examination of individual plastic vertebrae. The experience had made her particularly aware of the precise details of each bone and the amazing interlocking structure of the spine. We thought that, by encouraging other people to do the same, we could potentially enhance their understanding of this part of their anatomy. We decided to aim for National Back Health Awareness Week in October 2023 for completion of the project and planned to install the resulting work in the foyer of the University of Edinburgh’s Anatomical Museum, with a launch event to highlight back health.
In spring 2023, ‘I’ve got yer back’ was awarded funding by the Anatomical Society and this ensured that the project idea could go ahead. The funding enabled us to buy the necessary materials, including four plastic models of human vertebral columns that could be dismantled and sent out to interested individuals. The project was launched at the winter meeting of the Anatomical Society in Nottingham in April 2023 when 20 anatomists took part in a workshop where they each made a vertebra in needle felt. The project gathered momentum when over 100 people signed up and requested kits to be sent to them. The kits consisted of wool fleece, felting needles, instructions and information about human vertebrae. A workshop for Fusion members followed in the summer.
As participants returned their completed vertebrae we asked for feedback on what they had learned. This proved very eye opening. Nearly everyone who had participated said that they had been made more aware of the anatomy of the vertebra they had been sent through having made a copy in felt. Some had very personal responses as they had experienced back pain and said that they now understood their condition much more than previously. Even university lecturers who taught the anatomy of the spine said that they become much more aware of details of the vertebrae that they had not considered before. The success of the project reminded us of the importance of learning by making or doing and that even a relatively straightforward art or craft project could be used to deliver effective science education.
We installed the vertebrae as planned, suspending around 100 felt vertebrae from invisible threads within a 1m x 1m x 1.5m frame. Coloured vertebrae formed a central spiral, with white wool vertebrae hung as a constellation around this central axis. The resulting installation was striking and attracted a great deal of interested attention from visitors and passers by. All participants were credited as co-collaborators in the project. The launch event included talks by Tom Gillingwater, Professor of Anatomy ('Back to the beginning: a tale of human anatomy and evolution'); and Gavin Routledge from Active X clinics ('How to achieve relief and prevention of lower back pain').
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News
11 July 2024 - Publication at American Association for Anatomy “I've got yer back”: A community art and anatomy project. They were featured on the cover.
and Joan Smith.
The project came about when we were writing a book chapter on the use of craft in learning about and understanding human anatomy. We wondered what it would be like to have a group of people make a human spine in needle felt. Janet, an expert needle felter, has previously made a spine in this way and this had necessitated careful handling and examination of individual plastic vertebrae. The experience had made her particularly aware of the precise details of each bone and the amazing interlocking structure of the spine. We thought that, by encouraging other people to do the same, we could potentially enhance their understanding of this part of their anatomy. We decided to aim for National Back Health Awareness Week in October 2023 for completion of the project and planned to install the resulting work in the foyer of the University of Edinburgh’s Anatomical Museum, with a launch event to highlight back health.
In spring 2023, ‘I’ve got yer back’ was awarded funding by the Anatomical Society and this ensured that the project idea could go ahead. The funding enabled us to buy the necessary materials, including four plastic models of human vertebral columns that could be dismantled and sent out to interested individuals. The project was launched at the winter meeting of the Anatomical Society in Nottingham in April 2023 when 20 anatomists took part in a workshop where they each made a vertebra in needle felt. The project gathered momentum when over 100 people signed up and requested kits to be sent to them. The kits consisted of wool fleece, felting needles, instructions and information about human vertebrae. A workshop for Fusion members followed in the summer.
As participants returned their completed vertebrae we asked for feedback on what they had learned. This proved very eye opening. Nearly everyone who had participated said that they had been made more aware of the anatomy of the vertebra they had been sent through having made a copy in felt. Some had very personal responses as they had experienced back pain and said that they now understood their condition much more than previously. Even university lecturers who taught the anatomy of the spine said that they become much more aware of details of the vertebrae that they had not considered before. The success of the project reminded us of the importance of learning by making or doing and that even a relatively straightforward art or craft project could be used to deliver effective science education.
We installed the vertebrae as planned, suspending around 100 felt vertebrae from invisible threads within a 1m x 1m x 1.5m frame. Coloured vertebrae formed a central spiral, with white wool vertebrae hung as a constellation around this central axis. The resulting installation was striking and attracted a great deal of interested attention from visitors and passers by. All participants were credited as co-collaborators in the project. The launch event included talks by Tom Gillingwater, Professor of Anatomy ('Back to the beginning: a tale of human anatomy and evolution'); and Gavin Routledge from Active X clinics ('How to achieve relief and prevention of lower back pain').
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News
11 July 2024 - Publication at American Association for Anatomy “I've got yer back”: A community art and anatomy project. They were featured on the cover.
Photo - Joan Smith
