Created through a close collaboration with biomedical engineering professor Dr. Patricia Dankers and her PhD candidate Dan Jing Wu at the Technology University Eindhoven, the vases aim to pay tribute to the HeLa cells or ‘immortal cells’ from which they are crafted. Discovered in the 1950s, HeLa cells are used in scientific research and have led to major breakthroughs in the development of cell culture and tissue engineering. Each vase was created using a 3D-printed biodegradable polymer scaffold that was partially induced into human tissue. They were then stained blue with Coomassie protein dye, a commonly used colour in laboratories to give cells visibility. The resulting “Delft blue” appearance references a type of blue-and-white colour pottery produced in the Dutch city of Delft, which was inspired by Chinese porcelain.
TU/eindhovne Press Release
Semi-human Delft Blue, 2019,
Hela Cells on PCL Scaffolds, 60 x 45 x 10 cm.
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