Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2013
Capstone Advisor
Professor Barbara Walter, Jewelry and Metalsmithing Program Coordinator
Honors Reader
Professor Lori Hawke
Capstone Major
Art
Capstone College
Visual and Performing Arts
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Creative
Subject Categories
Art and Design | Fine Arts | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media
Abstract
The representation of living organisms has a long history in jewelry. Since jewelry is intended to be worn on the body, it has the faculty to materialize what typically remains unseen below our skin. Creating this body of work aims to entice public curiosity and educate them in current stem cell research, as it is a promising avenue of medicine that could cure many diseases, rather than treat their symptoms.
The jewelry I made is a glimpse into the body revealing microscopic stem cells, which are essential to our existence. Current research has shown the potential for immense advancement in medicine using stem cells, the body’s natural repair system. Scientists are searching for ways to use stem cells to regenerate damaged and lost tissue and to develop personalized drug testing.
The painted cell pins reference images taken of stem cells induced to become heart muscle cells. I allude to their cultivation in vitro by framing them within a petri dish. The pins are worn directly over the heart, invoking thoughts of future strategies to grow heart cells on a base scaffolding for transplantation.
The blastocyst cross section pins show the glorification of the inner cell mass for either its pluripotent cells or potential to give rise to the entirety of the human embryo. By displaying the embryonic stem cells as pearls, their social value is made more evident. The hanging pearls reference their extraction and cultivation in a lab.
The variety of forms that my jewelry materializes in is an echo of the many potential medical applications of stem cells. Through placement in relation to the body and use of materials that hold cultural significance, I strive to evoke the larger context for the public that is not easily deduced from isolated microscopic photographs.
Recommended Citation
Matsumoto, Nina, "Jewelry Inspired by Stem Cells" (2013). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 17.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/17
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
