Liverpool artwork of the day - Wednesday October 24 2007. 'Micro-scope Particles' sugarlift etching by Barbara Jones from 'An Extraordinary Journey' at Roald Dahl Centre and Linda McCartney Centre, Royal Liverpool Hospital until November 30 2007

An extraordinary new artwork has just been installed at the Royal Liverpool hospital as part of “An Extraordinary Journey�, in conjunction with Liverpool Culture Company, a celebration of the amazing advances in the field of health and medicine throughout Liverpool’s 800 year history.

In order to produce this artwork Liverpool artist Barbara Jones has collaborated with the research team from the hospital who are seeking ways to enable the healing process. This team, headed by Professor Toh, is currently examining the role of “microparticles� in this healing process and their ability to travel, via the circulatory system, to fertile sites in the human body and facilitate the restoration of equilibrium. They are seeking methods of stimulating the blood cells to produce these microparticles which can then undertake their own journey through the body, bringing essential functions to places that have been damaged through trauma or infection. This stimulation could be compared to a gardener pruning roses. In keeping the growth of the rose bush in check the gardener helps “daughter� flowers to be produced from the parent. In a similar way, the research team have been successful in producing daughter cells (the microparticles) from the parent cells.

Armed with this fascinating information, plus a series of microscope images of these microparticles, Barbara Jones set about producing a body of work inspired by this pioneering research. The result is a series of etchings, four of which are displayed in the Roald Dahl centre at the hospital and five near the entrance to the Linda McCartney Centre.

The first four etchings, “Microparticles 1 to 4�, are square in format and show microparticles budding off blood vessel lining. These highly detailed images are full of energy and movement and reminiscent of plant organisms or aquatic life. The viewer becomes entranced and lost in landscapes of shallow perspective which evoke an aerial viewpoint. When viewing these prints we have no sense of scale, at one time feeling that we are observing a vast landscape of islands and water, at another moment we can sense that this is a microscopic world into which we are entering.

“Micro-scopeParticles 1 to 5� are displayed, in random fashion, near the entrance to the Linda McCartney centre. Here the viewer encounters circular prints which have obvious connotations of microscope observation of cell cultures. Another notable difference is the layered use of vibrant colour which enhances the subtle movement and depth of the cell structures. The addition of colour brings an increased aesthetic dimension to the work and entices the spectator into a closer examination of the complexity of detail.

The fascination of the ‘unseen world’ of the microcosms has held the imagination of artists and scientists alike since ancient times. As the traditional portrayal of landscape can be contrastingly beautiful and hostile, this micro universe can be interpreted in a similar fashion.

Barbara explores this world of cells and reveals an infinite terrain for inspiration. These tiny universes of cells are Barbara’s starting point from which she explores the traditional dynamics of abstraction. Form, space and composition are at the forefront of the artists’ approach. By extracting and not reflecting the scientific source Barbara eloquently applies her aesthetic judgement.

The age-old tradition of etching is in marked contrast to the "high-tech" processes employed within contemporary medical research. These etchings place the artistic content at centre stage, they are attractive and intriguing, they hold your imagination.

Barbara is no stranger to public art and scientific research and development. In 2003 Barbara dispersed 1000 disease printed origami peace cranes from the disused tower of St Luke’s Church in Liverpool and for the 2004 Biennial presented ‘The Smallpox Room’ in a display window at Lewis’s department store, Liverpool. In 2006 the Liverpool based artist became the first artist to hold an exhibition at the world famous Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Barbara says “We are constantly presented with figurative images, such as trees and portraits, as pleasing artwork. I am personally communicating the very fabric of who and what we are and showing beauty really lies within us all�

Barbara Jones “An Extraordinary Journey�
Artwork at the Royal Liverpool Hospital
Linda McCartney Centre & Roald Dahl Centre
On show until November 30th 2007.