At first glance, the ceramic shapes by Palo Alto artist Laura Jacobson appear to be a whimsical exploration of colors and textures. But a closer look reveals that these fascinating pieces are actually based on brain images.
Close up of one of Laura Jacobson’s Brain Scapes, based on MRI images. Photo courtesy of Laura Jacobson.
Each three dimensional half circle is a different ‘slice’ of Laura’s brain molded in clay that has been textured, cut and assembled to recreate a specific image that was captured by a magnetic resonance (MRI) machine. These ‘Brain Scapes,’ as Laura calls them, are inspired by her interest in the human body, both inside and out. “I’m drawn to the symmetry and patterns that exist in a healthy human body,” Laura explains.
“The Brain Scapes take an MRI image and abstract it so the anatomy of the brain is still visible while it becomes a starting place for artistic expression.”
A love of ceramics that started at the Palo Alto Art Center
Laura, who works at Palo Alto Studios, is a native of Los Altos Hills and a graduate of Stanford University with deep roots in the area. While Laura studied English at Stanford and began her career as a journalist, her path turned when she started taking ceramics classes at the Palo Alto Art Center.
“I fell in love with the wheel,” she said. “There is a mystery to working with clay because you never know how it’s going to come out.” When she moved to the east coast, Laura enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she earned an MFA and explored human figures made of clay.
Why brain imaging and ceramics?
So why the interest in brain imaging? Laura credits her husband Dr. Anthony Wagner, a neuroscientist and head of the Stanford Memory Lab, for thrusting her into the world of neurology. “When Stanford bought a new functional magnetic resonance imaging machine (fMRI), Anthony asked me to be a test subject. In exchange they gave me the MRI scans of my own brain and I started to explore how I could recreate them using clay.”
Local artist Laura Jacobson with her ‘brain scapes.’ Photo by Palo Alto Pulse
She does a lot of reading about neurology and brain science to inform her work, but Laura cautions that it is not intended to be medically accurate. “”I once became very excited about what I thought was a human brain image I found online,” Laura recalls. “But I had to abandon it because Anthony pointed out it was actually the brain of a rat,” She is also drawn to the notion of “wabi sabi,” (imperfection) that is prominent in Japanese ceramics, and likes her work to have elements of color and texture that come from the artistic process and are not precisely controlled.
A growing interest in her work from doctors, hospitals and more
Laura’s work also explores neurons. Photo courtesy of Laura Jacobson
Not surprisingly, Laura’s art has found an eager audience among doctors (especially neuroscientists) and hospitals. Her ‘Brain Scapes’ are prominently featured at the Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurological Imaging, along with prints and etchings that illustrate neurons, brain waves, hemoglobin and other elements of the brain and body captured by modern imaging technology.
Laura was also commissioned to create 22 ‘Brain Scapes’ for a special exhibit at the McKnight Foundation in Minnesota that celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Foundation’s neuroscience program.
A local space for Palo Alto artists is key to creativity
As a mom of twin sixth graders at Jordan Middle School, Laura works to balance the needs of her family as the demand for her art grows. “It helps to have a wonderful creative place where I can focus,” she said. “There is a five year waiting list for space at Palo Alto Studios because it is so unique in the area. This building is a precious resource for local artists and we hope to preserve it forever.” For more information about Laura’s work, visit http://www.laurajacobson.com.
A series of Laura Jacobson’s ‘brain scapes,’ based on MRI imaging
