Records of translation vi ()
(fetal rat neurons, formalyne, ethanol, glass, rubber, cork)
8mm x 90mm x 8mm
As if a magic lantern threw nerves in patterns on a screen.
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
‘That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.’
–The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Eliot
Eliot’s poem reflects the inability of language to fully convey the weight of mental experience. Responding to this theme, this sculpture is a record of the once-living materials used to conduct neuroscience experiments at The University of Western Australia in Perth.