About the project
Precious
[presh-uhs]
adjective
of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly
‘Common Language’ explores artistic, sociological and linguistic aspects of biological research with human fetal and embryonic tissues.
This is represented in a physical artist’s book, created using dos-a-dos binding which enables it to tell two stories simultaneously. One story the book presents is a narrative literature review of human developmental biology in the media during the 20th century and beyond. The other story is a social science report based on interviews conducted with current developmental biologists, reflecting on the language used and challenges faced when discussing their work with the public.
Artist: Marianne Wilde (Newcastle University)
Social Scientists: Ken Taylor & Simon Woods (Newcastle University)
PDF and Word versions of the artwork are available to download (see links below). However, please note the digital versions are not exactly the same as the artwork itself, which is a physical object.
Download a PDF of the artist’s book here
Request an accessible version of the artist’s book content here
If you are interested in viewing or displaying the physical artist’s book, please get in touch: hdbi-pe@bio.cam.ac.uk
Embryo
[em-bree-oh]
noun
the young of a viviparous animal, especially of a mammal, in the early stages of development and especially within the womb, in humans up to the end of the second month
Explore the artist’s book in this video