A single human body contains anywhere between 17 trillion to 36 trillion cells depending on age and size[1]. Each of these cells then contains smaller parts known as organelles, and even smaller components such as DNA. It can be difficult to conceptualize the reality of scale and quantity when it comes to the complicated makeup of living creatures. These small, submicroscopic elements are responsible for all life. Artist and maker Darlene Pratt takes these elements and constructs them at a larger-than-life scale, invoking senses similar to the sublime: discomfort with these seemingly alien-like forms, and yet the intrinsic understanding that these forms are what make up everyday life.
Every living organism is unique, but on a cellular level, patterns emerge that make us all very similar. Pratt’s Mitochondria Tiles emphasize the repetition found in every living cell. Displayed on the wall, each tile depicts an image of a ‘mitochondrion’ – which is an organelle found in many cells. Mitochondria are considered to be the ‘power house’ of a cell, where most of the cell’s energy is produced. In fact, the mitochondria are responsible for producing so much energy that a single human cell can contain anywhere from 1000 to 2000 mitochondria[2]. The structure of these organelles remain nearly identical in every creature, rendering them nearly indistinguishable to the untrained eye when viewed under an electron microscope. Pratt takes this concept of similarity and draws attention to it by creating a visual pattern through her use of tiles. Each mitochondria tile is nearly identical in size and texture, though the background colours change between pieces. They harken back to the repetitive work of Andy Warhol, whose use of multiples sought to deliberately emphasize the inescapable imagery of pop culture. Not dissimilarly, Pratt reminds us of the multitudes of these organelles within all of us, and how all living things are alike when we examine them from a cellular scale. Not only that, but by blowing up the image of the otherworldly mitochondria, we are forced to confront the reality that we contain millions of these seemingly unfamiliar things. These uncanny structures are what allow us to live. While we are complex organisms with unique lives and stories, at the end of the day we are all made up of the same, microscopic cells and organelles that all perform the same tasks regardless of the lives we lead.
Even smaller than mitochondria are the DNA sequences found in every living thing. DNA is what determines the genetic makeup of every organism, and it is why each creature is visually unique. What is particularly interesting is that nearly every cell in the human body contains the same DNA, which is then replicated whenever our cells multiply or regenerate. In a larger-than-life scale, Pratt has created a chromosome – which is a package of DNA used to carry this genetic information between cells. Usually only visible under a microscope during specific cell cycles, Pratt has enlarged a typically invisible form of nature into a sizable sculpture. It’s through this scale that the viewer can truly appreciate the patterns and textures that emerge on the structure’s surface. The coiling lines and forms that are carved into the surface reiterate the concept of even smaller components making up something already incredibly tiny. Even unique structures like a chromosome have their own patterns similar to other microscopic forms in living creatures. Printed on the patterned surface are mixtures of letters grouped together. T’s and A’s in one group, C’s and G’s in another. These represent the four different bases found in DNA and their respective groupings. Adenine always pairs with thymine, and cytosine always pairs with guanine. The arrangement of these bases function almost like a code, and it is through their arrangement that they construct genes. Pratt’s use of glazing patterns is also apt – the patterned stripes of yellow and blue recreate the different genes found in every chromosome. This sculpture reminds us that we are not wholly unique when it comes to the parts that make us. This chromosome could just as well be from an animal, a plant, or some other organism. There’s no knowing what these strands of life belong to when you examine them at a microscopic level.
Less benign in Pratt’s series of works are those relating to bacteria and disease. In the wake of a global pandemic in particular, it can be uncomfortable to recognize that these microscopic organisms are all around us. Though they wreak havoc and cause significant despair with the damage they can cause – from an objective standpoint, these organisms are merely fulfilling their role in nature. They seep into our bodies and multiply in order to survive and grow, much like how we adapt and change to survive.
Seemingly unassuming and yet simultaneously disconcerting is Pratt’s Coccus. Meticulously shaped into its perfectly round form, the surface of the sculpture bears markings and scratches to give it the texture found on bacteria. Even more noticeable are the bolts installed in its various openings – meant to replicate the pili used by bacteria to attach and interact with other surfaces. Pratt’s use of bolts in this sculpture is particularly astute when considering the machine-like operations of the average bacterium. Bacteria, on a biological level, operate on levels of efficiency. They will alter their own metabolism if it means a more efficient use of their energy levels. Yet – these monstrous-looking organisms, so often associated with sickness and disease, can be found naturally within the human body. In fact, very few bacteria found on Earth are actually parasites or pathogens: and without these beneficial organisms, we would be unable to survive. There are as many as 36 trillion cells in the human body – and even more astounding than that is the fact that there are ten times as many bacteria in the human body as there are cells.
The work of Darlene Pratt reminds us of the strange and almost difficult to believe aspects of all life on earth. How every living thing is composed of billions of cells, each of which have even smaller components within them. It is a reminder of the sublime: the billions of miniscule patterns, forms, and organisms that make up our living forms. That, in the words of the artist, herself “we are tiny specks to those living far off in the universe”, just as these sculptures represent the tiny specks within ourselves we so often disregard.
Cheyenne Mapplebeck
Assistant Curator
Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
Bibliography
[1] Ian A. Hatton et al., “The Human Cell Count and Size Distribution,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120, no. 39 (September 18, 2023), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2303077120.
[2] Bruce Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th ed. (New York, New York: Garland Science, 2002).
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