Heart of the Matter exhibition lives on

An artistic and scientific exploration of the heart, created by artist Sofie Layton and Giovanni Biglino from the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre’s (BRC) Cardiovascular Disease theme, continues to attract national and international acclaim.

Exhibits from the Heart of the Matter are currently on display at the Royal College of Physicians until 3 April, as part of its Under the Skin exhibition. An installation from the Heart of the Matter was also displayed at the Villa Rot Museum in Germany last summer.

The Heart of the Matter exhibition is inspired by patients with heart conditions, their families and clinicians. It invites audiences to discover the extraordinary nature and complexity of the heart through 3D printing, digital animation, printed textiles, sound installation and sculpture.

The Lancet called it:

“A beautiful, thoughtful, evocative representation of what it means to be a patient, a parent, a doctor, or scientist involved in treating people with heart disease”.

The collaboration stemmed from a 2015-16 Wellcome Society Award to support public engagement projects that encourage the public to consider and debate issues raised by health and wellbeing research. It was displayed at the Bristol BRC’s launch in 2018 and exhibited at the RWA and CentreSpace later that summer. Read about the Heart of the Matter in New Scientist