Trauma is a light sculpture created in a response to the fascinating and beautiful work done by scientists studying the neurological effects of traumatic brain injury. These people study the physicality of human consciousness but rarely communicate their work beyond publications.

The piece was conceptualised while designer Paz Martinez Capuz was studying the lab work of neuroscientist Ruth Angus in the dark room under a microscope.The Sculpture is a literal translation of her process, showing how cells are duplicated in traumatic brain injury and how the trauma increases in size over time.

A series of proteins and dyes are applied to a brain sample which adhere to specific cells. Illuminating them under the microscope with different coloured lights allows Ruth to identify and study how cells react to brain Trauma. On the acrylic sectioned brain, the blue dots represent neurons and red dots represent astrocytes.

‘Trauma’ was part of the ArtNeuro Project – conceived by Supatra Marsh and co-curated by Diliana Pecheva, Jamie Upton, and Viviana Robles.