'Running'
by Custer Liu
digital work

Artist's narrative

              Dr. Sampson’s lab focuses on how the microbiome in the gut would influence the human brain in neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the amount of information his research has contained. We decided to do a series of multiple pieces of art, and for this one, I focus more on the emotional feeling he has when doing the research and my impression of science. Because mice are chosen as the model animals in most experiments and their importance in the scientific field, I put a mouse in the center of the artwork as a representation of science. The mouse is running on a small bridge which is the method mentioned in Dr. Sampson’s research: To detect the level of Parkinson’s Disease, researchers would put mice on a path to their home and record their behavior. Inspired by this, I color the stick in a lowered saturated dark pink symbolizing a path to science. The whole picture is set to be a mix of green and blue tones which is a combination of Dr. Sampson’s research style, and the color of science: blue. In the background, there is the vagus nerve, colored dark blue, indicating the unexplored area of the scientific field. The head of the mouse is outlined in blue, the color of science, referring to the feeling of breaking boundaries and exploring unknown knowledge. Finally, the explosions affect the shining yellow stars in the mice’s eyes. It is a representation of excitement in scientific research. Different labs' research styles vary depending on many factors, but there is one thing all researchers share, passion.