Image competitions, awards and public engagement

Image competitions

Winner of the Art of Pathology competition in 2024 with a sculpture representing a tactile experience of osteoarthritis

- Winner of the Art of Pathology competition in 2024 with a sculpture representing a tactile experience of osteoarthritis.

The 2.5-meter-tall, 200 kg sculpture is built on a sturdy wooden structure, wrapped in chicken wire, and layered with plaster. Detailed with latex, ropes, plasticine, clay, tights, and sprays, the sculpture’s lifelike texture is enhanced using acrylic paints, effectively capturing the inner world of the diseased knee joint’s intricate and unsettling appearance.

The sculpture of an enlarged, diseased knee joint suffering from osteoarthritis embodies the theme “The Science Behind the Cure” by making the invisible pain visible. Engaging patients and researchers in workshops to write their thoughts on the sculpture bridges the gap between complex research and patient understanding, reducing alienation and fostering empowerment. The sculpture was made in cooperation with the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, specifically histopathology lab: Ida Parisi, Rhiannon Cook and Ayindamola Ajisegiri.

public engagement

Since 2022, we have worked on a project to support more young people to access science. This is a collaboration with the community group African Families in the UK, other departments in the University of Oxford, and the History of Science Museum. In 2024, we were awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Community Partnership for this project.