The Heart of the Matter

About

New exhibition The Heart of the Matter merges art and medicine to reflect on the human heart with artworks inspired by patients with congenital heart conditions, their families and clinicians, inviting the public to discover the extraordinary nature of this complex organ. The exhibition is a collaboration between British artist Sofie Layton, bioengineer Giovanni Biglino, Bristol Heart Institute and health psychologist Jo Wray, Great Ormond Street Hospital and offers unique insight into the heart’s beauty, fragility and resilience, using scientific and artistic methods.

The Heart of the Matter explores the heart through different lenses – medicine, technology, metaphor and storytelling. The anatomy of the heart and the medical language used are  reinterpreted through 3D printed heart models, printed textile diagrams and sound installations, while immersive installations and sculptural forms explore allegorical conceptions of the heart and patient experiences of cardiac care.  

The artworks reflect on how personal, unique and precious everybody’s heart is to them and on key elements in the journey of cardiac patients, such as the supporting role of the family, the puzzle of complex heart surgery, the sacredness and fragility of life.