Coming from the Maia Lab, which focuses on fish Biomechanics, at Rhode Island College, the goal of this piece was to connect the past, present and future of one of the lab’s main projects “Neurophysiology of the Mechanosensors in Bluegill dorsal fins.” By furthering our understanding of fish neuroanatomy, strides can be made in the world of sensory-controlled prosthetics.

"Neither of us had any experience with sculpture so while we planned everything we could, Vis-A-Thon pushed our ability to think on the fly and be okay with the chaos. We initially planned a papier-mache hand and a metal wire hand coming together to create our final piece, but the sculpting process fought us every step of the way and it was only through our communication and teamwork we could overcome those hurdles. When the papier-mache didn’t stick to our frame, we pivoted to making a foam sculpture and covering it with scrap cloth we had on hand. When the metal wire hand couldn’t hold its own weight, we improvised a soda can filled with gravel and sculpted everything else around it. I usually lean more into the science side of art with my illustrations, but this program helped me embrace the art of science. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity and I am confident that my experience will help me with my career in the future.”

-Jill