senescence

2022 1200mm Ø x 200mm 193 layers of cut and burnt pine wood This wall hanging is meticulously crafted from 193 pieces of layered plywood, burnt and sealed using the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique—a traditional method of wood preservation that uses fire and water to seal the surface. The layered wood forms geometric patterns that allude to genetic mutagenesis. While most patterns divide equally, one disc’s pattern does not, symbolising the initial breakdown in the cellular senescence process. The piece is paired with a video where the sculpture appears and explores the concept of senescence, which is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms, commonly referred to as “ageing”. Cells possess the ability to divide, but their DNA holds a limit on the number of divisions, known as the Hayflick limit. As we age, cells become less stable, leading to random or uncontrollable divisions, or they stop dividing altogether.