Primitive Streak

Primitive Streak captures the profound moment when the first line of symmetry appears in the human embryo at just 14 days after fertilisation. This organising principle – invisible to the naked eye – determines our entire bodily structure. I've scaled this microscopic event over 2,000 times into a powerful bronze sculpture that explores the parallel between biological and artistic creation.

The sculpture itself stands 42cm high, and when mounted on its base reaches an impressive overall height of 67cm, giving it a commanding presence that befits its profound subject matter. This scale transforms an invisible biological moment into a tangible monument to life's fundamental elegance.

Unlike the other works in my Carnegie Stages series, which closely follow embryological forms, "Primitive Streak" ventures into pure abstraction. It investigates that first creative line – whether drawn by nature or artist – as the genesis of all that follows. The primitive streak is life's first organisational gesture, lasting mere days at the microscopic scale, yet determining the fundamental architecture of every human body.

Created for my 2013 "Life Forming" exhibition at Pangolin London, this bronze edition offers the traditional qualities of permanence, weight, and the particular presence that only bronze provides. Each piece is cast using the lost-wax method and finished with a carefully developed patina, then mounted on a specially designed base that elevates both the sculpture and its conceptual significance.

The work asks fundamental questions: What is the relationship between biological and artistic creation? How does complexity emerge from simplicity? Where does science end and art begin?

Also available in Jesmonite Bronze Edition at £3,500