Welcome to the Tribe (Teen Brain)

Acrylic paint, string, beads, pasta, plastic leaves

Collaboration with Sarah-Jayne Blakemore’s adolescent brain lab, University College London

84.1 x 59.4cm

Using a tribe’s rites of passage / initiation into manhood as its metaphor, this work depicts the changes that occur in the teenage brain. While grey matter volume decreases, white matter increases. Meanwhile, neurons are fitted with an insulating myelin sheath that enables signals to be transmitted more quickly. The prefrontal cortex – here, the red-leaf headdress – is still subject to a process called ‘synaptic pruning’. This trims and cuts out weak or unnecessary connections for a more sleek and efficient brain.