i have tried to marry ideas of the processes used in the radiography/ brachytherapy areas with the theme of 'garden' and have shared my iideas in progress through my blog.. I am open to comments on the ideas and anything relevent that can aid this process or provide information which can add a new, artistic or scientific aspect to the work .

Today i have been gathering together all my research and ideas to date in order to begin to think about a layout / design for the final outcome. My intention is to make work which will combine my textile skills and the research in a piece of work which is relevent to its situation within the hospital and to the groups who will pass through that space. my aim is to make work which will demonstrate aesthetic and tactile textile qualtities but i would hope also be relevent to patients and staff.

To date i have been looking at the process of brachytherapy and have been trying to find ways to use the processes to spark off ideas to generate work .. Seeds were my first thought as seeds are used in brachytherapy and also within the planting of a garden ( the theme of the commissioned works within the hospital ).. in the process of generating ideas i have looked at seed planting and the growth of seeds.. i have also looked at plants and flowers associated with health and emotional states . in order to make a work that demonstrates the research to date i am now looking at ways i can formulate this into a large scale piece of work .

i have been keeping a sketchbook to gather images and text relating to the work . it has been a great way to gather ideas and document the process along with the blog . i thought i would share a few photos of my sketchbook pages .

i have been looking a the history of medicinal gardens to get more ideas about garden design .. i have been thinking that a garden could be designed using the researched gained to date and also incorporating the flowers and plants associated with diet and health

http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/garden/index.html http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/garden/gowm.html Oncology bed . chelsea physic garden Camptotheca acuminata, Catharanthus roseus , Papaver somniferum, Podophyllum hexandrum, Podophyllum peltatum, Taxus baccata, Taxus brevifolia

seed stitch

background could be stitched in seed stitch linking the sewn stitch with the idea of brachy seeds.

A seed [siːd] (help·info) is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant. The formation of the seed completes the process of reproduction in seed plants (started with the development of flowers and pollination), with the embryo developed from the zygote and the seed coat from the integuments of the ovule. Seeds have been an important development in the reproduction and spread of flowering plants, relative to more primitive plants like mosses, ferns and liverworts, which do not have seeds and use other means to propagate themselves. This can be seen by the success of seed plants (both gymnosperms and angiosperms) in dominating biological niches on land, from forests to grasslands both in hot and cold climates. The term seed also has a general meaning that predates the above - anything that can be sown i.e. "seed" potatoes, "seeds" of corn or sunflower "seeds". In the case of sunflower and corn "seeds", what is sown is the seed enclosed in a shell or hull, and the potato is a tuber.

phytoestrogens

lycopene line

i am interested in the diagrams and lines reating to the related chemical structures . these could from part of layout design .

lycopene possible reduced risk of prostrate cancer

'the major sources of lycopene in the diet are tomatoes - especially tomato sauce and paste . some lycopene is also found in smaller ammounts in watermelon and pink grapefruit'

garden

• companion planting
• vegetables and flowers together
• allotments
• garden layout/ design
• medicinal gardens
• garden history

vegetable flowers

beneficial diet and prostrate cancer

• phytoestrogens :grains veg legumes, fruit and vegetables soy beans
• vitamins and selenium
• tomato products and lycopene

thinking of seeds planted i have been looking at brachytherapy again and how seeds are inserted with needles. a positioning grid is used .

ideas

• looking at the layout of the grid for design
• using templates to work with

• planting seeds
• inserting seeds
• creating seed beds

seeds

borage seeds and seed pod

viscaria:

will you dance with me?

borage:

courage

yarrow: healing

allium :

strength

oakleaves:

bravery

almond blossom -hope.

snowdrop -hope.

yarrow – healing

alium – strength.

eremurus - endurance.

eucalyptus – protection.

honeysuckle: bonds of love.

oakleaves: bravery.

pansies: receipient is being thought about. The flower's name comes from the French word pensée which means thought or remembrance. .

rosemary: remembrance.

violet, blue: watchfulness, faithfulness, I'll always be true.

yarrow: healing.

zinnia: thoughts of absent friends, in memory of an absent friend.

borage – courage.

bay Leaf – strength.

artemesia - symbol of dignity.

marigold - comforts the heart.

pear blossom: health and hope.

rose(tea) - I’ll always remember.

snowdrop- hope and consolation.

viscaria - will you dance with me? .

zinnia (yellow) - daily remembrance.

I have been looking at the definition of garden to generate ideas gar·denn. 1.A plot of land used for the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit. 2. gardens Grounds laid out with flowers, trees, and ornamental shrubs and used for recreation or display. Often used in the plural: public gardens; a botanical garden. 3. A yard or lawn. 4. A fertile, well-cultivated region. 5. a. An open-air establishment where refreshments are served.b. A large public auditorium or arena. v. gar·dened, gar·den·ing, gar·dens v.tr. 1. To cultivate (a plot of ground) as a garden. 2. To furnish with a garden. 1. To plant or tend a garden. 2. To work as a gardener. adj. 1. Of, suitable to, or used in a garden: garden tools; garden vegetables. 2. Provided with open areas and greenery: a garden community. 3. Garden-variety.Idiom: lead/take down the garden path To mislead or deceive (another).

i have discovered a project working with radiography and textiles .. it would be an interesting process to work with .. ...

• creating embroidered textiles which would then be xrayed
• embroidering layers of text/ stitch/ fabric qualities
• digitally manipulating results to created digitally printed imagery.

Revealing the hidden: the X-radiography of textiles

Mary M Brooks, Senior Lecturer, Textile Conservation Centre, University of Southampton . Sonia A O'Connor, Research Fellow in Archaeological Conservation, Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford

X-radiography of textiles

X-radiography is an established non-destructive investigative technique used in many areas of conservation practice which has not usually been applied to textiles. The aim of this interdisciplinary research is to explore the potential of x-radiography as a tool for the characterisation, condition assessment, study and conservation decision-making of ancient, historic and contemporary textiles. Such X-radiographs enable hidden aspects of textiles and textile artefacts, such as seaming, stuffings and structural supports, to become evident as well as more subtle details such as internal stitching threads, variations in weave structures and differential metal weightings on silk fabrics. It can also be used for mapping areas of repair and deterioration. The benefits of such analysis are not only for conservators and curators since X-radiographs are also an exciting and dramatic tool for communicating a greater understanding of textiles to the public. http://www.bl.uk/services/npo/journal/2/textile.html

I have been looking at Kew Gardens millenium seed bank website as inspiration and also found some fantastic images of seeds for the book "Seeds - Time Capsules of Life"

millenium seed bank The MSB and its partner seed banks are not mausoleums - the seed they contain remains alive for decades and, in many cases, hundreds of years. More importantly, that seed is being used now to provide a wide range of benefits to mankind, ranging from food and building materials for rural communities to disease-resistant crops for agriculture. The collections held in the MSB, and the knowledge we are deriving from them, gives us almost infinite options for their conservation and use. With future climate change scenarios and the ever-increasing impact of human activities, the MSBP is already looking towards the next 10%. http://www.kew.org/msbp/

thinking about the garden theme of the arts commissions within the hospital and seeds used within brachytherapy i have been looking at plant seeds and xrays of seeds ..

Brachytherapy (radioactive seed implants) is sometimes used to treat small tumours of the prostate gland. It is carried out under a general anaesthetic, or sometimes a spinal anaesthetic. Small radioactive metal seeds are inserted into the tumour within the prostate gland, and they release small doses of radiation very slowly over a period of time. The seeds are not removed, but stay in the prostate tissue. The radioactivity gradually fades away over approximately a year. The radiation affects only the area a few millimetres around the seeds, so there is no danger of it affecting other people.

• xray
• seeds
• needles

xray with purple highlights

xray with seeds

i have been looking at brachytherapy seeds trying to understand more about the process involved in brachytherapy treatment.

brachytherapy seeds

brachytherapy : Radiation treatment given by placing radioactive material directly in or near the target, which is often a tumor. Brachytherapy for prostate cancer, for example, is also called interstitial radiation therapy or seed implantation. In brachytherapy for prostate cancer, radioactive seeds are implanted in the prostate. The seeds might be titanium-encased pellets containing the radioisotope iodine-125. "Brachy-" is Greek for "short." The opposite of brachytherapy is teletherapy, treatment in which the radiation source is at a distance from the target.

• brachytherapy seeds
• plant/ flower seeds

my textile commission will be placed within the radiography and brachytherapy area of the hospital so much to my preliminary research has centred around understanding these processes.

'we want views of the outside, trees. flowers, fields etc. Choice of colours, original art work on walls. Overall design based on comfort, to encourage feelings of ease rather than tension and fear, not just a functional building'

Patient comment from Tonic Patient consultation