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A Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Slade School of Fine Art graduate and artist-in-residence at theÌýuniversity is opening an exhibition at the Royal Institution on Tuesday 12 May.

'Ravelling, Unravelling' is the result of a year-long Artist ResidencyÌýby Naheed Raza (MA Fine Art 2007) in Mathematics, which has involved regular discussions with Professor Steven BishopÌý(Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Mathematics), Dr Gert Van der Heijden (Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Civil and Environmental Engineering) as well as researchers from CoMPLEX (Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾'s Centre forÌýInterdisciplinary Science)Ìýand Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Hospitals.

The project, funded by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award, has involved a creativeÌýresponse to topological and geometric investigations currently undertaken in biomedicine - specifically those relating to twisted, folded and ravelled structuresÌýwhich have significance both in science and art.ÌýThe exhibition focuses on theÌýtheme of 'entanglement'Ìýas a linking thread connecting issues pertinent inÌýart, medicine,Ìýliterature and philosophy.

It will showcase:

• 'Silk' - a 16mm film depicting the reeling of the Golden Orb Weaver;Ìýa spider unique for the goldenÌýhue of the web it weaves, and which is of current biomedical interest because of its potential use as a biomaterial
• 'Mile of String' - a sculpture made entirely from twisted string evocative of spatial chaos, Einstein's warpedÌýSpace-Time and the enigmatic coiled structures of DNA and proteins
• 'Ravel' - an animation produced in collaboration with animator Carl Fairweather fusing ideas from art and biology
• A series of intricate casts of arterio-venous malformations, abnormal vascularÌýtangles appearing in the body during disease states.

There will be a reading by writer Steven Connor on the opening night andÌýan opportunity to hear more about the works and the theme ofÌý'entanglement' in an accompanying event on 19 May. Chaired by Francis McKee (Director of Contemporary Art, Glasgow), this will feature presentations by Professor Steven Bishop (Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Mathematics), Professor Raoul Hennekam (Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾H Clinical Genetics), Professor Fritz Vollrath (Oxford Zoology) and Naheed Raza on a range of subjects from shifting sand dunes, the peculiar properties of spider silk and the relationship between ravelled structures on the body's surface and underlying disorder.

The Royal Institution is hosting the exhibition, which is free, untilÌýThursday 28 May.
For more information follow the links above.

Image: 'Sculpture 445' by Naheed Raza.