Zachary Edge 

Terminal Terror through the microscope 

Stoneware clay, polymer clay, air-dry clay, fossilised shark teeth, armature wire, foil, chip wood, gesso, acrylic paint, varnish, plaster 

‘Terminal Terror through the microscope’, my unit 4 artwork, is my response to the ubiquitous nature of disease (particularly cancer) and how it has affected humanity across all of history. Cancer, and its mutated cells, are generally invisible to us despite the immense impact they can have on our lives. This artwork challenges that hidden nature by upscaling an artistic take on a cancerous creature into a large-scale piece; as though we are seeing it through a microscope.
I am also commenting on the way in which cancer cells attack their own body of origin through the image of the ouroboros – a snake that eats its own tail – which is symbol that has been present in many cultures throughout the scope of time. 
I do not like to look at my work for long, nor do I think it is aesthetically appealing (and I don’t expect many people think of it as ‘nice’). It is instead rather gruesome and aggressive, yet that is how the reality of disease can be. A work that highlighted the hope and high points of life would not be an honest depiction of the experiences many people have with this topic.