Night & Day is a response to a residency in Professor James Hodge’s lab at the University of Bristol. The work consists of an animation and an artist’s book, taking the form of three never-ending volumes.
Sleep problems such as insomnia and excessive sleepiness are common and distressing symtoms in Alzheimer’s disease, yet little understood. Researchers at the university, in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience are working to identify the underlying causes in order to develop new treatments for sufferers. By studying the impact of light on circadian rhythm, the scientists have made important discoveries.
Fruit flies share around 75% of genes with humans and our circadian rhythms follow a similar pattern. Fruit flies are most active during the day and more restful at night. When flies are kept in total darkness, their circadian rhythm stays fairly consistent, but when exposed to constant daylight, they lose the cycle and it becomes erratic. This demonstrates the impact of irregular light exposure from shift work, light pollution etc.
Cited: Buhl, E., Hingham, J., Hodge, J. ‘Alzheimer’s disease-associated tau alters Drosophila circadian activity, sleep and clock neuron electrophysiology’ in Neurobiology of Disease (2019)
Night & Day (2024) Animation, running time 1 minute and artist’s book (paper, glue), 360 x 300 x 300mm
