Bristol exhibition inaugural event: “The art and legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal”

Exhibition “The Art and Legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal”

The exhibition “The Art and Legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal“ will be featured in Bristol in June as part of the international symposium, “The Emotional Brain“. In this new stop, the exhibition will focus on the potential of the intersection between Arts and Science. Two parallel exhibitions will merge: the historical beauty of Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s neuroanatomical drawings and contemporary artistic explorations of health projects.

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Main exhibition: The Art and Legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal

Enter the world of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the father of modern neuroscience. This exhibition showcases a selection of his iconic hand-drawn illustrations, which advanced brain science while bridging art and empirical research.

Satellite exhibition: Arts Meets Science

Alongside Cajal’s legacy, ‘Arts Meets Science’ will feature a broader array of health and nature-inspired artwork, reflecting the emotional and social dimensions of health. Experience how the human complexity is interpreted through textiles, ceramics, collaborative painting or sound.

FEATURED PROJECTS:

• Cajal Embroidery Project – A stitched homage to neural networks
• Ceramics by Annie Campbell – Evoking the emotional architecture of the mind
• Musicotherapy by Vicky Guise – Sound and emotion in therapeutic practice
• Prosthetics Future – Where design, empathy, and identity converge
• Holding My Heart – Health, from anatomy and emotion
• Turning the Tide – Health, hope, and illustration by Bristol medical students
• Tunisian Collaborative Painting – Collective patient expression and emergent creativity

NOTE: This satellite exhibition will be displayed only from the 4^th to the 6^th of June.

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Opening Reception – 4^th of June 2025

The exhibition will launch with an opening event on 4^th June 2025, featuring talks from invited speakers following a reception. Registration is required, please register via this link. Please note that SRUK/CERU will be offering microgrants for those SRUK/CERU members who are commuting to attend this event. You can apply through our member area.

INVITED SPEAKERS:

• Javier de Felipe (Instituto Cajal, Spain) – presenting insights into Cajal’s artistic-scientific legacy.
• Annie Campbell (Auburn University, USA) – exploring the emotional resonance of brain-inspired sculptures.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME FOR 4^th OF JUNE:

Time	Activity
15:15h – 16:00h	Registration and coffee – Exhibition “The art and legacy of Ramón y Cajal”
16:00h – 16:10h	Welcome: Sara Alvira de Celis (University of Bristol)
16:10h – 16:45h	Javier de Felipe (Instituto Cajal, Spain)
16:45h – 17:00h	Annie Campbell (Auburn University, USA)
17:00h – 18:30h	Reception and exhibition opening

Exhibition Dates & Location

📍 Great Hall, Wills Memorial Building

• 4^th June: Opening event (15:00h – 18:00h).
• 5^th June: Exhibition open the public (15:00h – 18:00h).
• 6^th June: Walk-in exhibition open the public (15:00h – 18:00h).

📍 School of Psychological Sciences, Priory Road Complex*

• From 10^th June to 27^th June (09:20h – 18:00h): Walk-in extended, open to the public. Please note that only ‘The art and legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal’ will be displayed.

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Contact

If you have any doubts regarding the event or the exhibition, please do not hesitate to reach us at [email protected].

You can also subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates on the exhibition (next venues, registration details, etc.).