A tapestry which explores the relationship between art and medicine has been unveiled in RCSI.

The artwork, titled I Have Found Myself, was created by RCSI’s 2021 Art Award winner Domino Whisker and draws inspiration from brain scan imagery of Alzheimer’s patients, transforming the visual patterns of neurological change into bird-like forms woven into the tapestry.

Inspired by her father’s diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Whisker’s work explores memory and its loss, shaped by both personal experience and the broader fragility of the human mind. Speaking about the piece, she said: “This piece explores the effects of Alzheimer’s disease through brain scan imaging, offering the viewer a chance to look at scans not with fear but with curiosity and imagination.

“The tangled plaques that cause irreversible damage are reinterpreted as birds in murmuration. Within the forms, you will notice bird-like figures emerging from where the Alzheimer’s plaques once were. This transformation is intentional – reimagining decay as movement and confusion as flight, reflecting the disorientation and fluidity of an Alzheimer’s brain.”

The RCSI Art Award is presented annually to an artist exhibiting at the Royal Hibernian Academy’s Annual Exhibition – the longest-running and largest visual arts exhibition of its kind in Ireland – and recognises outstanding artistic achievement across all media. The award is among the most substantial prizes available to artists exhibiting at the RHA and reflects RCSI’s role as a significant supporter and commissioner of contemporary art.

The award celebrates the longstanding relationship between art and medicine while also highlighting the role of creativity in supporting well-being among patients, healthcare professionals and the wider public. Recent commissions have explored themes related to health, reflection and the social impact of medicine, demonstrating the evolving dialogue between artistic practice and medical humanities.

Professor Cathal Kelly, RCSI Vice Chancellor, said: “I am personally very proud of the RCSI Art Award and what it has achieved for the RCSI art collection. As the collection continues to expand, we seek to enrich the learning environment and enhance the sense of connection within our community of healthcare professionals.”

Domino Whisker, who lives and works in Dublin, is known for her distinctive embroidered works that often incorporate hand-stitched text. Entirely self-taught in embroidery, she has developed a unique visual language that combines craft, narrative and personal reflection. Born in Dublin in the late 1980s, she spent part of her early life in the United States before returning to Ireland.

Whisker has exhibited widely in both solo and group exhibitions and has received several notable commissions, including projects for Claridge’s in London and for The Devlin and The Mayson hotels in Dublin. Her piece I Have Found Myself joins RCSI’s campus art collection, which is curated to enhance the university environment and support the well-being of students, staff and visitors.

The addition of Whisker’s work reflects RCSI’s continued commitment to societal engagement and to fostering meaningful connections between art, medicine and education.

Find out more arts and cultural heritage at RCSI here.