Amelia Burke

The Islet Cell Project — Overview

A research-led glass art project by Amelia Burke

The Islet Cell Project sits at the intersection of art, science, and lived experience. As an Expert-by-Experience (EbE) and Parent & Public Involvement Co-Investigator (PPI-CoI), I work closely with leading diabetes researchers across the UK to translate the unseen cellular world of Type 1 Diabetes into glass sculpture.

My practice draws on years of examining natural cellular structures and interpreting them through hot-glass murrine techniques, kiln-formed compositions, and freestanding sculptural forms. This project extends that expertise into the biological realm, focusing specifically on the islet cells within the pancreas — the 2% of pancreatic tissue that plays a vital role in insulin production, autoimmunity, and the lived reality of Type 1 Diabetes. 

Why Islet Cells? Why Now?

Type 1 Diabetes affects over 207,000 people in Wales alone, including my own daughter. This personal connection — combined with my longstanding interest in cellular imagery — drives my commitment to represent islet cells in a way that is both scientifically engaged and emotionally resonant. Through glass I aim to:

• Visualise the fragility and importance of islet cells
• Challenge the stigma that Type 1 Diabetes is linked to lifestyle or “unhealthy choices”
• Create space for public understanding, education, and empathy through artwork that is accessible, luminous, and tactile

Glass provides a material language of vulnerability, precision, and transformation — mirroring the complex realities of autoimmune disease. 

Scientific Collaboration

This project is rooted in deep collaboration with three pioneering centres of diabetes research, each offering unique perspectives on islet cell function, autoimmune attack, and pancreatic morphology. My research partners include:

• OCDEM, University of Oxford – Prof. David Hodson
• University of Exeter – Pia Leete (RD Lawrence Research Fellow) & Associate Professor Sarah Richardson
• Cardiff University – Professor Susan Wong

Their generosity in sharing microscopy, imaging, and cellular studies forms the scientific foundation of the glass responses I create. 

A quote from Professor Susan Wong — that only around 2% of a pancreas consists of islet cells — has become a guiding metaphor. In response, I am developing a recurring sculptural motif: a small gold sphere, representing this precious but vulnerable 2%. If resources allowed, it would be a diamond; in gold, it still speaks to its rarity, fragility, and immeasurable value.

Artistic Approach

The Islet Cell Project builds on my established method of abstracting cellular shapes into glass murrine, fused glass panels, and sculptural forms. Historically, these works harness light to reveal internal complexity — something I am now expanding into freestanding “artificial pancreases” and islet-inspired sculptural vessels.

Throughout this R&D phase, I have been experimenting with:

• Scale — from Petri-dish-like plates to larger sculptural forms
• Form & negative space — responding to islet clustering and cellular micro-architecture
• Colour & translucency — interpreting biomedical imagery through glass layers
• Hot-sculpted murrine — using cellular patterning to build structural volume

Mentorship has been essential to maintaining artistic rigor:

• Neil Wilkin – hot-glass sculpting and technical refinement
• Verity Pulford – conceptual and creative development
• Philip Hughes, Ruthin Craft Centre – critical guidance and public-engagement perspective  

This combination of scientific supervision and artistic mentorship ensures the project remains ambitious, accurate, and deeply human.

Where the Project Is Heading

This R&D phase, supported by Arts Council Wales, has laid the foundations for a larger body of work. The next stage will focus on:

• Developing museum-scale sculptural installations
• Collaborating further with biomedical researchers to refine cellular accuracy
• Creating work suitable for public exhibitions, health-education spaces, and interdisciplinary events
• Producing a series of Islet Cell / Artificial Pancreas sculptures that foreground the golden “2%”

This project is designed not just to exist as artwork, but to support better understanding, spark discussion, and honour the scientific community working toward a cure.

Future development will require production and exhibition funding, ideally through a combination of public grants and partnerships with organisations committed to advancing diabetes research, medical education, and arts-and-science collaboration.

I am grateful to all who have supported and believed in this project. If you would like to acquire work or explore investment possibilities, please contact me at ameliaburkeglass@gmail.com or through my contact page.