One Cell At A Time

One Cell At A Time is an ambitious programme of public engagement activities with the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) initiative. During 2020 and 2021, the programme has brought together arts and communities, patients and researchers to explore the biological and cellular make-up of the human body.

The programme has aimed to show how Human Cell Atlas research could impact how we think about the human body and identify areas where HCA could meet a need, and also aspired to deepen the trust that the public has in scientific research.

This engagement has resulted in a range of artworks that respond to the scientific research of the Human Cell Atlas and the communities that enable that work to happen. These artworks are featured in the virtual One Cell At A Time exhibition.

The One Cell At A Time art and science exhibition invites people to explore our growing understanding of the trillions of cells that make up the human body, and the role we play in pioneering scientific discovery.

The exhibition features participatory artworks, small-run publications which fuse art, photography and creative writing (‘zines) and creative learning projects.

These works have been created by visual and digital artists, inventors, designers, poets and dancers who have collaborated virtually with members of the HCA, local communities and schoolchildren across the United Kingdom. They have creatively explored the science of the HCA initiative, as well as public attitudes towards body, tissue and data donation for research.

The One Cell At A Time public engagement project has been developed with the support of the Wellcome Genome Campus Public Engagement (WGC PE) team. It is funded by a Research Enrichment Grant from Wellcome Trust (ref: 218597/Z/19/Z).