Forgotten Women of Science – Safiye Ali

Artist – Sallyann Bradnam

Design Description

Safiye Ali was the first female doctor of Turkey, to represent her field and achievements, I have designed my moth to incorporate a Caduceus (ancient symbol of healing, still used today in medicine) this winged staff forms the central body of the moth, but the traditional serpents that usually entwine the Caduceus have been replaced with a human DNA helix. The base, sides and front of the moth are made up of images based on microscopic human tissue cells such as the tongue, skin, fat, pancreas and veins.

Artist Statement

I come from an Arts background I studied both Graphic Design and Fine Art and worked as a Designer in educational publishing for over 16 years, after being made redundant, I changed my profession but i still continued to paint and illustrate. The style of my work is varied, I am able to work to any scale and in any media, but my particular areas of skill are with water colour, oils and acrylics. My work is very colourful and bold, it is stylized and representational instead of being true to life, I try to get a sense of movement within my work and I also like to use symbolism. My main subject area is animals and my inspiration comes from world myths, legends and children’s stories as well as Chinese and Western astrology.